Marriage w/o a license?

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AbidingInHim

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Well, I guess if your married in a church in the eyes of God you are married.


The only thing is if you don't have the paper...it's not legal...and we are told (although the passages are not some I have memorized) that we are to obey the laws of the land because the Lord has chosen the govenors of the land that make the laws....so if we aren't following the rules of the land, which is God's command, are you really married in His eyes?
 
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revrobor

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roxannacc said:
Well, I guess if your married in a church in the eyes of God you are married.


The only thing is if you don't have the paper...it's not legal...and we are told (although the passages are not some I have memorized) that we are to obey the laws of the land because the Lord has chosen the govenors of the land that make the laws....so if we aren't following the rules of the land, which is God's command, are you really married in His eyes?

The laws of the land do not REQUIRE a couple to get a license from the state in order to live together as husband and wife. State laws DO require a couple to have a license if they want to be recognized as married by the STATE for civil legal purposes. So there would be no violation of God's commandment to "obey the laws of the land".
 
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Singin4Him

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revrobor said:
The laws of the land do not REQUIRE a couple to get a license from the state in order to live together as husband and wife. State laws DO require a couple to have a license if they want to be recognized as married by the STATE for civil legal purposes. So there would be no violation of God's commandment to "obey the laws of the land".
I'm sorry but that statement contridicts itself.

Aside from obey the laws of the land which I do believe it ultimately comes down to we have to remember that God created marriage to be binding, a permanent union. Without a license IMO you are making it very easy to walk away if the going gets tough. Where is the commitment in a marriage that is not legally binding? Without making it legal you are IMO not making the full commitment.
 
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marciebaby

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I would be very wary of any pastor who would marry a couple without a license. I've never even heard of anyone who would do something like that. And why would you want your marriage to NOT be recognized by the state? If something happened to your spouse, all of his/her assets would either go to the children or parents. You would have no legal rights towards anything. And you wouldn't be allowed to make any legal decisions if your spouse became incapacitated. (Remember the whole Terry Schiavo incident?)
 
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revrobor

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Singin4Him said:
I'm sorry but that statement contridicts itself.

Aside from obey the laws of the land which I do believe it ultimately comes down to we have to remember that God created marriage to be binding, a permanent union. Without a license IMO you are making it very easy to walk away if the going gets tough. Where is the commitment in a marriage that is not legally binding? Without making it legal you are IMO not making the full commitment.

Commitment in an marriage comes from the heart NOT from a state issued license.
 
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snarfywarning

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I think the question should be why would you get married without a lisence?

IfI rember corectly..it doent cost too much money, as I can't even remember how much it costs..and it takes about an hour to get one.

you are going to be together forever, take the first step and spend an hour in line at the court house looking thru wedding magazines and talking about your futures together.
 
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Singin4Him

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revrobor said:
Commitment in an marriage comes from the heart NOT from a state issued license.
Of course commitment begins in the heart and that is ultimately where it comes from, however would it not be much easier to end a marriage if there were no legal binds? Lets say the couple begins to have some rough times which leave doubt in the hearts of the couple about their future together, it would be much easier for that couple to walk away when the going gets tough would it not? I'm sorry but I question the level of commitment a person is truly willing to make if they refuse to get their marriage legalized.
 
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revrobor

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Civil marriages are a fairly new innovation. There were no civil marriages in Biblical days. The marriages then were strictly religious ceremonies. In the early history of this country there were no state marriage licenses issued. Marriage ceremonies were strictly religous with the "paperwork" limited to a page in the family Bible.

Then states saw an opportunity to generate income and required marriage licenses for those who wanted their marriages recognized by the state for legal purposes. Most churches began replacing the strictly religious ceremony with a combination civil-religious ceremony and teaching their flocks that a couple are not married unless they buy a license from the state. Pastors have now become agents of the state and are required to sign the state marriage license. But civil marriages cannot be defended from the Bible because they did not exist when the Bible was written.

To accuse a couple who choose to have only a religious ceremony (or to say their vows only before God) of "living in sin" has no Scriptural support.
 
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Oblivious

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revrobor said:
Then states saw an opportunity to generate income and required marriage licenses for those who wanted their marriages recognized by the state for legal purposes. Most churches began replacing the strictly religious ceremony with a combination civil-religious ceremony and teaching their flocks that a couple are not married unless they buy a license from the state. Pastors have now become agents of the state and are required to sign the state marriage license. But civil marriages cannot be defended from the Bible because they did not exist when the Bible was written.

To accuse a couple who choose to have only a religious ceremony (or to say their vows only before God) of "living in sin" has no Scriptural support.

It doesn't matter what reasoning "marriage licenses" have behind them, or whether or not they define a marriage. It's the law, and we're to obey the laws of the land. If you want to be a cheat on taxes and do without it, then be my guest. Just don't use the Bible in a false context to justify it.
 
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Oblivious

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Oblivious said:
There was a post on this same topic not too long ago. When I get a chance I'll see if I can find it and post the link here.

Oh, and our Search functionality on this forum failed me so I could not find the thread on this, and I'm too lazy to look back through pages of threads. :sorry:
 
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LynnMcG

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revrobor said:
Commitment in an marriage comes from the heart NOT from a state issued license.

True, but God does ask us to follow the laws of the land so long as they are not in opposition of His laws.
 
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Autumnleaf

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snarfywarning said:
I think the question should be why would you get married without a lisence?

IfI rember corectly..it doent cost too much money, as I can't even remember how much it costs..and it takes about an hour to get one.

Where I work I see lots of couples where I suspect the guy makes bank and the woman is on welfare. Cheap way to eat and have babies while enjoying a decent lifestyle. Its illegal to be sure but who's checking up on things.
 
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Oblivious

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Autumnleaf said:
Where I work I see lots of couples where I suspect the guy makes bank and the woman is on welfare. Cheap way to eat and have babies while enjoying a decent lifestyle. Its illegal to be sure but who's checking up on things.

Exactly.

Autumnleaf hits nail on head.
 
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revrobor

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There are several posters who have thrown in the "obey the laws of the land" card. No state REQUIRES a couple to buy a marriage license UNLESS a couple wants their marriage recognized by the state for civil legal purposes. There is NO VIOLATION of Scripture if a couple chooses to NOT buy a state marriage license. This is the second time this has been stated. What is the problem with understanding it?
 
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Mayzoo

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In a decent percentage of states, a couple living as husband and wife automatically become legally married after a time (my state 6 months). If they chose to seperate, they must get divorced just as any couple who obtained a license, or they commit adultry and bigamy should they remarry.


This is just fact--not reflective of any opinion I have.
 
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Silent Enigma

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sf49erfan said:
If someone is suggesting getting married without a license, they probably have something to hide, like a divorce that isn't final yet!

Be very careful.

Well some people have convictions against getting state marriage licenses because of how the state (some of them) are also endorsing homosexual "marriage" and so they want no part of it.
 
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