intention of the court ruling that civil marriage be extended to same-sex couples. It seems to me to be just a matter of semantics. The Constitution enshrines the concept of ‘secular state’ and politicians and courts alike will inevitably give precedence to civil liberties over religious objections. A concern of the Constitutional Court is to ensure that all citizens be entitled to the rights afforded them under the Constitution. Marriage, from a purely secular perspective, confers a set of specific