I lived in Germany for about 10 years. As I understood their system, a couple could choose to have a religious wedding service, but was required to have a civil service to be legally wed. That approach makes sense to me - and would, in my opinion, eliminate the church/state separation issue that currently exists.
The State's legimate interest in marriage (as I understand it) is because of taxes, transfer of property, custody of minor children, the right to make medical decisions for partners, and similar issues. All of those issues could be handled by a civil union - that would apply to EVERYONE, not just same-sex couples. Then couples who want one could have a religious service.
And as a side benefit, think of all the additional fees local governments could collect for performing all those civil ceremonies!
Civil vs. Religious Marriage
The State's legimate interest in marriage (as I understand it) is because of taxes, transfer of property, custody of minor children, the right to make medical decisions for partners, and similar issues. All of those issues could be handled by a civil union - that would apply to EVERYONE, not just same-sex couples. Then couples who want one could have a religious service.
And as a side benefit, think of all the additional fees local governments could collect for performing all those civil ceremonies!
Mary