What is the fundamental and/or legal difference between a ';marriage'; and an ';union';?

What factor or factors make them different from each other? Do you think they are just the same, but different words?What is the fundamental and/or legal difference between a ';marriage'; and an ';union';?
Marriage and Union are technically the same within common law. For example, two people living together for 7 years are therefore considered legally married. The time until this ';legal marriage'; is considered union, or cohabitation - depending on where you live, the term is different. It is only common belief that marriage is legally different than union, as while there is some difference, the law approaches both the same. A great example of this would deal with domestic violence. In a case of domestic violence, one person could be given a protection order against the other, however, a protection order is only possible under law if either the two people are married, lived together, or were family. So technically speaking, and to hopefully make sense of this, your relationship with your mother, in law, is considered a union, and obviously you shouldn't be married. The two terms are basically used to determine the status of two individual people, even though the two terms are used in conjunction with one another.What is the fundamental and/or legal difference between a ';marriage'; and an ';union';?
One of the most fundamental differences that comes to mind is that if you are joined by a ';union'; vs a marriage, you cannot file your income taxes as married, filing jointly. Additionally, some health care benefits extend to married spouses, but NOT to those joined by civil union (contractual arrangement). Finally, estate rights and automatic passage of property after death is different for ';spouses'; (married) vs. partners (unions).





I imagine if these types of financially-related issues were addressed, then the issue of whether a union was civil or marriage would become moot.





BTW, I was ';married'; by a justice of the peace in a NON-religious ceremony, so that is NOT the differentiating factor.
Simply put, a marriage is something that involves a religious ceremony, and is a religious right. This is performed by a pastor, preacher, minister or priest, etc.





A union is a civil ceremony, and does not contain the religious portions of the marriage ceremony. This would be performed by a mayor, judge, magistrate, ship captain (in international waters), etc.





In the end, the result is the same.
Marriage is a contract taken between to adults, before God and friends. You enter the contract with a pledge to love, honor and obey. This works both ways. A union has no contract and no Honor given to God. This is how male animals act.