[ArGee]

Isn't marriage for most folks a union between a man and woman in the eyes of GOD?

It may have been that when Adam and Eve walked the earth, but throughout most of history it has been a civil contract between the state and the couple.

Shalom.

[LibertarianInExile]

Isn't marriage for most folks a union between a man and woman in the eyes of GOD?

"It may have been that when Adam and Eve walked the earth, but throughout most of history it has been a civil contract between the state and the couple."

For most of history for most folks, it's been exactly what I said. There was no state to contract WITH. I'm not denying that it is also a civil contract NOW, but I still don't believe it's between the state and the couple--it's between the bride and groom. The state has no part in the marriage, and no reason to be part of the marriage, except for the state's grants of oh-so-wonderful 'benefits,' then and now.