In Mark 12:17 and in Luke 20:25, Jesus said: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

With marriage, what belongs to Caesar (the federal government) in the issuance of marriage licenses is the financial outcome of being married. Couples do not have to turn to any church to have their union validated. A justice of the peace, notary public or others can perform a legal ceremony outside any religious group.

Under God, are they living in sin?

Religious groups deal with the four “S” principles. Marriage saves the couple’s souls from sin by granting them full sexual pleasures by allowing them to marry legally.

God’s motto, on the other hand, is, “You are all my children.”

So, let religious groups worry about saving the souls of their flocks while allowing the government to do its job, without discrimination, by allowing lesbians and gays to marry.

Rolande Caron, South Paris