“They will move on to the next step which might include human rights tribunals that punish speech and practices critical of homosexuality, including what religious schools and congregations teach about it. And how long will it be until members of the clergy who decline to officiate at homosexual weddings are charged with violating anti-dscrimination laws?”
.....Unless the radical gays want to step into a hornets nest of trouble with the Churches themselves.
I don’t know there is going to much of a fight from churches. For one thing, there will not be a united front. The Presbyterian Church - USA has already approved homosexual marriage and recently ordained a lesbian couple as ministers. They’ve lost congregations and will lose more. This will also split other mainline Protestant denominations that have factions that are gung-ho for homosexual marriage and factions that are dead-set against it. I have a friend who is a United Methodist minister and he says he has no idea how the Methodists are going to resolve the issue in a way that satisfies everyone. One thing they cannot do is kick the issue down the road again.
Traditional Protestants/evangelicals, the historic black denominations, the Orthodox and the Catholics, and maybe even traditional Jews should come together on this. I would include Muslims, but I really don’t trust them.
I am Orthodox. From what I understand of Orthodox sacramental theology (and marriage is a sacrament for us) there is no way for a priest to unite a same-sex couple in marriage. For us to be required to change that through state coercive power would definitely be a “we should obey God rather than men” moment.