“A question. Is it sin in the eyes of God to be ‘married’ in the realm of the church without the legality of the state or is ‘state’ approval necessary for ‘righteousness’? Just a question....”
The marriage sacrament performed by a Priest or minister is all that is necessary. Render unto caesar and all.
The Catholic church (what I’m familiar with) can and does perform the marriage ceremony without state licenses in certain circumstances. Other churches do it as well. In the 20th century some states prohibited issuance of state licenses to mixed race couples, while the churches would marry the couples anyway. It wouldn’t be state sanctioned, but had the blessings of the church.
That was my point, not necessarily to you but to others posting. What is sacred; established by God, doesn’t change. That which is secular; government, social protocol,’religion’, can/does change on whims. My marriage legality is not dependent upon what some state nitwit thinks or says because that opinion/laws can and do change with ‘pressures’. I don’t need the title of Marriage from the state to make my marriage real and ‘legal’ for me and mine. Nearly all of the social/economic benefits from a ‘state’ sanctioned marriage can be had via civil law contracts. Considering that state definition of marriage is changing to a point where it is losing significant meaning, really what is the point to having ‘state approval’?? Do people actually think that the foundations of society will crumble because relationships don’t have that ‘state seal of approval’? Hint: despite the sordid history of humanity’s best endeavors at destroying itself, we are still here. There is NOTHING new under the sun when it comes to the human condition. Unless we become a Theocracy, I agree with you that the state should be out of the marriage business.