The whole idea that allowing some committed adults to marry and to declare others as corrupting the sanctity of the former...

Compliments of
Darqkloud

Shalome

MODERATOR

Los Angeles, CA

MAY 31, 2008 02:45 PM

wildswan said:

RudieCantFail said:

coyotemike said:

Shiny_Metal_Ass said:
Personally, I think the term "marriage" should become purely religious in meaning. Everyone, straight, gay, whatever, should have a civil union, to take care of all the legal ramifications of a couple (I.e. insurance, patient visitation rights, inheritance, etc.) If you want to be "married" in a religious sense, then go ahead, it will simply have no legal consequences.

This is what happens when you tangle church and state. They need to be unraveled.

So, you would prefer the French style of marriage? There, if you want a religious wedding, you have to have a separate ceremony.

That's how I think it should be as well. I don't like that religious officials have this ability to act in a governmental capacity. In fact, religious weddings are given preferential treatment, in that in many states, a cleric can perform a wedding in any place, whereas a purely secular wedding usually can only be had at a courthouse, or other government edifice.

There is a tremendous bias towards Judeo-Christian religions as those recognized religious societies that can serve as officers of the court, and perform marriages, in many states; but there are secular justices of the peace in every state that can perform marriages anywhere, and not just in a courthouse.

The particulars vary state-to-sate, but I've never heard that a justice of the peace must perform a marriage in a courthouse, once the proper licenses are obtained.

edit: I'm bewildered how so many states seem to be getting away with violating the Establishment Clause. Certain religions are clearly given preferential treatment.

I've never heard that either. My aunt and her husband were married by a friend of the family who happened to be a Judge, at a lovely outdoor formal ceremony in Illinois.

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