Diuretic
Permanently confused
Christianity has nothing to do with it. I'm an atheist, and I think the government needs to stay the fuck out of marriage completely. What gives the government the right to be involved at all?
It's a legal matter, ergo government is involved.
It's only a legal matter because the government told you it was.
The state has no business sanctioning marriage, period.
The problem is that the state holds the reins. Legislators are in a position of power even in a liberal democracy. I don't mean the individuals occupying the roles on a temporary basis, I mean the offices themselves. You might think that the state has no business in sanctioning marriage but the fact is that it feels it does. That idea goes back to ancient Rome and no doubt before the Roman Republic. Essentially marriage is the official recognition of a relationship and an awarding of status to the issue of that relationship. Short of pure anarchism that's not going to change any time soon.