[hoosier_scientist]

>>So why is government involved in sanctioning marriage, straight, gay, polymorphic, or whatever, in the first place? Marriage, I'm sure most here will agree, is a religious institution. Why is the State involved in what is, at heart, a religious matter? <<

This is exactly the question that we will soon have a national discussion over -- the value and reason for marriage. I strongly disagree that marriage is only a religious matter. The marriage and family are the very cornerstones of our society and society has a very large stake in supporting marriages. Husband - wife two parent families have been consistently shown to have the best results in raising children including the amount of crime, education, values, etc. that a civilized society is based on.

This is what the gay marriage debate boils down to: why do we have marriage in the first place? Then, in that context, why or why not should gays be allowed, then, to marry?

[gcruse]

What France has done is to create a sort of civil registry that takes on many of the responsibilities and legal bindings of marriage without involving the church. It allows marriage to remain defined as it had been in the past, while providing state sanction for other arrangements, even, apparently, for just friends.