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strong>May 24, Online/AFP

The once all-powerful Catholic Church in Ireland was trying to come to terms Sunday with the country'€™s overwhelming vote to allow gay marriage and confront the '€œsocial revolution'€ behind it.

As jubilant '€œYes'€ supporters nursed their hangovers after partying long into the night following Saturday'€™s referendum result announcement, the faithful were going to Mass to hear their priests reflect on the new social landscape in Ireland.

Your comments:

There is beauty in natural marriage between a man and a woman. The fruit of this union being their children and the family formed as nature intended.

A very recent British study of male and female homosexuals showed 43 percent of them had serious psychological problems. They die younger and abuse alcohol and drugs at a higher rate than the general population.

They have increased exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, are more likely to be the victims of domestic partner violence and, as one study of 800 homosexuals indicated in Germany, being faithful to one'€™s partner was impossible for all of them. This is the ugly truth of homosexuality.

Dick Tracy

A recent survey put admitted heterosexual married infidelity rates at 57 percent for men and 54 percent for women, so I would say there is not much difference between straights and gays.

It may be right that there is more domestic violence in male gay relationships. Testosterone has a lot to do with violence and with both partners being male there is bound to be more abuse. But I would be willing to bet that the percentage of gay male abusers is identical to the percentage of straight male abusers.  And of course I would be willing to bet the abuse rate for lesbian relationships is very low compared straight relationships.

Topesci

Many Westerners do not particularly endorse homosexuality, but are instead applying a moral principle of non-interference in other people'€™s lives.

They see it as a formula for social harmony, as we can see how unpleasant and unsuccessful societies become when they allow people the right to start dictating how everybody else behaves in their private lives; it will increase acts of violence to enforce norms.

Ireland is far away and Indonesia will not be allowing gay marriage anytime in the foreseeable future. Indonesia clearly has more pressing problems to attend to.

Loro Blonyo

Homosexuals will exist regardless of whether or not we permit their marriages. When they'€™re a marginalized population, do you believe their unsafe sexual activities increase or decrease? It'€™s the former, not the latter. If we'€™re genuinely concerned with public health as relates to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), would not fostering and encouraging monogamous relationships have a positive impact against that? Would not societal acceptance have an impact?

I'€™m a Muslim, and I don'€™t plan on getting a gay wedding for myself. Your mileage may vary. When I talk about these things, I talk about them in the light of secular governance. I don'€™t allow my personal morality or religion to interfere with my desires for good governance. Islam is the obedience I have to Allah, governance I leave to secular humanism.

Dani

Gays are probably only around 3 percent of the population so they don'€™t have a huge amount of sway in elections. Small minorities have to use a variety of different strategies to get their message across. They are at a huge disadvantage politically compared to larger chunks of the population. That'€™s why they need to use a variety of tactics to get their point across.

Lasem Benny

It was clearly a statement that religions have a small role in people'€™s everyday lives within a secular democracy. It is a further confirmation that most religions do not sit easily within modern secular democracies.

They need to concentrate on the spiritual development of the flock and stay out of delivering rules on how to behave, what to eat/drink and how to dress.

Jagera