Civil Union or Marriage

Everyone has their own definition of marriage. Some see marriage as a union between a man and a woman only while others see it as a union of two partners of either the same sex or the opposite sex. Some see it as a sacred religious ceremony where two, man and woman, become one while others see it as a simple civil union between two people that are to share property and assets as a legal contract. Marriage in the present day can solely be judged in the eyes of the beholder. However, I believe marriage is a religious union between a man and a woman that should be separated from the state. Marriage according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary is: (1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by the law. (2) The state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage. With that definition being noted, religious aspects of marriage are not recognized; the definition is only recognizing the relationship by “the law.” This is an example of how popular culture can dictate how society views marriage. As Howard Moody states in “Gay Marriage Shows Why We Need to Separate Church and State,” “The government’s interest is in a legal definition of marriage – a social and voluntary contract between a man and a woman in order to protect money, property, and children” (Moody 158). This is the problem, our government views marriage as nothing more than a legal contract. The government does not care if it is a loveless marriage, a sexually monogamous marriage, an open marriage, or even a homosexual marriage. As long as it has been cleared by the legal system and is law abiding, the government doesn’t care what the reason for marriage is or what the couple is to gain from their marriage besides legal rights on property, money, assets and children. In my eyes, this is wrong. This is not what marriage was intended to be. Our nation was founded on