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Separation of Church and State
Epigraph: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
One of this country's founding fundaments,
is the separation of church and state.
A civil union, marriage brings hundreds
of legal rights, responsibilities,
established by filing certificates
with GOVERNMENT entities. There is no
"sanctity" involved, just a business deal.
Men invented marriage to protect their
property. Throughout the millennia
marriages aligned countries, preserved trade
relationships, enriched nobility.
In some countries if you have religious
rites, you must have civil ceremonies
as well to obtain legal benefits.
All laws should apply equally to all
U.S. citizens. The constitution
has no provisions to deny rights or
privileges based on one's sexual
orientation. We need church and state
separate. Allow EVERYONE civil
union certificates and benefits.
Individual churches can decide
who may have religious ceremonies,
but those should provide NO LEGAL standing.
Any who want the tax and civil rights
must go through the civil process. Dump the
word marriage, let the churches have it, but
without denying anyone their rights.
Bio:
F.I. Goldhaber's second poetry collection, Pairs of Poems was ranked number three in the Preditors & Editors readers poll for poems. Writing has been her vocation for more than a quarter century and she has won a number of awards for her fiction and poetry. She has had short stories, novelettes, poems, news stories, feature articles, essays, editorial columns, and reviews published in magazines, e-zines, newspapers, calendars, and anthologies. www.goldhaber.net
(author retains copyright)
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