Conservative Christians and Roman Catholics Bishops and their allies view same-sex marriage as a cardinal sin and an offense to God’s laws as presented in the Bible. As a retired clergyman with a first-class biblical and theological education, I can assert that the Bible makes no such reference. Those who espouse a contrary view are guilty of using the Bible to their own political advantage, which is hardly a proper use of the sacred book.

These same people demonize those whose preference is same-sex marriage.

To demonize anyone, or any group of people, is contrary to the whole of the Bible and the teaching of Jesus Christ. To do so is to demonize the command of Jesus to love one another, and therefore Jesus Christ himself: a cardinal sin.

If we are going to demonize anyone, let’s demonize the really demonic in our society: abusers of women, pedophiles, drug dealers, murderers, corporations that abuse the environment, terrorists, the greedy and politicians who screw up the economy but who have no remorse for doing so, among others.

The opponents of same-sex marriage might be interested to know that more than 20 percent of heterosexual couples in the United States are unmarried. They aren’t doing much to uphold the sanctity of marriage, and I bet there are a good many conservatives and Roman Catholics among them.

Perhaps those who demonize same-sex marriage ought to take on that problem as well.

John B. Muir, Auburn