Marriage Amendment - a Rite or a Right?

Again this week I had a conversation on the pending constitutional amendment before the citizens of Minnesota in defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. Words like bigot and intolerant were thrown around by those that oppose the Marriage Amendment. I know that I have blogged on this topic prior and my point is pretty clear; unfortunately I struggle still because people don't see the real problem facing marriage.

The real problem isn't that same sex couples want to "marry" each other, the real problem is government is being used as the final arbiter of the conversation. Marriage is a concept, a spirit concept, rooted in religious dogma that combines the female and male soul as one. In the Garden of Eden, Adam wondered alone for a while and God realized that he needed a partner; someone to balance Adam out. After a deep sleep Adam was less a rib and Eve was created. The notion is that Adam and Eve (man and a woman) are to come together.

Now some religions have expanded the notion of the Adam and Eve to include same-sex couples and that is perfectly fine as everyone has the right to their religious beliefs in America. Unfortunately, our elected officials and many Americans have allowed marriage to seep into aspects of our government - i.e. the tax code.

I have purposed on more than one occasion that we remove Government from the equation. To many that seems like a daunting task but it really isn't. People on both sides of the aisle have wanted to alter the tax code to varying degrees. Why not start with removing married filing jointly and separately while leaving in single and head of house hold. Everything else that "married" people enjoy as a benefit can be handled through contract law. Marriage is not a basic human right nor is it something that is protected by the State or Federal Constitution. Marriage is a rite and it is a decision that one makes on a personal level with no intervention from the government.