President Obama Says He Won’t Force Churches to Conduct Gay Marriages

President Obama was very excited about today's rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding gay marriage. While he backs the rulings from the court, Obama says what churches do is still up to them. According to the Washington Examiner:

President Obama, in his statement hailing the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, promised that he wouldn’t try to force religious institutions to conduct gay marriages.

“On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital,” Obama said. “How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions.  Nothing about this decision — which applies only to civil marriages — changes that.”

Here’s guessing that the Roman Catholics and other religious groups that are in the midst of fighting the contraception mandate are skeptical of that pledge.

“[T]he administration believes that this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious beliefs and increasing access to important preventive services,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said when the mandate was first unveiled last January.

I'm sure people out there are a bit skeptical of what the White House says here, and they should be. How long until a gay couple sues because of discrimination? Will churches lose their tax-exempt status if they preach against homosexuality? These are good questions and things to be on the lookout for.

Do you trust the government not to force churches into conducting gay marriage ceremonies? Let me know your thoughts below.