Why do you need a state license to get married? According to Christians isn't marriage instituted by God?

Question

And why can you get married by a justice of the peace, who is an officer of the state courts? Why would the state get involved in a purely church matter?

What if a church wants to marry a same-gender couple? The state won't issue a same-gender marriage license. Why would the state favor one religion's practices over another?

Answer 1

Two historical notes.

First, marriage licenses were originally annotations on baptismal certificates to certify you were single.

Second, only Catholics officially have held the position that marriage is instituted by God. Classical Protestantism and the Baptists held that marriage was not from God. This was the basis for permitting gay marriage in Massechusettes. You should read the ruling. It turns out that the Puritans, being good anti-Catholics, passed the first marriage law and explicitly stated within the act that marriage has no religious significance and is solely a state issue. There is neither a religious nor moral dimension to marriage. This is important because under common law the older concepts are in effect precedence.

The Massechussettes court further pointed out that marriage was a natural right and the state had no right to determine who married and who did not unless the state could show physical or emotional harm such as from incest or a shotgun wedding. Likewise, the license is merely to put on record who is married to prevent bigamous unions. Under American law, there is no religious component to marriage.

It is Catholics who hold marriage is instituted by God. It is only since gay marriage has been an issue that some groups have really rethought their point of view and can now find the same bible verses Catholics had been using for 2000 years.

It is unrelated but Christmas was illegal in the US because it was a Catholic celebration of the birth of Jesus until the early decades of the twentieth century. It was only that ministers couldn't stop their congregants from going to Catholic midnight Mass on Christmas eve that brought Christmas back.

We have a weird culture, it really is worth reading 18th and 19th century writings. Not the big ones by the great authors but the small ones and the unusual laws. They tell, anthropologically, more about how people really felt and acted than the great writers and thinkers.

So, do not assume that because Christians currently claim something as belonging to them and are in conflict with the state that Christians always in America held that view.

Answer 2

This has been the basis for argument for gay couples because if there is a true seperation of church and state then the state should have no right in deciding who gets married. Plus, what makes straight people considered 'common law' marriage depends on each state.

It's because our country was founded on puritanism and the integration between church and state is deep in American culture, whether people agree with it or not.

Luckily, people are starting to realize that marriage is up to each person's religious beliefs, and hopefully soon, things will change with the government,s involvement with what they considered 'married', or their definition since really marriage should only involve those 2 people involved, their own belief system, etc.

It is irrelevant whether it is an 'institution under God', since people may be married and not believe in the same God, or may be athiest.

Tax breaks, etc, need to be changed or constrived in a different way, since sometimes 'getting married in the eyes of the goverment' can even cause the elderly to lose their social security benefits, or grant money for those trying to go to college.

Answer 3

Hi there, I can only answer this according to my catholic faith, there are seven sacraments in the catholic church and marriage is one of them.
Catholics actually minister the sacrament of marriage to one another and not the Priest, the priest performs the wedding/ nuptial mass and is the chief witness along with the congregation.
Jesus sanctified marriage by his presence at the wedding feast of Cana, and by the occaison of his first public miracle, we also see the church`s apostolic blessing as a sign of the sacredness of this sacrament.
Those not ordained by the church have not the authority to bless and bring the sacred to marriage, I believe that in Protestant weddings too there is a great sense of sacredness as well because of the presence of the Lord, it`s just not the same as someone in a plastic Elvis wig is it?
No christian church has the right to marry same gender couples as it is contrary to the word of God and therefore not a marriage as such.
The

Answer 4

Traditionally marriage is viewed as not only a Heavenly institution but an earthly one as well. It was instituted by God and mans acknowledgment and legalization of marriage is a reflection of that. Think of marriage as a committment to your spouse before God and mankind as well. So when we want to make that marriage committment before mankind, we go through the legal process. When we make a committment to our spouse before God it is done through prayer and in our hearts.

What if churches want to redefine marriage? Woe to them!

The state is only doing what it always has done, recognize traditional marriage as God does; between man and woman. It is not a matter of favoring or establishing religion so much as it is favoring tradition. Unfortunately liberals, atheists, and secularists are in the process of trying to redefine what marriage and families are and woe to them!

Answer 5

Marriage is an institution under God that God has seen fit for man to stand over(ceremony)
but you have to understand that Man has come up with ways to track people for tax purposes also.

Answer 6

Yes, marriage is instituted by God, but the Bible also tells us to "be in subjection to the superior authoritites", which means we must obey man's laws UNLESS they conflict with God's. And, the last time I checked, God has no problems with being legally married.

Answer 7

God won't jail you for not paying taxes.