Utah Senator Orrin Hatch derided federal judge reversals of voter-approved gay marriage bans in a radio interview on Wednesday.
In a conversation with KSL NewsRadio's "Doug Wright Show," Hatch said that religious freedoms are being infringed, and same-sex marriage allowance is an inevitability.
"Lets face it. Anybody that does not believe that gay marriage is going to be the law of the land just hasn't been observing what's going on," the Republican senator said.
"The trend right now in the courts is to permit gay marriage and anybody who doesn't admit that just isn't living in the real world."
Utah Governor Gary Herbert has repeatedly stated that he will defend the state's law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman all the way to the highest court, and to do otherwise would be "the next step to anarchy."
The state's 2004 gay marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional in a December 2013 federal decision. An appeal is pending in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Across the country, voter-approved gay marriage bans are being overturned by federal judges. Senator Hatch agreed with Gov. Herbert that the developments are a slippery-slope, and could lead to "anarchy."
"Is the federal government constitutionally going to take away all the rights of the states?" Hatch asked.
"We're in danger of losing our religious freedom and our rights. People are moving away from going to church on Sundays. People are starting to find fault with religions and their beliefs," he said.
Although Sen. Hatch disagrees with the judicial branch's decisions, he stated that he must still uphold the law.
"I think it's a portend of the future that sooner or later, gay marriage is probably going to be approved by the Supreme Court of the United States," Hatch said.
"I don't think that's the right way to go. But on the other hand, I do accept whatever the courts say."
