Hello, DU. I am a libertarian.

[Warren DeMontague]

38. But you recognize that both the civic and the religious institution are called "Marriage".

I mean, heterosexual Atheists get legally "Married", too (I'm one of 'em) ... most definitely NOT a holy covenant before God. Also, there are wide gaps between the marriages that are recognized by different faiths, and that of the legal civic institution- for instance, Catholics don't believe in Divorce. Under most circumstances, you can't have a Catholic "marriage" if one member of the couple is divorced, any more than you can have a same-sex one.

Similarly, many Denominations DO perform same-sex marriages, even when the local jurisdiction does not (yet, at least) recognize the same.

So semantics or no, the "religious" definition of marriage- even if, to you, that is the important one- is kind of irrelevant in the context of a political discussion, for a number of reasons not the least of which is, it's all over the map. To be truly honest, we should recognize that when we discuss "marriage" in a political or legal context, we're talking about the civic partnership as recognized by the state, since we all know religious institutions can do and will continue to do what they want, as is their right- but that is separate from legal questions which apply to all the citizenry.

Usually at this point someone will float the idea of "getting the state out of the marriage business entirely", often but not always just by proposing to change the name of the legal partnership the state recognizes. This is, basically, a sop to fundamentalists who are mad at the idea of sharing the word "marriage" with people who don't fit their definition, like same sex couples. But that is ALREADY the case, for instance, with Catholics, because divorced "married" people have been running around for years, and yet lo, the sky has not fallen.

We should recognize that Marriage as a civic and legal institution exists and will continue to exist- the real question is, do you support equality under that institution being extended to LGBT citizens? There is really no other question on the issue. You and your religious leaders can "believe" whatever you wish on what that word means "in the eyes of God", however those beliefs are for the pulpit and pews- not the county recorder's office.