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This depends on what you believe, really. I think the religious meaning of marriage is FAR more important than governmental aspects. I see the government as merely utilizing the concept of marraige for its own uses as the model makes sense in some areas. My marriage to my wife is NOT dependant whatsoever on what the law says. If they dissolved the concept of legal marraige entirely (which I've said before is a step I'd probably support) we'd still be very much married in every sense that we are now. I view marraige as a spiritual covenant, and that this type of covenant dates before there WAS such a thing as government. I realize that this is not a perspective we'd ever agree on,


This makes sense. It's not how I feel but I respect what it means to you.

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but you surely can see how I'd feel like the government redifining a concept I hold to be one of the church as being improper and a violation of the separation between church and state


No, I can't see this at all. You just said that your marriage has a meaning to you that is independent of the legal definition. So why do you care if the legal definition is changed?