March 15, 2004

Aberdeen American News
PO Box 4430
Aberdeen, SD 57401

Dear Editors:

In his March 10 letter, Paul Taylor claims that legal recognition 
of the marriages of same-gender couples would “redefine the meaning 
of family as set forth by both God and nature.” The religious
definition of “family” varies from congregation to congregation and 
from clergy person to clergy person, across religious traditions 
that worship one god, no gods, or many gods. Civil marriage is a 
legal status created and defined by state legislatures and unrelated 
to theistic or naturalistic belief systems, and the state and federal 
governments have a constitutional duty to protect all persons and 
all families equally. 


Sincerely,
Barbara Lamond Purdom			
Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators