I was very interested to read an article in today’s Boston Globe about the Episopal Diocese pondering whether they should quit the marriage business. According to the article, a group of Episcopal priests think that the gay marriage debate has them feeling that perhaps they should not be acting as agents of the state by officiating at marriages. They propose that couples should be married by a justice of the peace, and then, if they want a religious ceremony, they could come to the Episcopal church to seek the blessing of a priest.
A couple of years ago when Massachusetts allowed gay marriages to be legal, spawning a huge controversy in religious circles, I oftern argued that there is nothing religious about marriage in the purest sense. It was merely a legal issue. I proposed that anyone should be allowed to marry, then if you wanted a “holy marriage” those who were eligible could seek one out at a church. This way, everyone is equal under the law, and if religious organizations wanted to discriminate against non-heterosexuals, that could be their decision.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.