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(This is mainly addressed to Christians who live in America. If your country uses marriage licenses, this message may be sought out to you as well. By the way, I am NOT against or hate homosexuals or bisexuals.)
I have a very important question, why exactly do (some) christians say that in order to be married in God's Eyes, you HAVE to have a marriage license AND a ceremony?
1. "Not under law, but under grace."
For one, the bible never states HOW you have to marry. It does state that it is a convenant between a Man, Woman and God. From a religious view point, marriage is Not a privilege, it's a Right that we automatically have - and it's a right to have with any one. Once again, the bible never states How to marry or who to marry to. There are ways to how marriage is shown within the bible, but anyone saying that you HAVE to have a ceremony, license, witness, priest, make it public or that it Has to be within a Church is merely stating their Opinion to how to be considered married to God.
Marriage is a covenant between Man, Woman and God. It is an Option - we do Not have to get married to someone if we don't want to. Since we're under grace and not under the law, there is no specific thing that we Have to do in order to be considered married Except have that faithful promise to our husband/wife and keeping it faithful through God. The covenant is the Source of the marriage. Of course the bible explains how you should Treat your husband or wife with good advice, but this is Within the marriage.
Technically, asking "How do I marry according to the bible?" is like asking "How do I love my Mother according to the bible?" The bible states To love and respect your mother, but it Never states exactly HOW to love your mother.
2. Choosing the Government over God?
I'm always constantly hearing christians say "We have to submit to the 'Law of the Land' and it's Governing Authorities, so you must get a marriage license in order to be married in God's eyes - it's the right thing to do. If you do not get a marriage license, you're rebelling against the law of the land and are not submitting yourself to it." So basically,
The Government automatically has a Right to change what God has already given to us? The bible never states what we Have to do in order to be considered married Except for the covenant between Man, Woman and God. How does the Government automatically have the power to say if we're married or not - isn't that their Opinion? If the quote that was stated was True, doesn't that mean that the Government has ultimate power between humanity and now They're all of a sudden allowed to change what's in the bible to gain more money and power for themselves?
Well..Actually (according to the American standard), the Government isn't stating that.
According to the first ammendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
America is a "Freedom of Religion" state. According to our religion, there is nothing that we Have to do in order to be considered Married except for the covenant of Man, Woman and God. "Congress shall make no LAW respecting an establishment of religion"..This statement automatically proves that the marriage license is not enforced BY LAW, therefore you are Not rebelling against the law of the land if you choose Not to get a marriage license.
3. Then what is the purpose of a marriage license?
Originally, the marriage license is a Result of segregation in the late 1900s, but now days the marriage license is an Option for financial benefits for a marriage (or technically, if you just want benefits from someone - you can be "legally" married to the person next door just for financial benefits, not necessarily being in love with them...even though that wouldn't quite seem right..)
What does it mean to be Legally married then?
Being "legally" married means that you can Legally recieve these benefits from the U.S. - these benefits are according to insurance, taxes, credit scores, expenses, employer benefits and such.
If your marriage is "recognized by the Government" (meaning that you have a marriage license - or common law marriage), you are Legally allowed to recieve these benefits.
If you are married With Out a marriage license, this Doesn't mean that your marriage is Illegal, it means that it WOULD BE Illegal if you were to gain these benefits With Out a marriage license.
How do I feel about the Marriage License?
I don't like the fact that it originated from segregation, however, it's purpose has changed. I believe that that a marriage license is unnecessary if a couple does not want to/ cannot have children. But I do feel if you Want to go on with the American tradition or simply want one, that you should get one or if you do choose to start a family - mainly for the financial benefits. Although some christians are against the marriage license and believe that the government has control over your kids if you get one - I don't think that. No one has True control over Your children. The government can't force your kids to eat straight vegetables or to sit down/stand up if they ever tell them too..things like that.
4. You do not Have to follow Tradition.
A tradition is considered to be "a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, also a basical character of a society still maintained in the present, with origins in the past." Basically, a tradition doesn't just pop up in mid air, it's made or created by someone or a group of people. Some people even consider some wedding traditions to be Pagan (for example, wedding rings.)
According to the "Law of the Land" and the bible, you do Not need to Follow any form of tradition at any time - this includes Marriage. Tradition can be something that's very opinionated. Just because I can decide to do jumping jacks before I brush my teeth and hardly anyone else does, doesn't mean that what I do isn't a Tradition. It's a tradition to Me because that would be something I do everyday. You do Not HAVE to have a ceremony in order to be considered married. As a matter of fact, if you want to celebrate your marriage or just do something for it, you can do pretty much whatever you want (of course, not anything Bad..) If you want to jump off of a skyscraper in order to celebrate your marriage, then do so. This can be how you take part of your very own tradition.
(btw, those were merely examples..I do not do jumping jacks before brushing my teeth..repeat..do not do jumping jacks before brushing my teeth..nor do I want to jump off a skycraper in order to celebrate marriage..)
5. Witness?
This is an opinion that I'm clearly confussed with. Many christians also state that you need a witness in order to be Married. Once again the bible Never states How to be considered married besides the covenant between Man, Woman and God.
..I could never understand Why you would need a witness for something such as marriage. The marriage is between Two people (and God), no more than that - so there is no witness Needed for it. And for what exactly? The two people are marrying each other, not commiting crime..Why would someone ask the "witness" something about these two being married? ..."Hey, are those two over there married?" "Yes, I was a witness." ..Whoever asked the original question could simply just ask one person of the couple if they're married or not, Why would this person need proof? I mean for what reason?
Although unneccessary, this isn't one of the crazier opinions of how to be married in God's eyes..then again it isn't quite understandable either (in My opinion..)
Overall:
We are Not under Law, but under Grace. There is the 10 (9) commandments that we should try our best to follow, but in order to Marry - to establish the covenant between Man, Woman and God, you do not Have to do anything else besides making the promise to your husband or wife. The bible does Not state who and how to marry. Once again, as christians, we are Not under Law, but under Grace. We can marry however and *whoever we want to, just as long as we go by the covenant.
*(of course, no incest..just had to state that.)
You Disagree with what I'm saying?
If you disagree with what I am saying because of Opinion, then I understand that. If you disagree because of facts, then there should be statements within the Bible that states what you Have to do in order to be married Besides the covenant between Man, Woman and God.
#1. I still don't believe that a couple isn't married in God's eyes if they're married with out a marriage license.
(1) If they're Not "legally" married as a couple and not thus meaning not married in God's eyes, then exactly What are they? If they are just "girlfriend & boyfriend" and technically not "legally married", couldn't they have Many girlfriends and boyfriends? If they're not having sex with each other, the technically they could have as many girlfriend/boyfriend relationships as they want, right? (Btw, you can still be a married couple even without having sex.)
(2) Marriage licenses are relatively new, they were made as a result of segregation. If you Truly believe that a couple isn't married in God's eyes if they're married with out a marriage license, aren't you, in a way, supporting segregation? If it never were for segregation, marriage licenses would Not have existed.
(3) We are under grace, not law. If we Had to get a marriage license in order to be married in God's eyes, wouldn't everything that Paul was saying according to grace be a lie? Wouldn't that be considered a law?
(4) If you don't believe that a couple isn't married in God's eyes if they're married with out a marriage license, aren't you saying that the Government has the power to change Anything? Isn't that contradicting? If they can clearly change your thoughts into thinking that you Have to have a marriage license, then that means that they've changed marriage in order for it to have a requirement.
#2. According to Romans 13: "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."
(1) So God has established a "Freedom of Religion" government upon us? Didn't he tell us Not to worship other idols or "Gods" before him?
(2) Also, according to christianity, isn't homosexuality an abomination? Even though the bible clearly states this, God just happens to allow "Same-Sex" marriage All of a Sudden? Do you feel that God would consider a loving Gay, yet Legally (with marriage license) married couple actually Married than a loving couple between man and women who do are Not "legally" married?
(3) Also, Timothy 1:9 states "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers."
So basically, if you disagree with me, you believe that marriage with out a marriage license can be against the Law. So does this mean that originally, the way that God intended marriage to be is technically sinful and ungodly?
(4) Also, to some point, couldn't having a marriage license be considered a love for money? For example (and lets be realistic, mistakes do happen) if a couple were to "legally" divorce, how would you feel if your ex- husband or wife were to rant about how much money they wanted From you, or how much child support they Want from you or how much they clearly don't want to pay?
(5) If Not having a marriage license was against the law, why Isn't it against the law to have sex With Out one? How come a "legally" married couple cannot recieve a license to have sex? Wouldn't this mean that MANY couples would be investigated in some way to figure out if they're having sexual relations? Shouldn't they get arrested if they do? Couldn't someone turn themself in for having sex with someone they're not "legally" married to?
(6) If someone is receiving SSI benefits due to an illness, their benefits can immediately stop due to the fact that she/he has "legally" married - the husband/wife can now pay for her bills towards her illness (this clearly isn't usually the case. Most likely, the husband/wife can't afford to pay off the bills.) Does this mean that the ill just Cannot get married since their benefits will get cut off? Isn't this saying that they're forced to stay single, and if they don't, they may die?
Stated in the First Ammendment - "Congress shall make no LAW respecting an establishment of religion", having a marriage license isn't for Or against the law. It is merely an option.
#3. There Has to be a ceremony. Since there were some in the bible, it must be needed in order to be married in God's eyes.
(1) This actually isn't true. Isaac and Rebekah did Not have any ceremony of any kind and they were considered married.
(2) The celebrations or ceremonies of marriages were celebrated for Many days. If you Have to have a ceremony, then shouldn't the ceremony be celebrated for those many days? If it weren't, wouldn't you not be considered married then?
--
To me, the world has distorted what marriage was Originally made for, a commitment between a man and woman with a promise to each other. The Heart of marriage is a covenant between Man, Woman and God. Options to have a celebration, ceremony, marriage license and so are Optional and are not NEEDED. I am not 100% for Or against the marriage license or traditions according to marriage. This is truly a statement to those who believe that something materialistic is Needed in order to truly be married. I did this because I am So Tired of people stating their Opinions as Facts to others, and it really needs to stop.
--
Here are some sources (I agree with Most of what they're saying, not All - some opinions are stated):
You Don't Need a Marriage License
Marriage License—in Bed with the State!
Marriage License Truth
I have a very important question, why exactly do (some) christians say that in order to be married in God's Eyes, you HAVE to have a marriage license AND a ceremony?
1. "Not under law, but under grace."
For one, the bible never states HOW you have to marry. It does state that it is a convenant between a Man, Woman and God. From a religious view point, marriage is Not a privilege, it's a Right that we automatically have - and it's a right to have with any one. Once again, the bible never states How to marry or who to marry to. There are ways to how marriage is shown within the bible, but anyone saying that you HAVE to have a ceremony, license, witness, priest, make it public or that it Has to be within a Church is merely stating their Opinion to how to be considered married to God.
Marriage is a covenant between Man, Woman and God. It is an Option - we do Not have to get married to someone if we don't want to. Since we're under grace and not under the law, there is no specific thing that we Have to do in order to be considered married Except have that faithful promise to our husband/wife and keeping it faithful through God. The covenant is the Source of the marriage. Of course the bible explains how you should Treat your husband or wife with good advice, but this is Within the marriage.
Technically, asking "How do I marry according to the bible?" is like asking "How do I love my Mother according to the bible?" The bible states To love and respect your mother, but it Never states exactly HOW to love your mother.
2. Choosing the Government over God?
I'm always constantly hearing christians say "We have to submit to the 'Law of the Land' and it's Governing Authorities, so you must get a marriage license in order to be married in God's eyes - it's the right thing to do. If you do not get a marriage license, you're rebelling against the law of the land and are not submitting yourself to it." So basically,
The Government automatically has a Right to change what God has already given to us? The bible never states what we Have to do in order to be considered married Except for the covenant between Man, Woman and God. How does the Government automatically have the power to say if we're married or not - isn't that their Opinion? If the quote that was stated was True, doesn't that mean that the Government has ultimate power between humanity and now They're all of a sudden allowed to change what's in the bible to gain more money and power for themselves?
Well..Actually (according to the American standard), the Government isn't stating that.
According to the first ammendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
America is a "Freedom of Religion" state. According to our religion, there is nothing that we Have to do in order to be considered Married except for the covenant of Man, Woman and God. "Congress shall make no LAW respecting an establishment of religion"..This statement automatically proves that the marriage license is not enforced BY LAW, therefore you are Not rebelling against the law of the land if you choose Not to get a marriage license.
3. Then what is the purpose of a marriage license?
Originally, the marriage license is a Result of segregation in the late 1900s, but now days the marriage license is an Option for financial benefits for a marriage (or technically, if you just want benefits from someone - you can be "legally" married to the person next door just for financial benefits, not necessarily being in love with them...even though that wouldn't quite seem right..)
What does it mean to be Legally married then?
Being "legally" married means that you can Legally recieve these benefits from the U.S. - these benefits are according to insurance, taxes, credit scores, expenses, employer benefits and such.
If your marriage is "recognized by the Government" (meaning that you have a marriage license - or common law marriage), you are Legally allowed to recieve these benefits.
If you are married With Out a marriage license, this Doesn't mean that your marriage is Illegal, it means that it WOULD BE Illegal if you were to gain these benefits With Out a marriage license.
How do I feel about the Marriage License?
I don't like the fact that it originated from segregation, however, it's purpose has changed. I believe that that a marriage license is unnecessary if a couple does not want to/ cannot have children. But I do feel if you Want to go on with the American tradition or simply want one, that you should get one or if you do choose to start a family - mainly for the financial benefits. Although some christians are against the marriage license and believe that the government has control over your kids if you get one - I don't think that. No one has True control over Your children. The government can't force your kids to eat straight vegetables or to sit down/stand up if they ever tell them too..things like that.
4. You do not Have to follow Tradition.
A tradition is considered to be "a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, also a basical character of a society still maintained in the present, with origins in the past." Basically, a tradition doesn't just pop up in mid air, it's made or created by someone or a group of people. Some people even consider some wedding traditions to be Pagan (for example, wedding rings.)
According to the "Law of the Land" and the bible, you do Not need to Follow any form of tradition at any time - this includes Marriage. Tradition can be something that's very opinionated. Just because I can decide to do jumping jacks before I brush my teeth and hardly anyone else does, doesn't mean that what I do isn't a Tradition. It's a tradition to Me because that would be something I do everyday. You do Not HAVE to have a ceremony in order to be considered married. As a matter of fact, if you want to celebrate your marriage or just do something for it, you can do pretty much whatever you want (of course, not anything Bad..) If you want to jump off of a skyscraper in order to celebrate your marriage, then do so. This can be how you take part of your very own tradition.
(btw, those were merely examples..I do not do jumping jacks before brushing my teeth..repeat..do not do jumping jacks before brushing my teeth..nor do I want to jump off a skycraper in order to celebrate marriage..)
5. Witness?
This is an opinion that I'm clearly confussed with. Many christians also state that you need a witness in order to be Married. Once again the bible Never states How to be considered married besides the covenant between Man, Woman and God.
..I could never understand Why you would need a witness for something such as marriage. The marriage is between Two people (and God), no more than that - so there is no witness Needed for it. And for what exactly? The two people are marrying each other, not commiting crime..Why would someone ask the "witness" something about these two being married? ..."Hey, are those two over there married?" "Yes, I was a witness." ..Whoever asked the original question could simply just ask one person of the couple if they're married or not, Why would this person need proof? I mean for what reason?
Although unneccessary, this isn't one of the crazier opinions of how to be married in God's eyes..then again it isn't quite understandable either (in My opinion..)
Overall:
We are Not under Law, but under Grace. There is the 10 (9) commandments that we should try our best to follow, but in order to Marry - to establish the covenant between Man, Woman and God, you do not Have to do anything else besides making the promise to your husband or wife. The bible does Not state who and how to marry. Once again, as christians, we are Not under Law, but under Grace. We can marry however and *whoever we want to, just as long as we go by the covenant.
*(of course, no incest..just had to state that.)
You Disagree with what I'm saying?
If you disagree with what I am saying because of Opinion, then I understand that. If you disagree because of facts, then there should be statements within the Bible that states what you Have to do in order to be married Besides the covenant between Man, Woman and God.
#1. I still don't believe that a couple isn't married in God's eyes if they're married with out a marriage license.
(1) If they're Not "legally" married as a couple and not thus meaning not married in God's eyes, then exactly What are they? If they are just "girlfriend & boyfriend" and technically not "legally married", couldn't they have Many girlfriends and boyfriends? If they're not having sex with each other, the technically they could have as many girlfriend/boyfriend relationships as they want, right? (Btw, you can still be a married couple even without having sex.)
(2) Marriage licenses are relatively new, they were made as a result of segregation. If you Truly believe that a couple isn't married in God's eyes if they're married with out a marriage license, aren't you, in a way, supporting segregation? If it never were for segregation, marriage licenses would Not have existed.
(3) We are under grace, not law. If we Had to get a marriage license in order to be married in God's eyes, wouldn't everything that Paul was saying according to grace be a lie? Wouldn't that be considered a law?
(4) If you don't believe that a couple isn't married in God's eyes if they're married with out a marriage license, aren't you saying that the Government has the power to change Anything? Isn't that contradicting? If they can clearly change your thoughts into thinking that you Have to have a marriage license, then that means that they've changed marriage in order for it to have a requirement.
#2. According to Romans 13: "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."
(1) So God has established a "Freedom of Religion" government upon us? Didn't he tell us Not to worship other idols or "Gods" before him?
(2) Also, according to christianity, isn't homosexuality an abomination? Even though the bible clearly states this, God just happens to allow "Same-Sex" marriage All of a Sudden? Do you feel that God would consider a loving Gay, yet Legally (with marriage license) married couple actually Married than a loving couple between man and women who do are Not "legally" married?
(3) Also, Timothy 1:9 states "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers."
So basically, if you disagree with me, you believe that marriage with out a marriage license can be against the Law. So does this mean that originally, the way that God intended marriage to be is technically sinful and ungodly?
(4) Also, to some point, couldn't having a marriage license be considered a love for money? For example (and lets be realistic, mistakes do happen) if a couple were to "legally" divorce, how would you feel if your ex- husband or wife were to rant about how much money they wanted From you, or how much child support they Want from you or how much they clearly don't want to pay?
(5) If Not having a marriage license was against the law, why Isn't it against the law to have sex With Out one? How come a "legally" married couple cannot recieve a license to have sex? Wouldn't this mean that MANY couples would be investigated in some way to figure out if they're having sexual relations? Shouldn't they get arrested if they do? Couldn't someone turn themself in for having sex with someone they're not "legally" married to?
(6) If someone is receiving SSI benefits due to an illness, their benefits can immediately stop due to the fact that she/he has "legally" married - the husband/wife can now pay for her bills towards her illness (this clearly isn't usually the case. Most likely, the husband/wife can't afford to pay off the bills.) Does this mean that the ill just Cannot get married since their benefits will get cut off? Isn't this saying that they're forced to stay single, and if they don't, they may die?
Stated in the First Ammendment - "Congress shall make no LAW respecting an establishment of religion", having a marriage license isn't for Or against the law. It is merely an option.
#3. There Has to be a ceremony. Since there were some in the bible, it must be needed in order to be married in God's eyes.
(1) This actually isn't true. Isaac and Rebekah did Not have any ceremony of any kind and they were considered married.
(2) The celebrations or ceremonies of marriages were celebrated for Many days. If you Have to have a ceremony, then shouldn't the ceremony be celebrated for those many days? If it weren't, wouldn't you not be considered married then?
--
To me, the world has distorted what marriage was Originally made for, a commitment between a man and woman with a promise to each other. The Heart of marriage is a covenant between Man, Woman and God. Options to have a celebration, ceremony, marriage license and so are Optional and are not NEEDED. I am not 100% for Or against the marriage license or traditions according to marriage. This is truly a statement to those who believe that something materialistic is Needed in order to truly be married. I did this because I am So Tired of people stating their Opinions as Facts to others, and it really needs to stop.
--
Here are some sources (I agree with Most of what they're saying, not All - some opinions are stated):
You Don't Need a Marriage License
Marriage License—in Bed with the State!
Marriage License Truth
