A poll release by the Des Moines Register shows a unique insight into support for marriage equality in the Buckeye State. In that 92 percent of Iowans argue that the state’s recognition of same sex marriage has not had an adverse impact on their lives, though support for marriage equality remains split, with 41 percent whom say they would support a constitutional amendment to overturn marriage equality and 40 percent who would oppose a ban.

The Register also highlights consern the focus on wedge issues might hurt the GOP at the ballot box:

“It’s really none of my business what other people do in their lives,” said Curt Goodell, 38, a Johnston resident.

He identifies himself as a Republican but said he worries his party will try to make marriage a key issue in coming elections. “I don’t have any judgment toward people who want to get married: gays, straight or whatever,” Goodell said.

Few poll respondents who described themselves as Republicans say the court decision is the single most important issue in the 2010 elections. But more than a third of Republicans say it is among several important issues, while only about a quarter of Democrats put it in that category.

Former state Republican Chairman Mike Mahaffey said the poll shows that, as the party searches for a winning message, the economy trumps marriage among voters.

Read more about marriage equality in Iowa in the Des Moines Register.

Despite organized efforts by the Maine Catholic Diocese to overturn marriage equality laws, a local group of Catholics firmly committed to ensuring that all have the right to marry.

Jack and Rose Dougherty went to St. Rafael’s Church in Kittery that same Sunday, armed with petitions spearheaded by Catholics for Marriage Equality. They also put a note in the basket during the second collection stating they did not support the church’s action. Six other parishioners found them after Mass and signed the petition, said Jack Dougherty, people who “had called to offer support, and said, ‘We’re behind you on this. We think you’re right.’”

Dougherty said the Catholics in support of the law are organizing and the petition is a step in that direction.

The one-page, single-spaced petition titled, “God is Love,” begins: “As faithful Roman Catholics and citizens of the state of Maine, we believe that the right of every citizen to practice freedom of religion is based on the principle of respect for the dignity of each individual.”

The petition states that Catholic teaching on social justice “has been central to the building of a just society,” and added, “We remember that Roman Catholics were once denied civil rights … because of our sacred rituals.”

To learn more about the campaign to protect marriage equality in Maine, visit No on One: Protect Maine Equality.

Chicago Tribune Columnist Steve Chapman confronts, head-on the accusations being made about marriage equality.

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire have all decided to let gays wed. Most of the remaining 44 states, however, are not likely to follow suit anytime soon. So in the next few years, we will have a chance to compare social trends in the states permitting same-sex marriage against social trends in the others.

But with the experiment looming, some opponents seem to be doubting their own convictions. I contacted three serious conservative thinkers who have written extensively about the dangers of allowing gay marriage and asked them to make simple, concrete predictions about measurable social indicators — marriage rates, divorce, out-of-wedlock births, child poverty, you name it.

You would think they would react like Albert Pujols when presented with a hanging curveball. Yet none was prepared to forecast what would happen in same-sex marriage states versus other states.

In addition, the longstanding allegation that marriage equality would lead to the weakening of ‘traditional marriage’ and contribute to many societal ills such as higher divorce rates seems to be encountering exactly the opposite, as according to the National Center for Vital Statistics, Massachusetts, which has had same-sex marriage for over five years, has the lowest divorce rate in the nation.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on today’s decision by the Lutheran Church in America to bless same-sex unions after a vote by delegates at the Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis.

The change in the Evangelical Lutheran Church does not require pastors or congregations to bless same-sex unions, but allows those comfortable with it to do so. Gay pastors can serve in Lutheran churches, but only if they are celibate. A coalition of churches known as Lutheran CORE opposed the affirmation of gay unions and pastors.

The Rev. Brad Schmeling of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Druid Hills, a gay man in a committed relationship, has been a key activist in the campaign to change church polity. Schmeling was removed from the list of approved Lutheran pastors in 2007. St. John’s kept him as minister and the denomination has not taken action against the church.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church has about 4.7 million members in 10,000 congregations. It is the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. More conservative Lutheran denominations, such as the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, still do not approve same-sex unions or gay relationships. The debate about full inclusion of gay members in the life of churches has been a hot one in U.S. Protestant denominations for more than a decade. The United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church accept gay ministers. The acceptance, in part, caused more conservative congregations in the Episcopal Church to leave the denomination.

Once again leaders of faith support the right of individuals to marry whomever they love, it’s time for states to allow Lutheran Churches to exercise their freedom of religion.

Milford A. Decker of Utica, the president of Pride Among the Mokawk, argues that marriage equality isn’t just fair and right, it is also good politics, in a letter to the Syracuse Post-Standard.

We pay taxes, are good neighbors, co-workers, parents, church members and voters. We want the same things other citizens strive for: to be productive; seek loving, committed relationships; and to be full members of a society that values all of its diverse members.

States that have experimented with civil unions have found them lacking, creating a “caste system” of sub-citizens who are not equal. These distinctions caused a nightmare of bureaucratic paperwork, unnecessary if all had equal access to civil marriage.

If you believe in limited government and personal freedoms–true, conservative values–then it makes sense to back marriage rights for all couples!