My friend's fiancee just asked him if they could skip getting the license

[Annisman*]

Where is "god's" law about having a License?

There is none friend, which was kind of the point of this thread. ..

 

[Ventanni]

In her defense, Government does not Mandate that people need to obtain a license. It is not Illegal for 2 people to live together, have sex, have kids, or anything else that "Married" people would do. So whether she gets a Marriage license or not, she is obeying the Law.

And you're absolutely right. The government doesn't mandate those things. There's actually a lot of Biblical different factors at play here, but this has mainly to do with two things: Two people having sex with each other and obeying the government in which you live under; both of which God take very seriously. Now with that said, sex isn't wrong in the eyes of God. However it's set apart specifically for marriage and marriage only. God's law absolutely requires you to be married in order for you to have sex and share those benefits with your spouse, and in this case that requires you to obey the laws of the land to be legally recognized.

Anyways, sounds like the guy in this relationship is smart. No marriage license, no deal.

 

[sandorski]

And you're absolutely right. The government doesn't mandate those things. There's actually a lot of Biblical different factors at play here, but this has mainly to do with two things: Two people having sex with each other and obeying the government in which you live under; both of which God take very seriously. Now with that said, sex isn't wrong in the eyes of God. However it's set apart specifically for marriage and marriage only. God's law absolutely requires you to be married in order for you to have sex and share those benefits with your spouse, and in this case that requires you to obey the laws of the land to be legally recognized.

Anyways, sounds like the guy in this relationship is smart. No marriage license, no deal.

What would "Marriage" be in the eyes of "God"?

I ask simply because every concept of such a thing has, even in the Bible, been Cultural. AKA, Government defined. Adam and Eve and, presumably, many generations of people afterwards did not even have a concept of a License. If all those people were Married in "God's" eyes, what exactly occurred to make them so?

While you ponder that, I'll give you the only answer I can think of: The only logical thing that "God" would consider Marriage is Sexual Intercourse between 2 people. After that occurs, they would be Married.

All the parts about Parental Approval, going before a Priest to publicly declare vows, Payments for Brides, etc etc, all these things are Societal Traditions. In the days of the Old Testament, those Traditions were based on the idea of Women as being Property. First as a Daughter, then as a Wife. The Man gains wealth through Selling their Daughters, after the initial investment in the Wife.

So, the idea that a Christian person must have a Marriage License to Marry is simply not a Biblical concept when the Government has not mandated that the sexually active require a License. You are mistaking the word "Marriage" being attached to a piece of paper with the State of Marriage. If your "God" exists and insists on particular things, its' concept of Marriage is far different than yours. For it would not be concerned with our petty Traditions, they would be meaningless to it.

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Very well said I agree with you 100%. I mentioned to my friend that as Christians we are to submit to our goverment 'Give unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God's.' I will suggest that he makes her agree to a license.

There is a reason the Roman empire is long gone. The GF's perception of "intrusive" government is a valid one. The license has very little to do with the covenant. This becomes disturbingly clear for those who have been through a divorce.

+1 for Ventanni's outstanding synopsis but the cons to state sanctioned marriage are definitely there.

 

[SlitheryDee]

But God does expect us to obey the laws of the lands we live in so long as they're not contrary to his own, and in the United States, you have to have a marriage license to be legally married. If she's serious about her faith, don't let her fool herself into thinking you're married when you're not. Although it's obviously not illegal to live with someone else, God can't honor and bless a marriage that's not legally recognized. See what I'm getting at? That's why I highly, highly don't recommend it.

I can almost guarantee you that your pastor isn't going to ordain the marriage without there being a marriage certificate.

I still don't get why obeying the laws of the land entails getting a marriage license though. Were I religious, I would interpret that part of christian mythology as "don't be a criminal" rather than as a requirement to participate in legal proceedings that are technically optional.