This book outlines the history of same-sex marriage, explaining how politics and religion have intersected to decide and control who can legally marry. Marriage equality became law in the United States in 2015 with the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges . Marriage is, strictly speaking, a secular ceremony, requiring only civil sanction. However, many couples also seek the blessing of a religious body upon their union, and not all religious bodies support marriage equality. Some oppose it outright and some support it outright, while others are divided. This work examines the issue of same-sex marriage in the U.S. and internationally. It surveys the attitudes of major religions towards same-sex marriage and also looks at leading and sometimes polarizing personalities, like politician Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who exemplify both the religious and political sides of the issue. The book''s A-Z organization makes it easy for readers to locate important court cases, individuals, religious bodies, and social movements at the center of the same-sex marriage debate.

Autorentext
Scott A. Merriman is a lecturer in history at Troy University, USA. He has authored and edited more than a dozen books, including Religion and the Law in America: An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy (2007).

Inhalt

Topical List of Entries
Series Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Overview
Chronology

Alphabetical List of Entries
Adoption
AIDS
Baehr v. Miike
Baker v. Nelson
Baptist Church, The
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby
Buttigieg, Pete
Catholic Church, The
Chalcedon Movement
Church Schools
Civil Rights Movement
Civil vs. Religious Marriage
Davis, Kim, and Other Clerks
Defense of Marriage Act, The
Dumont v. Gordon
Eastern Orthodox Church, The
Episcopalians
Evangelicals
Generational Differences
Governmental Benefits
History and Religion
Islam
Judaism
Loving v. Virginia
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Mennonites
Methodists
Mormons
New Bills Opposing Same-Sex Marriage
Obergefell v. Hodges
Pastors vs. Their Churches
Pavan v. Smith
Pentecostals
Presbyterians
Religion and Interracial Marriage
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Religious Groups Splintering
Religious Law and Practice in the United States Historically
Religious Sacraments
Restaurants
Same-Sex Marriage Worldwide
Sodom and Gomorrah
State Laws on Religious Freedom
Surrogacy
2004 Elections and Religion
2000s, The
United Church of Christ v. Cooper
United Kingdom
United States v. Windsor

Annotated Bibliography
Index