That was my point above. "Marriage" IS a religious institution. In the eyes of our government, it should not be. Civil unions for all - leave marriages for the church.

It's semantics. People have REALLY strong feelings about the word "marriage". Many, many people feel exactly as you do. They're totally fine with offering gays and lesbians "civil unions" which would come with all the rights and privilages of "marriage", they just won't let us call it "marriage". How can you explain that thought process? It's a word people - relax.