The Minnesota Legislature passed marriage equality earlier this week and on Tuesday, Gov. Mark Dayton signed the measure into law. Starting August 1, same-sex couples will have the right to legally marry in the North Star State. While the push for marriage equality has brought out the best in many Minnesotans, among the religious right, the rhetoric bordered on bizarre.

Bradlee Dean of You Can Run But You Cannot Hide took to his radio program to express his outrage. People for the American Way’s Right Wing Watch caught his radio show from Wednesday May 15.

Dean said that Gov. Mark Dayton is at “war with God and is about to find out what it’s like as to what the fallout is when you throw rocks towards God, he’s going to learn how gravity works.”

He added, “The conservatives on the airwaves in Minneapolis are sitting there playing games with the homosexuals because they think it’s a puppy to be played with when in fact it’s a stinking water rat filled with rabies.”

Janet Markell of Olive Tree Ministries, which is broadcast on Christian talk radio station KKMS, told OneNewsNow, an affiliate of the American Family Association, that marriage equality could lead to the destruction of Minnesota.

“We’re the occult capital of America,” she told OneNewsNow. “We certainly have more Islamic influence probably than any other place, other than Dearborn, Michigan. We’re certainly one of the gay capitals, and now with homosexual marriage a reality, many Christians, solid pro-family-type people — we don’t know where to run to.”

She warned of God’s judgment.

“Whether it be economically or some weather-related kind of a tragedy, but God destroyed cities in the Bible over homosexuality; He speaks out on this issue in a very clear manner and calls this an abomination.”

Paul Ridgeway on KKMS lamented to his listeners on Friday after the bill passed the House.

“It’s terrible. I tell you folks we are sliding so fast.” He said that pastors had told him that “the floodgates of evil have opened up and “that Satan has opened up the demonic realm in allowing this happen.”

“This could not be worse what happened today. The floodgates of evil are open. This one of the worst days that Minnesota has ever had from a political and spiritual standpoint.”

“Where does it end? If today it’s okay for man and a man to have sex and a woman and a woman. What stops if you have a consenting 15 year girl and a 40 year old guy or whatever? Where does the slope stop. What about beastology[sic]?”

Three organizations came together to try and defeat the marriage equality bill: Minnesota Family Council, the National Organization for Marriage, and the Minnesota Catholic Conference. Collectively, they form Minnesota for Marriage.

Minnesota for Marriage released a statement that said in part:

Today is an historic and sad day for the state of Minnesota. As a result of years of campaigning by gay “marriage” activists awaiting a time when DFL leadership in the Minnesota legislature and governorship would be ready to champion their cause (contrary to the will of Minnesotans), the Minnesota Senate joined the Minnesota House of Representatives in passing the same-sex “marriage” bill. This bill not only upends our most foundational institution of marriage, redefining it as genderless and declaring mothers and fathers as “neutral” in Minnesota—it also fails to protect the most basic religious liberty rights of those who believe based on their faith that marriage can only be the union of one man and one woman.

The Minnesota Family Council said that marriage equality will harm children.

“Despite assurances to the contrary, the passage of the marriage redefinition bill represents a historic assault on the institution of marriage and the expression of religious beliefs of millions of Minnesotans,” Minnesota Family Council President Tom Prichard said in a press release. “Fundamentally, this bill rejects the truth that marriage is an institution designed by God and has served mankind for thousands of years. It’s an institution which pre-exists the state. The state has no right or ability to redefine marriage. While some legislators think that marriage can be redefined into a genderless institution, it can’t. It will only result in reduced well-being for children and violate the religious beliefs of millions of Minnesotans.”

The National Organization for Marriage warned that there would be political consequences.

“Make no mistake, this vote will bring the demise of the DFL majority and end the careers of wayward Republicans in the Legislature once voters have their say.” said the group’s president Brian Brown said in a statement. “The people of Minnesota did not vote for gay marriage in 2012. They voted to maintain traditional marriage by maintaining the status quo. Our opponents bought a victory by claiming that marriage was not under threat of redefinition, but in fact they always intended to redefine it at the soonest possible moment. Legislators who voted to redefine marriage were foolish to do so. They cast a terrible vote that damages society, tells children they don’t deserve a mother and a father, and brands supporters of traditional marriage as bigots. We predict that this vote will be career ending for many legislators in Minnesota.”

The Catholic Church was livid over the passage of equality for same-sex couples.

“It is the height of irony that the Minnesota legislature decided, and the governor signed into law, the redefinition of marriage just after we celebrated the unique gifts of mothers and women on Mother’s Day,” the Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said in a statement. Cordileone chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. “Instead of strengthening, the Minnesota legislature’s decision to redefine marriage weakens motherhood and fatherhood, and so strikes a blow to all children who deserve both a mother and father. Some wish to believe that sexual relationships outside of the marital context of husband and wife are innocuous, choosing to ignore the fact that they are actually harmful to individuals and to society as a whole,” he added.

Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of Winona released a statement that said, “It is very disappointing, that Minnesota law will now put the desires of adults ahead of the best interests of children, and ignore the importance of families that are founded on the marriage of one man and one woman, as the foundation of society.

He urged gays and lesbians to “convert.”

“To our brothers and sisters with same sex attraction, the Church extends its love and pastoral support and also to their families. God loves you, and you are invited to join us in a life of conversion and communion with Him.”

The Minnesota Catholic Conference said in a statement:

The full social and legal effects of marriage redefinition will begin to manifest themselves in the years ahead. The Church, for its part, will continue to work to rebuild a healthy culture of marriage and family life, as well as defend the rights of Minnesotans to live out their faith in everyday life and speak the truth in love.

Although we were unable to convince legislators that Minnesota needed to strengthen marriage, not redefine it, we take comfort in the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ from today’s Gospel: ”In the world you will have trouble,but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (Jn 16:33)

Politicians weighed in on as well.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, who authored the first attempt to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage, tweeted: “I’m proud to have introduced the original traditional marriage amendment, and I thank all Minnesotans who have worked so hard on this issue.

Sen. Warren Limmer, the lead author of the anti-gay marriage amendment, told Christian talk radio station KKMS, “This is a dark day for Minnesota.”

Sen. Scott Newman in an email to constituents, wrote:

I could inquire of you with a rhetorical question of “where will it stop”, the question being what type of marriage will Minnesota authorize in the future? With the passage of this bill, I could point out the significant fiscal cost to the taxpayers of Minnesota or I could bring to your attention that some claim it contains “protections” from civil liability or claims with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights when in fact it will withhold public funds from any charitable organization, nonprofit or other institution that does not embrace same sex marriage. I could also tell you that I do not support this bill because it is an attack on family values by establishing a parentage presumption between same sex couples and removes statutory references to husband, father, wife and mother.

Irrespective of the above points, I voted no on this issue for a simple reason: I have a core value belief that “marriage” is a sacrosanct institution, which for numerous millennia, have been reserved exclusively for a relationship between a man and a woman. Ultimately, this bill forever changes the makeup of a family unit, the way public schools will educate our children and exposes those who do not believe in same sex marriage with liability for failure to conform with the mandates of this newly created institution.

Bluestem Prairie caught this letter to the McLoed County Enterprise by Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen:

Under this legislation, children could be chided and corrected for using gender specific terms like “mother and father” and instead will be told to use gender neutral terms like “parent and spouse” so as not to offend certain groups.
This may be difficult to believe, but as a long-term school board member, I do not make this statement lightly. I have personal experience as a board member, where state statutes were changed and eventually school curriculum and speech had to conform. I was then chided for public comments on school issues when I used terminology that was not politically correct.
In other countries and in the state of Massachusetts, where gay marriage has become the law, we have observed that citizens who would not succumb to politically correct speech have been charged with hate crimes and their parental rights infringed upon. (See www.massresistance.com for more information.)
When signed, this bill will become the law of our state. We are a nation of laws, however we still have the right as citizens, parents and school officials to passively resist the gay agenda coming into our schools.

Rep. Mary Franson told her Twitter followers that she’s been receiving emails urging the legalization of polygamy.

“Received 1st email wanting polygamy to be legal to “avoid endorsing or mandating a specific view of marriage” #freedomtomarryforall #mnleg”

When pressed, however, she did not offer those emails.