I get wordy sometimes, so that may be the problem.
If we completely separate the secular "marriage" from the religious "marriage", I have no problem with any church refusing to "marry" people.
If we allow priests, et al, to marry people in the secular manner, however, then they do NOT have that right. In this case, they are acting on behalf of the government, and as such should be just as restricted as other branches are in matters of discrimination.
As I said, I don't know how this division is currently taking place. It seems that we allow them to marry couples as a convenience measure. It's convenient to allow them to handle part of the burden that would otherwise fall on the secular authorities. If that's true, then they've probably used that as an excuse for legalized discrimination: the argument that "you can always go to a JP" if we refuse.
I would prefer if we separate church and state altogether. If we allow this kind of crossover, though, we should impose standard government controls against discrimination. Just as we do to schools, states, and any other institution that works for or gets paid by the federal government. |
