Privatized Marriage

John Coleman argues, in a Reason Online article called "My Privatized Valentine," that St. Valentine was executed (martyred!) for his "belief was that marriage is too sacred a rite to relegate to the incompetence of state bureaucracy."  We should follow St. Valentine's lead, Coleman argues:

It is time to privatize marriage. If the institution is really so sacred, it should lie beyond the withering hands of politicians and policy makers in Washington D.C.  There should be no federal or state license that grants validity to love.  There should be no state-run office that peers into our bedrooms and honeymoon suites. If the church thinks divorce and homosexuality are problematic, it should initiate the real dialogue to address these problems in-house rather than relying on state-sponsored coercion to affirm doctrinal beliefs.  And if tax-codes and guardianships need some classification for couples, let's revise civil union standards to reflect those needs.

He concludes:

But if you really want to honor the martyr, join in the battle to take matters of personal character — matters that should precede governmental authority — out of the hands of the state.

Well.  What of it?

Rick