And Then Then Were Twelve

On May 14, 2013, Minnesota, the home of Garrison Keillor and Rocky and Bullwinkle, became the 12th state to legalize same sex marriage. 

This develpment gives me the opportunity to promote once more one of James Carse's big points, and that is:  religions are the opposite of belief systems.  They must be in order to survive.  Despite the "official" position of the Catholic Church, among the 12 states which have legalized same sex marriage are Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which by perecentage of population, are the three most Catholic states in the nation.  New York, also a same sex marraige state, is the 5th most Catholic state.  Vermont, New Hampshire and Minnesota, also same sex marraige states, are among the top 15 most Catholic states in the country.   But then, as we all know, rejection of church teaching on the grounds of one's own conscience is itself fundamentally Catholic:  "It is better to perish in excommunication than to violate one's conscience."  Thomas Aquinas. 

Next state to embrace marriage equality:  Illinois