Separating marriage and state.

When the First Amendment's Establishment Clause came into being, all was not instantly perfect regarding separation of church and state, but at least it established a clear formula for a pluralistic society to enjoy freedom of conscience and religion without governmental interference.

The success and longevity of this formula requires that we continually and vigilantly examine the church-state barrier to make sure one does not contaminate the other. Even more importantly, we should re-examine the "relics" in the respective "attics" of the Church and the State to see if there's anything we overlooked in the distant past that doesn't belong.

As I look around the State attic, I see a very old relic that clearly belongs in the Church attic: marriage. The State is responsible for overseeing and enforcing contracts between consenting adults with absolutely no regard to race, gender or sexuality. Marriage contracts are the only contracts between consenting adults that discriminate based on the gender of the parties, primarily because of the religious definition of marriage. (Let's not forget that, at one time, race was also a factor.)

So marriage should go back to the Church, and all consenting adults who are currently, or wish to be, contracted life partners should have State-enforceable partnership contracts available, irrespective of gender or sexuality. All existing marriage contracts should retroactively become life partnership agreements in the eyes of the State.

If two people want their union sanctified by a church as a marriage, the Church, under separation of church and state, has the right to either accept or deny that request based on its respective religious doctrines or principles.

All the turmoil over marriage is a perfect example of how the religiously biased Church and the unbiased State should, forever, remain separate.

--Joseph Cant

Naples, Fla.