What is the difference between civil union and marriage when BOTH are federally recognized?

I get told that marriage is a religious sacrament between a man and a woman and that civil union is just the basic rights of married people without the religious association. If this is true then why are they both federally recognized? And how come a straight couple can get married by obtaining a marriage license and not have to go through a church ceremony at all?What is the difference between civil union and marriage when BOTH are federally recognized?
Civil unions are NOT federally recognized. I think you are confusing civil unions with civil marriages, which are marriages that are not conducted in a church.





In the United States, marriage is a civil contract. It may be blessed by a religious ceremony but it does not have to be. If you have a church wedding but do not have a civil marriage license you are not married in the eyes of the law.





Ironically, gay couples can have church ceremonies to bless their unions but in most places they cannot get a civil license. That seems totally backwards, doesn't it!