The church or the state?

I have a question for those of you that are religious (I am specifically thinking of those of you that are Christian, but any of the major world religions will do). It's kind of a "would-you-rather" question. Would you rather be married by your church without a marriage license from the state, or would you rather have a marriage license from the state without being married by the church?

Would you be "less married" in the eyes of God if you didn't have a license? Is it the legal contract that binds you together or God?

Obviously, there are lots of legal issues that would result from being married without a license. You couldn't claim your spouse as a dependant (or be claimed by your spouse, whatever the case may be). You probably couldn't get your spouse health insurance through your employer. But all that aside, which do you value more? The church's approval of your marriage, or the United States government's approval of your marriage?

Here's another question that might shed a little light on your perspective. This question is really for those that believe that sex before marriage is a sin. Let's say the church you attend is not licensed by the state to perform marriages. I happen to have a good friend that was involved in a home-church with no "recognized" clergy, so this isn't so far-fetched. Now, let's say you decide to be married by the leader of your home-church first, then a week later you plan to have a legal ceremony by a judge. Would you consider it a sin to consumate your marriage vows before you were legally married? Would you maybe feel just a little bit bad about it? What if you did things the other way around? Would you think it was a sin to consumate your marriage before you were married by your church?

I'm not trying to get at any kind of "right" answer. This question probably has more to do with whether you think like a Libertarian than whether you are a good Christian. However, I would venture to say that American Christians give too much honor and respect to the government, and not enough honor and respect to the church. Paul admonished 1st century Christians for taking eachother to court instead of settling matters before church elders. How many people would go to their church to settle a business dispute? If both people were members of the same church, why wouldn't they?