Actually, I’m really comfortable with the state staying out of marriage altogether. Marriage existed long before there was anything resembling a modern state. There were no licenses to sign for Abram. Marriage was created by God. If you think about it, it’s pretty weird for the state to be involved at all.
I think there’s a pretty good argument that marriage is between the couple and God. Each Church can have their own marriage contract as a condition of marrying. Then the state would just enforce that like any other contract, instead of dictating the rules of marriage.
Athiests can do whatever athiests do.
Homosexuals can pretend they are married and find an Episcopal or ECLA priest to “marry” them. Won’t make any difference on Judgement Day.
Of course, Homosexuals will be furious if this happens because getting official approval of what they do and then being able to force it on the rest of us through the power of the State is the main point of the whole homosexual marriage hyperventilation.
Ding!Ding!Ding!
The ultimate goal is the ability to punish those who disdain homosexuality.
You’re taking the argument for man/woman marriage from a religous viewpoint. And while that’s fine, you need to look at it from a SECULAR viewpoint. From a purely political POV.
And when you do that, you see queer marriage harms a nation; no-fault divorces harm the country; Governmental laws and policies against marrriage has increased welfare, crime, poverty, lower economic standards and so on; repeal of DOMA will further the erosion of a solid social structure which in turns erodes the economic base as well. And add in a whole laundry list of other obvious liberal results like an increase in welfare bennies for unmarried mothers and you see the obvious:
A government like ours that glorifies Great Society programs is doomed for failure. As goes the American Family - so goes America.