If SSM becomes law then freedom to express a contrary view will become criminal, and considered as hate speech which is currently bandied about by Yes campaigners.

It is the beginning of a totalitarian State, where thought police enforce the law. This then becomes an opening for State enforced views of reality.

One cannot comment on State funding of gender transformation and its growth as an industry, to make one person in the SSM the opposite gender, merely because, "love is love".

//If SSM becomes law then freedom to express a contrary view will become criminal//

No it won't.

//It is the beginning of a totalitarian State, where thought police enforce the law.//

No it isn't.

If people make too many ridiculous and unjustifiable predictions about comically absurd consequences arising from SSM, the horrible hairy hyperbole monster will come along and gobble them up. True story.

But here's a prediction you can take to the bank: when SSM is legalised and all the ridiculous prophecies Josephus has made fail to eventuate... he'll just sweep them under the rug and pretend he never said anything, in the way of all failed prophets.

Happily, we'll have them all on public record to remind him what a silly old goose he is.

Dear Foxy,

«I've lost count of the number of door-knockers that we've had prior to the closure of the postal survey all quoting bits out of the Bible against same-sex marriage.»

There was not even one in my place!

Perhaps this could be attributed to pheromones, the bible being just an excuse to seek your beautiful presence?

«they still persisted on telling us why according to the Bible same-sex marriage was wrong»

Apparently, displaying their ignorance of the bible wasn't a successful way to win your graces: the bible is utterly silent about same-sex marriages. Yes, according to Leviticus, Jews are forbidden to have male homosexual intercourse, but unless you are a Jewish male this does not affect you and even two Jewish males can marry each other provided they remain celibate.

You may find this of interest: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-23/same-sex-marriage-what-bible-has-to-say-robyn-whitaker/8831826

«and how granting same-sex marriage was going to bring down the entire institution of marriage»

Marriage is a fact, a reality, rather than an institution. Should the viewing of marriage as an institution be brought down, this would only be for the better.

---

Dear Paul,

«religion is afterall a male dominated enterprise.»

You are confusing social procedures for religion.

Large parts of the old-testament are not religious, but national.
The old-testament prescribes how Jews should behave in order for the Jewish nation to strive. You cannot deny that those prescriptions worked well and for millennia, inasmuch as Jews followed the directions of the bible, their nation was successful.

Homosexuality is clearly against the interests of a nation. This is not a problem for me because I oppose nationalism. I definitely hate it when people blame religion for the folly of nationalism.

Unequal? Unfair? Strange? Crazy even? Perhaps, but the Jews/Israelites of the time were not after equality and fairness: what they wanted above all was the success of their nation - and those who didn't, left.

The reciting of Proverbs 31:10-31 on Friday evenings by Jewish husbands to their wives, is a proven tool for strengthening and bringing harmony and happiness to the family. Many women prefer this over equality.

Yuyutsu,

No, The old Mosaic laws of the Old Testament were not just national laws (although they were no doubt treated as such at the time). Matthew 5:18 discredits this frequently cited apologetic (Yes, right-wing, atheist apologists for Christianity, Matthew 5:18 is in the New Testament).

You may know a lot about Hinduism, but I can tell you now, you have a lot to learn when it comes to Christian theology. Heck, even many Christians do.

Was Jesus gay? Did Jesus marry his partner? The evidence for Jesus being homosexual and in a same sex marriage comes from the scriptures itself;

The disciple was John whom Jesus, the gospels affirm, loved in a special way. at Jesus's crucifixion all the other disciples had fled in fear. Three women but only one man had the courage to go with Jesus to his execution. That man john, clearly had a unique place in the affection of Jesus. In all classic depictions of the Last Supper, a favourite subject of Christian art, John is next to Jesus, very often his head resting on Jesus's breast. Dying, Jesus asks John to look after his mother and asks his mother to accept John as her son. John takes Mary home. John becomes unmistakably part of Jesus's family."

"Jesus was a Hebrew rabbi. Its assumed, he was unmarried. The idea that he had a romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene is the stuff of fiction, based on no biblical evidence. The evidence, on the other hand, that he may have been what we today call gay and part of a same sex relationship is very strong.

Jesus performed his first "miracle" at the wedding in Cana, where he turned water into wine. As it was custom for the bridegroom to provide the wine at a wedding. it is fair to say Jesus was in fact the groom. Since there is no mention of whom the bride was, it is safe to say the wedding was between Jesus and his longtime partner and special friend John. This may have been the first official same sex marriage in history. This may well have been what got Jesus crucified. Like today, the Pharisees were not big on SSM, and like today, they crucified anyone involved in such immoral behavour.

Tony,
Have a read of this:
https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/your-say-same-sex-marriage-erodes-fundamental-righ/3190923/

The Canadian experience demonstrates that "same-sex marriage" erodes fundamental rights.
A book was written Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting which no doubt the LGBTQ would try to suppress. In Canada, freedoms of speech, press and religion have suffered greatly. If one says or writes anything considered "homophobic", anything questioning same sex marriage, one could face discipline, termination of employment, and/or prosecution by the government.
Over and over we are told that permitting same-sex couples access to the designation of marriage will not deprive anyone of any rights. That is an outright lie.