The issue of marital rights and obligations requires a look at the history of the institution. It is not as religion based as one would imagine. There are. or were, cultural and moral reasons for their establishment. In an era of more defined gender roles, they protected women from desertion and children, from abandonment. The societies, of the time, were of one religion, so religious bias was the same as societal bias. Times, admittedly, have changed. Women are as likely to be providers as be provided for. (I, for instance, am covered by Helen's medical plan from work). Our society is so mottled as to forbid a state sponsered religion, even if the pious wanted one. There isn't a single religion, in this country, that could command a majority and Christians are as fragmented as Moslems.
But, and this is a big but, all those feuding Roman Catholics, Protestants, Moslims and a whole lot of others agree about recognising gay marriage. They're agin' it. And they are being told that they must change their beliefs and they are fighting for their truths and who can blame them?
Of course, there is a simple answer. Get the government out of the marriage business. Let all "marriages" be civil contracts, specifying terms and duties. Let the religions have their Marriage Ceremonies and let them excercise their rituals and, if those rituals
preclude same sex unions, so be it. Let the government be concerned with governing and, either grant gay partners equal legal entitlement or deny marital entitlement, altogether. That means tax breaks, inheritence rights and tacit power of attorney.
Of course, the churches would bitch about it but it would place the responsibility for maintaing religious discipline back where it belongs.