Originally posted by Mysti-ken: There currently does not exist any other legal term for what most of us here agree should be called â??civil unionâ?, except for the word â??marriage.â? You cannot go to city hall and apply for a civil union license â??? it simply doesnâ??t exist.
To DrGonzo's point, civil unions do certainly already exist for heteros â??? thousands of civil ceremonies in city halls across the nation every day attest to that fact â??? not to mention casinos, ships and God knows where else. (Sorry, couldnâ??t help myself.)
But, and here it is again, our civil authorities and every statute concerning the issue, insist on calling it â??marriageâ? even when no church or religion is involved. And there is a significant history and heritage to this definitiion of marriage, as there is with the religious one. /quote]
I guess you didn't get my point...and you contradicted yourself in paragraphs 2 and 3 of your post (but I'm just picking there. )
Sorry I missed your point, I'll re-read. And yeah, I can see how my statement appears contradictory - a failure of language, not logic, however. What I meant to say in paragraph three is - civil unions exist in the sense that many marriages are currently performed that have no religious affiliation; and therefore are true to the definition of "civil union." These unions however are forced to be called "marriage" because that is currently the only legal term available to be used.
Originally posted by DrGonzo:I believe the government should have nothing to do with marriage. I believe it is a social, cultural, and/or religious institution. The very fact that government allows a minister to administer the LEGAL act of marriage is an endorsement of religion.
I agree with your first statement ... for there to be true separation of church and state, your second point would have to change IMO.
Originally posted by DrGonzo:And you read my comment 40 pages into the thread because I have a life and didn't have time to read every damn post.
I'll ignore in good humor the implication that I don't, but reading everything is an occupational hazard for me.
)
