The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of same-sex marriage on Friday, declaring the practice constitutional and extending that right to all 50 states. Both prominent Christians and some within the Republican Party continue to express their opposition despite same-sex marriage being the law of the land.

According to a press release from the Family Research Council, the organization's president, Tony Perkins, contended that the high court's decision would force Americans to embrace same-sex marriage whether they wanted to or not. The Family Research Council stood by the tenet that traditional marriage is solely between one man and one woman.

"Five justices on the Supreme Court have overturned the votes of 50 million Americans and demanded that the American people walk away from millennia of history and the reality of human nature," Perkins wrote. "In reaching a decision so lacking in foundation in the text of the Constitution, in our history, and in our traditions, the Court has done serious damage to its own legitimacy."

Perkins added that "no court can overturn natural law."

"Nature and Nature's God, hailed by the signers of our Declaration of Independence as the very source of law, cannot be usurped by the edict of a court, even the United States Supreme Court," Perkins wrote. "Marriage is rooted not only in human history, but also in the biological and social reality that children are created by, and do best when raised by, a mother and a father. No court ruling can alter this truth."

Perkins warned that "the courts will not have the final say on this profound social matter," adding that the Supreme Court "supercharged this issue" of same-sex marriage.

"The American people will stand up for their right to have a voice and a vote, especially as they experience the ways in which redefining marriage fundamentally impairs their freedom to live and work in accordance with their beliefs," Perkins wrote.

Perkins thought that the religious freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment would be under threat thanks to the high court's ruling.

"We will not lapse into silence but will continue to speak uncompromisingly for the truth about what marriage is, always has been, and always will be: the union of one man and one woman," Perkins wrote.

According to Ariane de Vogue and Jeremy Diamond of CNN, Justice Anthony Kennedy, a traditional "swing vote" who sided with the liberal-minded justices to legalize same-sex marriage, acknowledged in the majority opinion that there was a traditional definition for marriage.

"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family," Kennedy wrote. "In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than they once were."

Kennedy contended that same-sex couples do not "disrespect the idea of marriage."

"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law," Kennedy wrote. "The Constitution grants them that right."

However, CNN reported that Justice Antonin Scalia blasted the Supreme Court's decision in his dissent, calling the ruling a "threat to American democracy."

"The substance of today's decree is not of immense personal importance to me," Scalia wrote. "But what really astounds is the hubris reflected in today's judicial Putsch."

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his dissent that the decision had "nothing to do with the Constitution."

"Do not celebrate the Constitution," Roberts wrote in a fairly conciliatory tone. "It had nothing to do with it."

According to CNN, several Republican presidential candidates have issued statements after the high court's ruling on the issue. While Ohio Gov. John Kasich urged Republicans to respect the ruling and ditch the matter altogether, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called for protecting "religious freedom."

"In a country as diverse as ours, good people who have opposing views should be able to live side by side," Bush said in a statement. "It is now crucial that as a country we protect religious freedom and the right of conscience and also not discriminate."

However, more conservative elements of the GOP, particularly from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, issued stronger statements condemning the ruling. According to CNN, both wanted a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

"I will not acquiesce to an imperial court any more than our founders acquiesced to an imperial British monarch," Huckabee said in a statement. "We must resist and reject judicial tyranny, not retreat."

"The Supreme Court decision today conveniently and not surprisingly follows public opinion polls, and tramples on states' rights that were once protected by the 10th Amendment of the Constitution," Jindal wrote in a statement. "Marriage between a man and a woman was established by God, and no earthly court can alter that."

Jindal argued that the ruling could be used as a "pretext by Washington to erode our right to religious liberty," adding that he would never stop fighting for that concept.

"The government should not force those who have sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage to participate in these ceremonies," Jindal wrote. "That would be a clear violation of America's long held commitment to religious liberty as protected in the First Amendment."

In a press release issued on Christian Newswire, Rev. Steven Andrew of USA Christian Ministries thought that the United States should turn back to God. He contended that it was not too late for the country to ask for forgiveness from God.

"The court is committing treason and is betraying God, the founding fathers and the Christian majority," Andrew said. "We must ask God to forgive this sin and to undo this unjust decision. It isn't too late; God is in charge."

Andrew pointed out that in his opinion, the Founding Fathers knew "what is constitutional."

"That is why they made homosexual sin illegal in all 13 colonies-and all 50 states followed," the pastor said. "America stands for God. The Supreme Court's decision is un-American and unconstitutional."

Andrew urged Americans to obey God instead rather than man.

"If you want to save your soul it is important to do what God says, as Lot wasn't destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah because Lot feared God," Andrew said.