Reply #112: It is not the government's place to interfere with religious practices.

[Ravy]

In so long as they maintain marriage is a religious practice (which I agree with) the government has no right to impose such a rule.

Marriage should, and could, be separated from the debate. In my opinion, marriage should not appear in ANY governmental ruling or laws.

The government should concern itself with civil unions, and civil unions alone. We should say that marriage is one form of civil union, but not the only way to become civilly united.

That way, gay couples could enjoy the legal rights that currently only married couples enjoy in most states by becoming civilly united (which has the support of the majority in recent polls).

If a gay couple wants to become "married", then they should go to a church that will perform the religious service to do so, and the government should recognize them as they do all other married couples, as civilly united. However, you could also become civilly united by a justice of the priest, or ship captian, or whomever is now entitled to perform such services.

We should work to differentiate the terms. It is the only way to add common sense to this explosive and divisive issue.