Public television station KQED has a polling feature called “You Decide” which asks participants to consider various arguments on hot topics of the day.

They ask the question, “should gays be allowed to marry?” But the arguments they present against protecting the right to marry show a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between civil and religious marriage.

Civil marriage is a contractual arrangement of rights and responsibilities entered into by two persons and the government. Religious marriage is defined by a church, mosque or synagogue however they see fit.

Even before the right to civil marriage was granted to all Californians, gays and lesbians were entering into religious marriages in California, and they will continue to do so even if Proposition 8 passes. The question is whether it is fair for the Government to recognize only some denominations’ marriages while not recognizing others’.

These are major distinctions that appear to be overlooked in the debate over marriage equality here in California.