Marriage is a Civil Ceremony not a Religious Ceremony. Confusion between these differences is the basis for passing laws that ban marriage between individuals based on their color and gender. It’s entertaining to me that we do not allowing hiring to be affected by color, gender, disability, or national origin, but marriage.. Ehhh, that’s ok.
Voters get confused sometimes and think that the question before them is whether they would participate in a particular behavior vs whether it is ok for a stranger to participate in such and such behavior. Sometimes it’s a smoking ban and sometimes a marriage ban.
Civil Ceremony from Wikipedia
A civil ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the UK, this person is normally called a registrar. In American jurisdictions, civil ceremonies may be performed by town, city and county clerks, judges and justices of the peace, or others possessing legal authority to officiate a marriage.
Religous Ceremony frp, WordWebOnline
A ceremony having religious meaning
Ceremony from TheFreeDictionary
the proper or conventional behavior on some solemn occasion; “an inaugural ceremony”
Religious from TheFreeDictionary
Having or showing belief in and reverence for God or a deity.