His wife. And guess what? That's what the Christian does, too.”
In every Christian church where I have attended a marriage ceremony, vows are made in the presence of God and the church family, the idea being that the promises made to each other are also made to all those present. Otherwise, what's the point of a public, religious ceremony?
I firmly believe that state involvement in marriage will gradually erode the original concept and intent of marriage as being between one man and one woman. The 14th amendment almost ensures that this will eventually happen, unless a constitutional amendment stating this is passed.
As for the history of state-sanctioned marriages, in many parts of the U.S. marriages were recorded only in churches, and not in the courthouses, until the late 1800s.