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Just how bad is it that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same sex marriage constitutional? Is it sort of bad, pretty bad, or so horribly bad that God may actually kill us?

It probably depends on one's personal opinion regarding homosexuality. The only problem I have with gay marriage is a vague uneasiness about the increase in wedding gifts I might have to buy.

But for some people, gay marriage is so horrible that all they can do is dwell on what God is going to do to us for legalizing it. In their view, God is almost certainly rolling up his sleeves and looking around for some handy damnation.

Last week, the Cornerstone Church pastor, John Hagee, announced — with tongue in his cheek, some claim; with head lodged firmly between his hams, say others — that God should either punish America for legalizing gay marriage, or apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for frying it.

For those not up on the Bible, the Lord of Hosts allegedly flash burned two entire cities of men, women, children, pets, livestock, bugs and anything else in them unfortunate enough to not be made of asbestos. According to Hagee and others like him, it happened because of homosexuality.

Genesis 19:24-25: "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."

As if to prove that he wasn't kidding around, God then also killed a witness to the deed by turning her into a pillar of salt. Aggrieved by this collateral punishment, the woman's husband (Lot) retreated to a cave where his two daughters got him drunk and had sex with him.

Note: Perhaps because this unholy debauchery was of the approved heterosexual type, God spared them. One of Lot's incestuous offspring was named Moab. The other was called Jeepsafari. I think. OK, I don't know. I didn't read that far.

In all seriousness, does God really owe Gomorrah and Sodom an apology? I don't know and don't care. The bigger question is why should any of us get killed for something we didn't have anything to do with?

Exactly how much misery have homosexuals — including married ones — brought down upon the heads of anyone? And by this I mean compared to other stuff for which apologies are in fact due.

For example, I think pastor Hagee, a Texas resident, owes every black person in this country an apology on behalf of every religious leader in Texas who ever used the Bible to justify slavery.

Nor should we stop there. I think the entire world deserves belated apologies from all religious leaders for thousands of years of getting important s—t wrong.

And I don't mean picky stuff like what to wear to church, how much of our money God wants, or even homosexuality. I mean the sort of divisive pronouncements that far too often have led to theologically justified slaughter.

When it comes to the sanctified integrity of my marriage and family, I know who worries me the most. It isn't the LGBT community and it isn't God.

Nope. It's always been those who believe they're righteous enough to know who needs an extra helping of fire and brimstone.

Robert Kirby can be reached at rkirby@sltrib.com or facebook.com/stillnotpatbagley. Find his past columns at http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/kirby.