Marriage without Marriage certificate?

[Wynona]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

What if a couple has witnesses and a ceremony and take vows but skip the legal part? Are they in error?

I can see a case for taking the government out of Christian marriage and I can see a case for a legally binding marriage.

Discuss.

 

[LearningToLetGo]

All's well and dandy until the gov't asks, "Are you married?" then it gets really complicated.

Save yourself a lot of trouble. File the paperwork. ;-)

 

[Wynona]

All's well and dandy until the gov't asks, "Are you married?" then it gets really complicated.

Save yourself a lot of trouble. File the paperwork. ;-)

Am glad thats not a headache I have to deal with. I guess Im wondering more from a moral standpoint.

 

[LearningToLetGo]

Am glad thats not a headache I have to deal with. I guess Im wondering more from a moral standpoint.

Morally, I'm of the mind that if I ask a woman, "Is this your husband?" and she says, "Yes"; and if I ask the man, "Is this your wife?" and he says, "Yes"; then there is nothing else to say. They are married.

But that's a far cry from filing my taxes or establishing next-of-kin rights.

 

[Jane_Doe22]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

What if a couple has witnesses and a ceremony and take vows but skip the legal part? Are they in error?

I can see a case for taking the government out of Christian marriage and I can see a case for a legally binding marriage.

Discuss.

Marriage includes the spiritual, social, and physical, legal side of things. You shouldn’t skimp on any of those.

In societies where paper/reading was uncommon, there still were legal custom for people getting married. Particulars of customs vary but they do always exist.

 

[Wynona]

Marriage includes the spiritual, social, and physical, legal side of things. You shouldn’t skimp on any of those.

In societies where paper/reading was uncommon, there still were legal custom for people getting married. Particulars of customs vary but they do always exist.

I lean towards what you are saying. Can you explain why the legal process is important?

What if someone said, "Adam and Eve were married without legal customs?"

Or, "The government is corrupt and no longer should handle marriage matters."

 

[Michiah-Imla]

Once you bring a woman into your tent and have relations with her she’s your wife biblically. Further relations with single persons outside the union is adultery for the woman, and additional marriage for the man.

The government license is just superfluous. And multiple marriages are anathema in todays society.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

Nope. "Marriage" Biblically is "The joining of flesh" (Just ask Jacob Gen 29:21-25). The "Ceremony" , the "Vows", the Venue, and all the other associated (expensive) hoopla has absolutely nothing to do with it.

The "Wedding" is nothing more that the execution before witnesses of a LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT, creating a corporation (Called a "Marriage") between two parties, and defining responsibilities, Tax Status, Access rights, and property ownership, guardianship of offspring - AND what to do with the assets (and offspring) IF the CONTRACT is dissolved according to certain legal guidelines.

Ideally you have a "wedding" according to existing legal procedures, and then later in private, you get Married.

In a significant percentage of cases, given prevailing social mores, the couple having the "Wedding" has already "Married", and often are both in multiple adulteries.

SO NO!!! the legal aspects are NOT "absolutely necessary", but if they're IGNORED, there can be some pretty messy consequences when there's trouble, when a household is dissolved, or there's a death.

SOME states have "Common law" laws, wherein when a couple cohabitates (without any legal contract) for a certain length of time, which do assign certain rights to the participants. You'd have to check with the powers that be in your location for details.

 

[Jane_Doe22]

I lean towards what you are saying. Can you explain why the legal process is important?

What if someone said, "Adam and Eve were married without legal customs?"

Or, "The government is corrupt and no longer should handle marriage matters."

Adam and Eve were 100% married according to their legal customs. It’s at the ones they made, following God’s guidance (same with rest of life until until the fall).

The government does not make marriage, hence the government’s state (pure/corrupt/etc) does not effect marriage. By observing the laws/customs of the land we are simply living in the world and rending unto Caesar what is his.

 

[Mink57]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

First of all, we can't simply say, "in America." The United States has 50 states. Marriage is state authorized; not federally authorized. In other words, the Feds have given each individual state the power to decide the 'rules' concerning marriage for their jurisdiction.

So to answer your question, "Is it absolutely necessary to get married with a license?", the answer would be, 'It depends on what state you're in.' Currently, there are only 8 states left in which one can form a 'common-law' marriage. A few other states will recognize a common law marriage from a previous state, but only if the common law marriage was established by a certain time.

Note- It is a MYTH that merely cohabitating together for a certain length of time automatically means you're MARRIED. You can live together for 50+ years, but unless other 'requirements' are met, you will NOT be recognized as being "married".

What if a couple has witnesses and a ceremony and take vows but skip the legal part? Are they in error?

I can see a case for taking the government out of Christian marriage and I can see a case for a legally binding marriage.

Discuss.

Again, it depends on the state, and what else the couple does.

In all 50 states, the only words necessary are the declaration that both parties take each other as "husband" and "wife." Without the words, "Do you take (each other) to be husband and wife?", it doesn't matter how many witnesses you have, or how many 'vows' you make, you aren't 'married.' The other vows of cherishing each other, forsaking all others, for richer or poorer etc., aren't part of the legal aspect of contracting a marriage.

In addition to declaring to each other that you intend to take each other as 'husband' and 'wife', you also have to live together...and, hold each other out to be a married couple. In other words, you actually refer to each other as "husband" and "wife", not only to each other, but to the public at large, including friends, family, employer, insurance companies, etc. The 'wife' might even wear a wedding ring, and 'take' her 'husband's' last name. You would do everything that a legally married couple would do. But even that isn't always good enough.

If for example, you enter into a common law marriage that would be recognized by one of the 8 states, it doesn't mean that the other 42 states would recognize your common law marriage as a 'marriage'.

In all honesty, the 'government' plays a very small role in the "legal process" of getting married/marriage. In most cases, all you need to do, is to be of 'legal capacity' (for instance, over a certain age, and/or, not already married to someone else), consent freely to marry, go to the County Clerk, pay for a license...go to City Hall, get married in front of the Justice of the Peace (or other legal officiant). That's pretty much IT. In most jurisdictions, it can cost less than $100. Certainly worth it to avoid potential problems in the future.

Of course, it may be different in other cultures. Some cultures have 'marriage by custom', and not a whole lot of 'legal' stuff.

Before this country was even a country, native American Indians lived here. Obviously, some of them were married, without any outsiders getting involved. Did God see their marriage as being a marriage?

 

[Pearl]

All's well and dandy until the gov't asks, "Are you married?" then it gets really complicated.
;-)

To me that is the only reason you need a formal marriage.

Of course it is something that people have very strong views about. Some see it as sinful to live with a person who to whom you are not 'legally' married; even if you have been together for yonks and been exclusive.

The word marry means to join together and in the case of matrimony it is the sexual joining between a man and a woman.

Sex in itself is not sinful. God made men and women to have sexual desires for each other and told them to multiply. Maybe some couple only use sex for procreation rather than fun but I think God wants us to enjoy sex.

 

[Taken]

Marriage without Marriage certificate?
OP^

Interesting question.
*The US Federal government was granted no authority or power over Marriages.
*Power not granted the US Federal government was thereafter the authority of the Several States and the people thereof to govern over or not. Or not, the power is per the individual people.
*Several States did enact laws governing over Marriages, regarding for example; age of the intended couple; races of the intended couple; some requiring two witnesses, some requiring an official court magistrate or official certified Religious Cleric to perform the union for it to be recognized, by the State as “legal” union.
* That is where the “license” enters the picture. Whereby the couple “prove” they are within the boundaries of the Civil Law of that State, to “lawfully” become wedded.
The “license” would then be issued by a legal State Representative, to the prospective intended couple.
* Once a cleric performed the Wedding ceremony, the cleric would put his signature on the “license” and file it with the local county clerks office.
* Once the county clerks office recorded the information from the “license” into “their books and records”, a Certificate of Marriage would be issued to the “couple”..
Mr. and Mrs._____.

Pryor to States formation (ie. becoming States) and legislating Laws; Individual Clerics could wed a man and a woman, any where, any place, record the names in his own personal book of records, sign and give the wedded couple a certificate, without a governing powers consent or knowledge.

Many “individual Clerics books and records” have been after the fact recorded in “States county records”. Many have not.
Some “Clerics” books and records, were lost, were passed on to family members, were donated to local counties libraries. Same with early ancestors “certificates of marriage” received from a “Cleric”, rather than an “official government office”. Often the Record of a marriage was simply recorded in a family Bible.

As men and women moved further west, From established States, it required a certain amount of people to be inhabitants BEFORE an area group of people could petition the government and was considered to be granted “Statehood”.

By default, large groups of people were occupying lands, that were NOT States, thus not under State laws, and Marriage not a US Constitutional power to legislate...
People did not require licensing or certification by a government.

Personally, I don’t believe people TODAY require permission, licensing or certification...from men.
Simply their yes be yes before Gods Presence of a union God Himself clearly approves.

 

[Taken]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

That lands on the “IF” the couple wants the “PERKS” the same invasive Government Offers with their licensing and certifying.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

What if a couple has witnesses and a ceremony and take vows but skip the legal part? Are they in error?

I can see a case for taking the government out of Christian marriage and I can see a case for a legally binding marriage.

Discuss.

My state and all its probate judges which legally marry ppl refused to do so when the government said they had to marry same sex ppl also.
Now you download the legal papers from online,get them notarized and file them yourselves so no marriage certificate is offered by the state.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

What if a couple has witnesses and a ceremony and take vows but skip the legal part? Are they in error?

I can see a case for taking the government out of Christian marriage and I can see a case for a legally binding marriage.

Discuss.

I agree I do not think it is stated by God but by our overbearing Uncle Sam. That was the way it was done before; a ceremony, a committment, witnesses and confirmation of husband and wife.

We have common law husbands and wives and divorce is the same as a legal marriage.

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

I know in America, we get legally married with a marriage license from the local county. Is this something that is absolutely necessary?

What if a couple has witnesses and a ceremony and take vows but skip the legal part? Are they in error?

I can see a case for taking the government out of Christian marriage and I can see a case for a legally binding marriage.

Discuss.

There's nothing wrong with people getting a marriage license to get married. The simple truth is that true Christians will be submissive to government authority as long as what they require or if their laws don't contradict the True God's law. God allows these human governments to stand In their relative place to prevent chaos.

Plus the true servants of God in the past, even before God was in a convenant relationship with Israel, always selected a wife by going to a father who had a daughter and if he was agreeable to let her be a wife, a brideprice would be paid to him, and at that moment when the brideprice was paid to him his daughter became a wife. No sex involved until after the brideprice was accepted and then she went into her betrothed tent, to consummate the marriage union.

 

[Jane_Doe22]

I agree I do not think it is stated by God but by our overbearing Uncle Sam. That was the way it was done before; a ceremony, a committment, witnesses and confirmation of husband and wife.

To me: what you are describing above (ceremony, commitment, witnesses, etc) is the legal component of marriage for that culture.

 

[Wrangler]

In all honesty, the 'government' plays a very small role in the "legal process" of getting married/marriage.

LOL. Government plays a huge role in divorce.

It’s easy to get married but harder to get divorced.

Government is a corrupting, coercive agent. A legal marriage has been corrupted, tempting all with mammon.

 

[quietthinker]

Once you bring a woman into your tent and have relations with her she’s your wife biblically. Further relations with single persons outside the union is adultery for the woman, and additional marriage for the man.

The government license is just superfluous. And multiple marriages are anathema in todays society.

they still have tents in America....well I'll be!

 

[LearningToLetGo]

they still have tents in America....well I'll be!

All along the I5 off ramp.