Churches paying price on same-sex marriage

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-

When Massachusetts' top court legalized same-sex marriage a decade ago, opponents correctly argued that the justices were getting ahead of the people, as most Americans opposed the practice at the time.

A decade later, judges and lawmakers who are striking legal barriers to same-sex marriage are barely keeping up. Most Americans -- including Pennsylvanians -- now favor the practice.

And amid that revolutionary shift, religious groups that have been most vocal in opposing homosexuality have suffered brand damage, according to a new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute. Most people think that Catholic, evangelical Protestant and Mormon churches are unfriendly to gays, the survey said, and believe such groups are alienating young people -- an opinion especially strong among young adults themselves, nearly one-third of whom claim no religious affiliation.

And among people who grew up religious and now claim no affiliation, one-quarter of them cited negative teachings or treatment involving gays and lesbians -- hardly a majority, but still significant in the growing secular segment of the adult population.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/03/03/Churches-paying-price-on-same-sex-marriage/stories/201403030091#ixzz2uu0rvgDn