[highball]

Is not marriage an institution of the religious? Sanctified by vows before God?

What they want is same recognition this is a state matter.

This is a state matter

Originally, marriage was an institution of the Church. But they abdicated their responsibilities, handing them over to the state.

Who approves, performed, authorizes and certifies marriages? It isn't any church, except as far as the state allows them to.

States issue marriage licenses, and states perform the ceremonies. A marriage does not have to be performed by clergy to be legal, but it does have to be performed by someone authorized by the state. So long as the state is in charge of marriages, it can define them any way it pleases.

Personally, I think it's time to remove this from the province of the state - one more area of our lives that the government rightly ought stay out of.

[RedStateRocker]

Agreed. Let any adults who want to have any sort of contractual relationship do so, but no religion should have to sanctify anything it does not want to. I really don’t give a rip about who sleeps with who (or what), but ANY denomination has the right to define who is or is not in or out or married.

[Aquinasfan]

Personally, I think it's time to remove this from the province of the state

State regulation of marriage is really about the rights of children. It is within the State's natural duties to decide custody matters.

Marriage is both a supernatural and natural institution. A natural marriage is simply a lifetime commitment between a man and a woman for the dual purposes of mutual care and the begetting and raising of children. Such marriages are within the competence of the State to define.

A supernatural marriage includes the purposes of a natural marriage, and more. The dual purposes of a supernatural marriage are the begetting and raising of children for Heaven, and the mutual aid of the spouses in preparing each other for Heaven.

Massachusetts already allows the adoption of children by homosexuals, which is a grievous violation of the natural law, and a gross abnegation of duty by the State. Legalized homosexual "marriage" further cements this injustice in law.

But there will be other forseeable and unforseeable damage to society. There is no question in my mind that homosexuals and their sympathizers will now push for the normalization of homosexuality in all government schools. This means sodomy education in every government school. No exceptions will be tolerated. Citizens will have no legal recourse against it.