This is why same sex marriages should be recognized by federal government. I think it's a travesty of justice that they are not.
I have a couple of hens in my extended family who already distinguish religious marriage from civil. It's pretty simple. "They had a
church wedding". "What? They're getting married at the
courthouse? Hmpf, no gift for them."
Really, if the belief that God blessed one marriage and He didn't bless another is that important, go ahead and refer to them differently. "Holy Matrimony", "Church Wedding", "Civil Marriage", "Courthouse Wedding", whatever. There are ways to do it now without changing the legal term that is already in use.
Yikes! We used to do this in college. I never realized I was a criminal in Louisiana.
I think you're on to something there. I think the two "sides" of the issue see this very differently. To me, and most people I know that are pro same sex marriage, this scenario is not even on the radar. I mean, right now, churches aren't required to marry any two people that can legally get married, so why would they be forced to when same sex marriage becomes legal?
It's not discrimination or a hate crime when a Catholic church won't marry a couple without an annulment. Or when a church won't marry couples of a different faith, or even of their own faith when they have not attended marriage counseling classes, or are not both members in good standing.
Conversely, there are churches and synagogs that perform same sex wedding ceremonies now. While the government does not recognize those marriages, they are not raiding the churches to stop them, either. Separation of church and state. Churches can do what they want, (as long as it doesn't involve human sacrifice or otherwise causing harm to others.
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Like I said, this seems so obvious to me that it doesn't even enter my mind that it could concern other people. Clearly, same sex marriage proponents need to do a better job of clarifying that the issue is about legal marriage only and has nothing to do with religious institutions, which would remain free to marry or not marry whichever couples they choose.