These relationships were popular in ancient times in Rome and Greece and other civilizations as well. They were probably never elevated to the distinction of marriage but then, historically, were there any truly civil ceremonies to celebrate the union of a man and woman back then? I don't know.
What this teaches us is that, as a civilization, we are crumbling as we return to the pagan roots of society. The Governor the state of NY just issued a Press Release calling for an 'extraordinary' session of the state legislature to resolve certain issues before the end of the year. Among these is 'Providing same-sex couples the same opportunity to enter into civil marriages as opposite-sex couples' As fellow freeper 'massmike' has already pointed out, the governor's ratings can't drop much lower. The legislators have certainly watched the coverage of the vote in Maine and can interpret that to mean votes for or against them in next year's election. From what I understand, there are not enough votes to pass this legislation. Otherwise, you can expect that on next year's ballot, NY citizens will countermand this bill with an electoral vote.
“Pagan” if by that you mean a deification of the state, or science. The old pagans, at least, looked for a reality behind appearances. Today’s pagans worship only power.