Epsicopal Bishop Urges Separation of Civil and Religious Marriage

The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California is urging that the state begin to follow the pattern of some European countries and separate civil marriage from religious marriage. Today's Sacramento Bee reports that under the proposal, every couple would first marry civilly, and then, if the couple wished, the marriage would be blessed by the church. This removes clergy as agents of the state in performing marriages. The proposal was triggered by the California Supreme Court's recent legalization of gay marriage. (See prior posting.)