Syracuse couple defends their marriage and beliefs
Bob Metzler and John Caroulus speak with Jim Kenyon at their home on Wednesday.
/ photo; Andy Wolf
SYRACUSE -- After Granby Town Clerk Ruth Sheldon resigned over her opposition to New York's gay marriage law, she said it was based in part on her religious belief that God opposes homosexuality.
"I had to stand for the principles I believe in based on what the Bible teaches," Sheldon told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon on Monday.
Did Ruth Sheldon do the right thing by resigning over her religious opposition to gay marriage? Our story has sparked a fierce debate. There are more than a thousand comments on our website and Facebook page, both supporting and attacking Sheldon's stance. Click here to read and respond to some of those comments, or leave your own below.
Bob Metzler and John Caroulus are husband and husband. They were married in Vermont nearly two years ago and have the marriage certificate to prove it. Metzler says Sheldon's resignation was "her choice" and added "It's a civil issue, and by her doing that basically she's making a judgement that's she's passing along her religious beliefs."
When Kenyon asked Sheldon about whether she's passing judgement on gays, she replied, "I suppose some people would say yes I am. I'm only going by what God's word says. It's God's word, not my word."
Metzler says he goes to church regularly. "I'm a good Catholic," he says. When asked if he saw anything in the Bible that prohibits his lifestyle, Metzler said "Not really... God loves everybody, God is the only one that can pass judgement. If He feels that I'm sinning, then I guess I'm sinning, but I don't feel that I am.
"I believe He wants me to be happy and why shouldn't I be? I happened to fall in love and be in love with a man. It's my choice."
Metzler's husband John Caroulus added, "I am a big believer in my God. I believe... I was created this way for a reason... It's not going to make me a bad person for loving somebody of the same sex. It's not going to compromise my religious beliefs by any means."
Metzler says in 20 years gay marriage will be a non-issue, Caroulus feels it will take only five years.
