What, in your opinion, is the reason governments sanction marriages?
Since marriage is fundamentally a religion-based practice, why would the government get involved in something that is, on the surface, none of their business?
I am happy to offer my position on this. I think the government’s role in recognizing and providing legal benefits for married couples has to do with protection: if two people in marriage share everything (bank accounts, belongings, houses, children), governmental protections of marriage ensure a safety net in case something were to happen (such as a nasty divorce or one partner’s death, etc). Currently, gay couples are denied these same protections under law (and no, civil unions to not grant the same rights as marriages!)