When I refer to civil marriage, I include hetero as well as homosexual marriage. I used the term civil merely to differentiate a religious marriage from a state sanctioned marriage, two entirely different entities.
Exactly, counselor!
That's why state sanctioned gay marriage doesn't bother me one bit. Because if you want to go by the letter of Church law, as a practicing Catholic a marriage performed at city hall isn't recognized anyway, even if it's between a man and a woman.
So if my neighbor Bob marries his girlfriend Susan at city hall, even though my own Church would say that's not recognized as a true union, it doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother them. So why should I feel any differently if Bob wants to marry Joseph instead?
Because a marriage performed by the state, and not by a priest, isn't really a marriage in the eyes of the Church anyway. So it's no different than a gay marriage if you ask me. And what I mean by that is neither one is recognized by my Church, so it's no skin off my apple either way.
Let them be happy. As long as the government never tries to force the Church into anything, I have no problem with it.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
