Homosexuality

Washington is poised to become the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage as Sen. Margaret Haugen announced Monday that she would support the measure.

Her support marks a majority for gay marriage supporters in the state's senate.

"I know this announcement makes me the so-called 25th vote, the vote that ensures passage," Haugen said in a statement on Monday. The 49-member Senate now holds 23 Democrats and two Republicans in favor of the bill. more >>

The adviser for Vanderbilt University's Christian Legal Society (CLS) said it is being forced off campus after the university instituted a nondiscrimination policy and placed various religious campus groups on probation.

Law Professor Carol Swain told The Christian Post Tuesday that CLS has amended its constitution to comply with college policies prohibiting clubs from precluding someone from a leadership positions based on his or her beliefs.

However, Swain said the group must draw the line when it comes to some biblical principles and responsibilities. more >>

As the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of a bill allowing same-sex marriage on Tuesday, Gov. Chris Christie reiterated that he would veto the bill if it reached his desk, but also said he would welcome a referendum on the November ballot asking voters to decide on the issue. 

The Democrat-led committee voted by a margin of 8-4 to pass the bill along; members voted along party lines.

The bill, titled Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act, will be read again before moving to the House to be voted on by the State Assembly and Senate. more >>

A member of Westboro Baptist Church, famous for preaching a fiery gospel that claims all those deemed "sinners" would go to hell, has said that even President Barack Obama would be a better choice in the 2012 presidential elections than the Republican candidates.

Timothy Phelps, the youngest son of the Baptist pastor who leads the Topeka, Kan. church, explained in an interview with The Huffington Post why he would rather have Obama as president than any of the other choices.

Commenting on Newt Gingrich’s surprising victory in the South Carolina primary, Phelps described the former House Speaker as a “liar, thief, and adulterer.” more >>

At a conference in Florida, a conservative Presbyterian group has officially given a name to the "New Reformed Body" they created.

The Fellowship of Presbyterians has decided to call the recently created reform body the "Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians" or ECO for short.

"ECO is a denominational entity under the umbrella of The Fellowship of Presbyterians that is committed to growing and planting flourishing churches and nurturing leaders," reads a Fellowship statement. more >>

As the New Jersey Judiciary Senate Committee prepares to take up a bill permitting same-sex marriage in the state next Tuesday, the debate surrounding the proposed legislation is heating up, with observers on both sides expressing uncertainty about the number of legislators actually in support of the bill. 

Democrats introduced a same-sex marriage bill – the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act – last week, despite seeing a similar bill defeated two years prior. Advocates of the bill, which aims to end same-sex civil unions and redefine "marraige" to include couples of the same gender, say the public has expressed support for same-sex marriage – a claim validated by a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday that found 52 percent of New Jersey residents were in favor of such unions.

Gov. Chris Christie has remained mum on the issue, and said Thursday he would make a prudent decision – if the bill even reaches his desk. more >>