Should marriage have legal bearing?

Religions invariably want to have their beliefs be made the law. My opinion is that marriage should never have been given legal status as it is a religious institution. Because it HAS legal status, it must be subject to constitutional protections.

What has occurred is that there is the religious and there is the legal institution of marriage, living side-by-side.

This does not stop religions from establishing marriages as a religious only concept, where the persons are married in the eyes of the religion but not necessarily legally. But facts are facts and what people really want is the legal status. Things like a surviving spouse automatically assuming ownership of property or the ability to file joint taxes.

In the end, the religious married status is totally secondary to the legal benefits. To tell someone that they are married in the eyes of god but not the IRS, would be a joke.

The government has managed to weasle a way to get money from us through marriage license, driving licenses.and so on and so forth.

Infant baptism was a volatile subject because it was a way the government kept track of babies being born There was a legal issue involved and people wanted to delay recording a baptism for a financial advantage and because it was modeled in the Bible that people made that choice as an adult.

The government of the USA decided to eliminate marriage advantage and it became financially advantageous to have baby mommas and get a check for that baby. My cousins did this because they are white trash scum, no offense to other white trash scum because I would not want to be politically incorrect for anything.

They want the money now to help raise two babies and were together for about twenty something years and then my cousin died from cooking meth and his lovely live in with their now almost grown children did not get his social security or pension because he worked a real job while cooking amphetamine.

They would tax pooping if they could get away with it.

***I just don't understand how it is accepted as legally binding to obey your religion.***

Depends on what country and culture you're talking about. In the United States, religion has no legal bearing on marriages. People are required to obtain civil licenses recognizing the union. If they want to also have their marriage recognized by their religion of their choice, or don't, that's their business.

Marriage can be a religious thing, but it can also be a secular thing.

Inn my state, for example, a gay couple can get married by the eyes of the law, even if most local religious institutions do not recognize it as a legitimate union. It doesn't infringe upon the the separation of church and state until religious institutions make their way into the government and attempt to dictate which people can and cannot be married in the eyes of the law.

Marriage was instituted by God. However, over time it also became necessary to make it a legal issue to provide rights to spouses. Automatic inheritance if no will is left; hospital visitation and decision making in the case of one spouse being incapaticated... that sort of thing.

Marriage is and always has been a matter of civil law! Whilst churches are allowed to carry out the service it must be in complete compliance with that law and any deviation or omission would make the marriage null and void and probably involve criminal offenses!

Marriage is a legal civil thing, it has nothing to do with any silly religion.

It was always so. The clergy clearly try to hijack it, but they can't, it is bigger than their religion is.

Marriage "IS" only a legal contract, regardless of what fundies say.