Jeb Bush told a gathering of religious conservatives here on Friday that the debate over same-sex marriage should continue “irrespective of what the courts say,” signaling that he would not consider a Supreme Court decision favorable to gay rights as the last word on the subject.

Many in the Republican Party have hinted that they would rather the issue simply went away. And while they might prefer that the court not invalidate state laws limiting marriage to heterosexual couples, they would welcome a decision that settled the question once and for all.

But with the court expected to rule before the end of the month on whether gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry, one of the looming questions for Mr. Bush and the other Republicans running for president is how aggressively they should respond to that ruling.

In his comments to the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference, Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, said he was not content to let the defense of traditional marriage fade away.

“It’s got to be important over the long haul, irrespective of what the courts say,” he said.

In discussing the topic, Mr. Bush made reference to divisive laws enacted in Indiana and other states that would permit some exemptions for people and institutions who say same-sex marriage violates their religious beliefs. “We need to make sure that we protect the right not just of having religious views, but the right of acting on those religious views,” he said.

He added: “Conscience should also be respected for people of faith who want to take a stand for traditional marriage.”

Mr. Bush, who also stressed in his speech the role Catholicism plays in his life as both a private citizen and a public servant, extolled the importance of raising children in families with heterosexual parents.

“In a country like ours we should recognize the power of a man and a woman loving their children with all their heart and soul as a good thing, as something that is positive and helpful for those children to live a successful life,” he said.

With polls showing public support for legalizing same-sex marriage at around 60 percent and growing, many Republicans acknowledge the risk they face, especially with younger voters, by vocally opposing such unions.

Though none of the Republican candidates for president have publicly endorsed same-sex marriage, there is some nuance in how they view the issue. In particular, there is some disagreement about whether there is anything that states or Congress should do to blunt a Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex couples.

Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin recently said he would support a constitutional amendment that allowed states to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. Several other Republican candidates who are running as social conservatives, including former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, hold similar positions.

Mr. Bush has not yet addressed the subject of an amendment. At least two others, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, do not support an amendment.

Many of the presidential candidates who spoke at the Faith and Freedom summit either made reference to same-sex marriage opaquely by talking about the need to preserve religious liberty, or they avoided it entirely. Mr. Rubio, appearing on Thursday, did not mention marriage during a mostly biographical speech that emphasized what he called the need to restore the American dream. Mr. Paul was silent on marriage as well.

Speaking on Friday, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey kept his remarks confined mostly to foreign policy.

As is his custom, Mr. Christie did not refrain from needling the Republican presidential field by suggesting, though not by name, that some of the candidates were grandstanding on the Senate floor to raise money for their campaigns (Senator Paul has drawn criticism on this front).

“This is not about politics,” Mr. Christie said, drawing applause. “This is about life and death for our country. And I stand with keeping America safe and keeping America strong, and not giving political speeches on the floor of the Senate to raise money for a presidential campaign.”