” Hard to argue some state intrusion when the entire matter here is something the folks willfully requested of the state in the first place.”
That’s my point. Throwing pearls to swines. You want sanctity in marriage, why turn it to the state? Gay “marriage” and the current state of families is not because the government isn’t involved enough, it’s because they shouldn’t have been involved in the first place. State sanctioned marriage is a relic of state controlled religion.
The state doesn’t have the power to perform a real marriage and the state doesn’t have the power to effect a real divorce either. They can do whatever they like and make up whatever legal game they want to play (although the legal game based on a bad fiction can cause real world damage). It doesn’t matter and you are correct, it’s not an intrusion.
The damage to marriage isn’t done when the state allows homos to marry or no-fault divorces. The damage was done when we chose to pretend the state had the authority of God.
This part of your rant was the best:
State sanctioned marriage is a relic of state controlled religion.
What a great tagline!