Marriage is a religious thing. If the state and church are to be separated, why does the state get involved??

Question

Marriage is supposed to be a religious thing. Why does the state provide two married individuals of opposite sex extra rights that single people don't get? There are separate tax laws for married couples and couples have visitation rights.

Why does the state protect the rights of two opposite sex couples but not same sex? Why do they support Christian marriage of two people, but not polygamy like in other religions? Is this not religious discrimination? Why does our government make Christianity superior?

If they want to keep church and state separate, shouldn't they not support one definition of marriage over another. Personally, I'm against gay marriage. The Bible says gays are bad, and the Catholic Church should not allow it. But it is a religious thing. I don't understand why the state defines it as well.

It should be only a religious occurence. Politicians should say "marry however you want within your religion but don't expect the state to condone or condemn particular ones.

Ok so marriage doesn't always have to be religious, Fine, my mistake. But still, in the debate against gay marriage why is anyone using the Bible to say we can't have it? If gay people want to get married why can't they? The Bible, the Quran and the Torah should not have any say or any priests or monks. That's what separation of church and state is. I don't think gay marriage should ever be condoned by the Catholic Church. But why doesn't the state allow it through civil unions with justices of the peace? Why would any politician consult the Bible before doing what is in America's best interest? Are the "Christian Conservatives" in Congress really that caught up the Bible?

Answer 1

Let me make this very clear ! THERE IS NO CONSTITUTIONAL SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE ! That is a lie of the far left.

It comes from a letter from Thomas Jefferson responding to a group of Baptist Ministers who were worried they would have to join a National Church. Jefferson promised them that The Constitution would not allow a National Church.


We are free to exercise our faith, or not to exercise our faith, or exercise no faith, but the Constitution never said that Christian Faith could not be expressed publicly.

Answer 2

In 1655 the church gave the rights to marriage to the government in New Haven Colony (now the state of CT). The blue laws were written by Gov. Theophilus Eaton with the assistance of the Rev. John Cotton and #36 in the list states:

"No gospel Minister shall join people in marriage; the magistrates only shall join in marriage, as they may do it with less scandal to Christ's Church"

See as far back as before America was even a country the marriage was seen as a governmental and not religious event. If you proposed that only clergy marry people would you keep atheists and agnostics from marrying because most would not want to be married by clergy. Sorry if you have a problem with it but I don't see anything wrong with the system.. you want a religious marriage get a preacher you don't get a J.P. or is it the five or so bucks you need to spend on getting a marriage license that irks you?

Answer 3

Because people can still get civil unions which is being married by the mayor basically. An equivalence of marriage. People don't want that to happen cause they have grown up being told that its wrong for a couple of the same sex to even exsist. They feel their kids should grow up the same way and to have same sex couples right next door would ruin that cause then the kids would see its no different than any other couple. Their answer, protest. They go to the mayor claiming its immoral and against god's will for a same sex couple to be recognized as a united couple. So their reasoning is God but their action is state based. But to be happy is an unalienable right in our own constitution. To be miserable being stuck in a unity that is recognized the same as marriage should be an unalienable right as well!

Answer 4

The constitution does not say anything about a separation of church and state. That phrase came from a letter that one of our forefathers wrote to somebody and it just sorta stuck in our minds. Our government is not allowed to favor one religion over another, that's it. However, laws are drafted (hypothetically) based on the majority's morality. Since the majority of people say polygamy is wrong here, then it's illegal. Since the majority say biracial marriage if fine, it's legal. Morality may define law, but religion does not. I'm sure the majority will eventually win and gay marriage will be legalized too.

Answer 5

Marriage is NOT supposed to be a religious thing AT ALL. Marriage is a civil contract between two people, who get their rights and duties, as in every contract. And since states have no reason to disapprove of homosexual marriages (the only oposition is based on religious stuff) then marriage should be the same for straight couples as for gay or lesbian ones.

BTW, if marriage where religious, where would atheists stand?

Answer 6

ok, i think marriage is religious. If your not religious, dont call it marriage. Because classically until recent history, Marriage was a union of souls under god, Thats Marriage. anything else is just a relationship, so marriage is religious. and you are right in my opinion, the state should stay out of it, and per your RELIGION get married how ever you want. Marriage shouldn't have to be Government recognized. it has nothing to do with Government.

Answer 7

You have an accident and you can't make decisions about your care. Who does it? Your spouse or your parents? In heterosexual law, your spouse does. In homosexual law, your family members--even if they've never met you, take legal precedence over your partner, even if you've been together for thirty years. What about Terry Shiavo? There's a marriage that was all about the law, not about the religion.

You've been married for twenty years, have an almost paid off mortgage, three kids, retirement funds, and bills. You've been cheating with your secretary for two years and decide you'd rather be married to her and keep all your stuff, but not the kids. Your wife doesn't like you anymore and wants everything, plus alimony. Who decides who gets what?

What happens when a Catholic wants to marry a Jew, but neither want to convert?

There are two definitions of marriage, religious and legal. The legal definitions exist because there are legal ramifications when two people create new familial ties that separate responsibilities and rights from one set of family to another set of family.

Edit:

Separation of church and state is inherent in the First Amendment. It does not say Freedom of Christianity or Freedom of Hinduism. It says Freedom of Religion. A person with a religion that is not in the majority can find themselves forced into a certain sponsorship of the majority religion and its values if the church is permitted to legislate. It does not mean civil servants should separate their beliefs from their job, but neither does it mean that they have blanket permission to turn their religious belief set--such as the Christian Right's antipathy for gay marriage--into law.

Answer 8

The state defines marriage because it is run by a bunch of Conservative jackasses. The state has absolutely no business saying who can and can't get married, this country was founded not on Christian principles (as some people like to rant about) but on freedom and defiance. People should be able to do whatever they want as long as they're hurting no one.

Answer 9

A city/county marrige licence is usually done to document a couples lergitamcy, as well as the offsprings of their union. Once you have a Marrige License, you are considered married by the state, a religious ceremony confirms your union by the churh in which your union takes place. While a state marrige license is required for Birth & tax purposes, a church ceremony is not.

Answer 10

there is not any separation of church and state in the U. S. shape. the 1st modification reads as follows; "Congress shall make no regulation respecting an company of religion, or prohibiting the unfastened workout thereof; or abridging the liberty of speech, or of the click; or the spectacular of the persons peaceably to hold jointly, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." there is no longer something in there approximately separation of church and state, it purely states that the government can't make an company of religion. Congress has continuously opened with a prayer, before the form became into written, after it became into written, or maybe on the instant it opens with a prayer. gay marriage is left as much as the states as a results of fact the powers enumerated to the states, because it relatively is no longer delegated to the federal government in the U. S. shape. in certainty some states used to have an respectable faith during the 1800s, purely no longer the federal government. Abortion presently is criminal on the federal point. If human beings do would desire to make abortion unlawful, it would be criminal and constitutional. as a results of fact all and sundry is bringing their person ideals with them whilst they vote notwithstanding if or no longer they have a faith no longer; all and sundry has ideals. you are able to no longer say as a results of fact somebody needs gay marriage to no longer be known they are basing their ideals on faith and hence violating the form, as a results of fact we are basing it off of peoples comments.