>>>If marriage doesn't have a religious underpinning, then why can't people marry multiple wives, or vice versa? The only reason is a moral reason, and last I checked, the "state" is amoral (and how).
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>>But of course it isn't. A democratic government has among its responsibilities the reflection the moral values of the citizens. Where it gets tricky is when there is disagreement about the moral values or when different worthwhile values contradict each other. Non-heterosexual marriage, like abortion, is one where the right of individual freedom -- which we all agree on in the abstract -- clashes with religious beliefs held by many. That doesn't mean the religious morals are ignored, only that they will not necessarily be enforced for everyone.
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>>I have no problem at all with you saying you will never accept marriage other than between a man and a woman. That is your religious belief and it's obviously important to you. Where I do have a problem (not directed at you) is when a group with one particular set of beliefs tries to impose them on everyone else. That would only work in a monolithic society, which we certainly are not.
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>You mean like when the Mormons want to have more than one wife, yet the other groups don't want that. It's majority rule, as I see it. That's the difference. Our country was founded by people who had Judeo-Christian beliefs, but that has just about run out. I predict the muslims, athiests, and agnostics will totally destroy this country over the next 100 years.

If you want to make a bet on that, I'm game. Dinner again in 2108, loser pays? <g>

What you seem to be conveniently overlooking when you speak of majority rule is that the rights of the minority are protected as well. That protection has been there from our country's founding and is all over the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. One of the big reasons we have a judicial branch is to protect citizens from "the tyranny of the majority." This is not surprising given how many of the early settlers came here to escape oppressive (majority) regimes and societies.

Re religion, we not only have freedom of religion, we have freedom from religion. The founders were very careful not to establish a state religion.