I was a conservative Christian once, a Baptist, before I became a gay agnostic. As a Baptist and rational American, I strongly supported and still strongly support the First Amendment to the US Constitution, both the Free Speech provision and the Separation of Church and State provision.
The Baptists of the late 18th century were fervent supporters of the religious liberty provision. They did not want the government to tell them how and who to worship.
Many conservative Christians (not all) today are up in arms about giving equal rights to LGBT folks. They sincerely believe LGBT folks are engaged in sexual sin and they cannot support it. I respect, but do not agree with that position.
Con't
Even as a gay agnostic, I do not believe in persecuting conservative Christians or any person of faith. They should be able to believe as they wish. They should be able to preach in their houses of worship what they want, to an extent.
Where I draw the line is when religious folks advocate violence, participate in violence or attempt to infringe on the constitutional rights of others.
As marriage equality nationwide seems just around the corner, conservative Christians are crying persecution.
They argue they should be able to infringe on the constitutional rights of others even as they decry others infringing on their constitutional rights. This argument is not new.
When southern places of business refused to serve black customers, they argued states rights, they argued religious rights. No one is required to "like" another race, but if they engage in a public business, they are required to serve all customers. The same is true with LGBT folks.
No church or minister will be required to marry a same-sex couple. That is a constitutionally protected religious activity. Once one participates in a public venue, one must follow the laws of the land, including constitutional rights.
If religious people want to civilly protest against laws they do not like, they have a constitutional right to do so. But like every civil protestor, they must face the legal consequences of such action. An alternative is to work to change the law and/or constitution to their liking. That is an American right.
So as marriage equality looks likely, conservative religious folks, at least the more radical adherents, will look for ways to continue to discriminate in the name of religious liberty. We must be vigilant to make sure they do such things within the laws of the land and continue to fight for our own rights.