Married to the State?

Our definitions of many differ.

 

Brother Larry----what are you going to do when the state passes homosexual rights to marriage-------are you going to submit????

 

It tells me that for one year they were not considered married, as their marriage was not recognized for one year, and therefore living in sin.

How many active threads on common law marriage do we really need.

the whole idea is about as stupid as it gets

 

The government's stance already disagrees with Scriptures. The states allow for no-fault divorces, multiple remarriages for whatever reason and interfaith marriage - all of which are in direct opposition to God's perfect will for marriage.

There is someone else who feels the same way and that's Michael Pearl. His son entered into a sham they called a "marriage" without the state recognizing it because their state "allowed sodomite marriages" and it also had something else to do with unholy taxes or some other bizarre, legalistic junk you'd expect from pieces of work like the Pearls.

So long as you provide full disclosure that their "marriage" will in no way be honored by the state they live in, or any other state for that matter, and that they will not be granted legal protection under the law then do what you will. I just know I'd hate to be the one standing before God and potentially being responsible for leading believers astray.

Can you produce Scripture that says all one has to do is "say a few vows" and then they're married? Can you produce Scripture that says we are to engage in civil disobedience? The Bible mentions obtaining a certificate of divorce. Why would a person in those days need a certificate of divorce if there was no certificate of marriage?

The Bible says that marriage is a holy covenant made before God. Jewish tradition called for the couple to sign a sealing document that was tangible evidence of their commitment. It was known as "the marriage contract". Does the Bible say, specifically, how the wedding ceremony must commence? No, because our wedding ceremonies are largely cultural. How we honor marriages today is different than in Bible times. The Bible does not give the specific vows we speak today, and some couples write their own vows.

Officiating a wedding ceremony is both a spiritual and legal responsibility. Just as gay couples can go before a person who has them exchange vows does not mean they are legally married any more than couples would under your guidance.

 

That's exactly what came to my mind when I read that.

I bet there will be a lot of preachers not submitting... rightly so.

Marriage is supposed to be between a man, a woman, and God. Period...

Still waiting on scripture that says we should include a government.

 

So far, preachers do not have to marry same s*x partners, even in states that allow this kind of marriage. Once preachers are told to do so, if that happens, then it is clearly biblical not to submit to something that is against God's word. However, getting a marriage license in states that require it for legal marriage should be followed by Christians.

 

Genealogical Research in England and Wales

 

"The Lord had everything planned. . . .A lot of praying is what kept me going through the hard years." —Baptist church member Mildred Loving, who with husband Richard was sentenced to prison in 1959 for violating Virginia's "Racial Integrity Act". Jet, 26 May 2008

 

I do not think this relates to the topic. It's a red herring.

Just because the laws can be wrong, such as when they prevented an interracial marriage, does not justify a Christian from not following them.

I'm glad this topic came up because now we know that some here think it's okay for Christians to live together without a marriage license in a state that does not recognize common law marriage.

 

So what would you have told Richard and Mildred Loving to do?

 

I agree..........

 

So, it impossible for a man and a woman to make a vow before God, they have to involve the state for God to recognize it? How ridiculous. I believe you and Larry are way off on this one!

 

If the law requires a man and a woman to get a marriage license so that the State can have its money, then I would advice the couple to get the license.
If the State requires that all ministers in this country are to marry same sax couples, or else......I will take the or else.

If a couple would rather not get a marriage license for religious and spiritual, not political and secular, reasons, and they are not members of a church of which I am the pastor, then I will advise them to find another church, or to speak to their minister.

If they are members of the church I am pastoring, then I will submit the matter to the church, gathered as a body, for consideration and if the church gives its permission, then I will marry them, provided the church is in a state where common law marriage is permitted, otherwise they must go to a church of like order and practice where common law is recognized by the State and bring their case to that church. They must also be thoroughly briefed on the legal ramifications of a license being absent.

If they choose to forego a license, and the church does not allow them, either, then they may live together, IF they exclude themselves voluntarily from the church.

The State will not jail a couple for cohabiting without marriage licenses. The license, as already stated by many, is to pre-empt or cover any legal issues that may arise out of death or divorces, and the like.

If the State requires that all marriages, whether heterosexal or same sax, to be performed by any minister of any order MUST have licenses, then I will simply refuse to perform any marriage for both members and non-members, because on a personal note, I don't like the idea of the State defining which marriages are legal or not.

All that being said, the bottom line is that a married couple may have a roomful of marriage licenses covering their marriage, if they will split, they will split, whether they are professing believers or not.

I've also known and met many common law couples, all unbelievers or non-professing, who've been living together for years and years.