Editor’s note: This letter is in response to the column, published April 29, 2020. To start, arguing that “marriage has always had a religious tradition” is not entirely accurate. Marriage has existed in every known human culture in history, and predates every major religion practiced today. In ancient Mesopotamia, a legal contract was what made a marriage valid, regardless of consummation or ceremony. A great deal of paperwork regarding marriage in ancient Greece and Rome has survived, and while religion played some role, these unions were seen as a civic duty. However, I think we can agree that the “religious right” you reference is predominately Christian. This isn’t really about whether marriage has always been religious; it’s about whether marriage in the US is Christian. Marriage is religious for many Americans, but that does not matter legally. The founding fathers were clear about the separation of church and state, and Jefferson went as far as to say “all men shall be free to profess, and…maintain their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities” (A Bill For Establishing Religious Freedom). Religion has no standing in American law, […]
