I wish to join those who oppose the amendment to the North Carolina Constitution and will vote against it on May 8.

Ideally, marriage should be a binding relationship between a man and a woman. But we live in a secular and diverse society where increasingly couples live together who are not married. Under the proposed amendment, couples would be forced to marry, separate or live in violation of the law. Retirement and health benefits could be denied.

My opposition to the amendment is based on two principles: acceptance rather than rejection. As a pastor I have know respectable and responsible people who had different lifestyles from the majority of the population and yet were active church members and were respected in the community. We need to be less judgmental and more accepting toward those who are different from us. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor.”

Morality is ultimately determined by our relationship with God. It is not the business of the state to interfere with or redefine that relationship. The state must not be the monitor of the morals of its citizens. That is the challenge of the church in these troubled times.

William E. Smith

Southern Pines