Marriage, Civil Unions, and the First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"
The First Amendment of the Constitution

If recent events regarding gay marriage have taught us anything, it is that marriage is certainly a religiously charged term, and according to many, a religious establishment. In fact, the people who declare that marriage is a religious establishment are the very ones who call for laws relating to gay marriage. If their first point is accepted, then the second is automatically invalid. If marriage is an establishment of religion, then it is valid to change the excerpt of the first amendment to "Congress shall make no law respecting marriage". To sum up, anyone who says that marriage is a religious institution is also stating that any law about it is unconstitutional.

However, if we use the doctrine of "Separation of Church and State", then one can exclude Congress and the government from marriage altogether. I propose that Civil Unions take the place of marriage. These Civil Unions would have all of the rights of marriage, they would be open to any two people at the age of consent. This would leave marriage to serve the purpose it was originally intended: the religious union of two people. Marriage was never intended to be an way to guarantee visiting rights in a hospital, or cheaper health benefits or insurance. A religious institution would issue a civil union, and a marriage certificate specific to that institution. If the Catholic Church doesn't wish to accept the gay marriages of the Wiccan Church, it doesn't have to. This would eliminate both the accusation that gay marriage infringes on the right to religion of others, and the accusation that that its absence restricts the personal liberties of individuals. People are free to get the rights of marriage, which have nothing to do with religion, and each individual religion is free to make whatever judgment on marriage that it pleases.

NOTE: Has been edited for basic grammar since posting.