most people want reward! thats why they do good.....

I do what's right because it's the right thing to do. If I'm wrong in the end, then I'm wrong, but I sure as hell am not going to let reward or punishment influence my decisions because that begets greed and subjectivity.

Define higher stage of morality.

If you mean a higher stage of morality due to Kohlberg.   You are wrong about Kohlberg.

1)  Kohlberg's work does not judge ones choices... only the rationale for choosing said choice.  Civil Unions vs no Civil Unions are equal in the eyes of Kohlberg when it comes to moral reasoning.  Again, look at the druggist dielma.  The person is not judged for saying if it was ethical to steal the drugs... ONLY on why they if he should or not.

2)  Kohlberg's stages were definite.  There is no "using a different stage" versus the stage you are in.  The most one could regress in reasoning was one level... and only if they hadn't fully integrated the level above it.

3) Kohlberg often attributed people making that mistake by misunderstanding the 5th stage as one of the earlier stages due to the charactiristics of the 5th stage which largely involve creating your own personal ethical code and elevating that above the "law of the land."  Kohlberg would most likely suggest you are misunderstanding the points of those you are talking to.  First level moral reasoning just doesn't happen to adults according to him.

4) Western societies (christian ones) were seen as progressive faster then non christian societies.  Including ones that weren't based on nonsecular philosphies. (EX. China.)

Sorry I got your point wrong.  You were just misusing Kohlberg's research more then i thought you were.

Now if the above all sounds like awful bullshit to you... you now understand why I think Kohlberg's stages of moral development suck.  Regardless.... that is what Kohlbergs work says.

Or to put it another way.

For someone to be against gay marriage because of Level 1 moral reasoning.

If you asked them "Is there ANYTHING wrong with being gay except for the fact that god hates it?"

Their answer would have to be. "No."

Here's is a question.

How often do you feel bad after doing something good for someone else?

Helping others does give psychic rewards that are pretty hard to remove from altruism.

The problem is that I don't think they really get asked or ask themselves that question.

Only one way to find out.  I have a feeling you'd be surprised though.

I think... you may not be fully understanding the pure narroweness of stage one.

For example... if you were to say.

"Is there ANYTHING wrong with being gay except for the fact that god has said so."

and they were to say

"Yes it's unnatural"

That alone would blow well past stage one... even if the specific reason they think it's unnatural is because God says so.

That it is unnatural would be completely irrelevent to a stage 1 thinker.  Natural or unnatural is meaningless.  All that matters is that people shouldn't get gay married, because they would go to hell... and going to hell means they are a bad person.    Not even the punishment matters here.  Just that gay marriage is breaking a law... and breaking ANY law is bad, because you are breaking a law.  Heck, not even it being God would matter.

To a stage 2 thinker... it being unnatural is ALSO irrelvent.  The reason you wouldn't want to have gay marriage is because if you got gay married you'd go to hell. 

It's worth noting, that Stage 1 or Stage 2 person with the viewpoint that they shouldn't gay marry someone likely wouldn't give a damn about Gay marriage being legal in the first place because it doesn't effect them.  If you asked them if it was legal or not.  They might say No, simply because they wouldn't do it... and that would be it.  They cerataintly wouldn't be in huge picket lines trying to deny other people from getting gay married.   (Outside of Stage 2 people who believe God punishes people as a whole for an individuals wiked acts and are afraid another Katrina or 9/11 will hit.  I'm looking at you Pat Roberts(on?).  Note they have other reasons why they are against it as well.)

To a Stage 3 person... Unnatural still wouldn't come in... from a religious point of view.  Afterall, what would matter in this case is that God expects us to not gay marry... so we should not gay marry.  That's it.

To a Stage 4 Being unnatural doesn't matter... because stage 4 has to do with Law and order.  You shouldn't gay marry because it's God's law... and other people may gay marry aftewords.  (Although such reasoning can be also be stage 5 depending on why you think it's a bad thing society "degrades".)

It being unnatural is in fact a Stage 5 position... you are using a justification not based on law... but based on your own conceived notions of what is natural or unnatural. (Even if said notions were influenced by the church.)

So your saying why give free will if your just going to put some restrictions? Correct?

Well if God gave us total free will then there will be total Chaos. 

If God created us and didn't give us the ability of free will, there will be total and utter Order, essentailly we would be walking vegetables which would be illogical because we cannot be "judged fairly" between Heaven and Hell. 

You think as though giving us free will means 100% no restrictions, well what if I tell you Free will can co-exist with Laws and restrictions? We are still able to break those laws correct? E.g. 10 commandments? 

God wants humans to be nice to one another. He stated it several times in the Bible to "Treat your neighbour as yourself" (or something like that.) How is that bribery? He says both things.

@OP This isn't Political Discussion by the way. It should be Off-Topic.