Why Christians Should Not Obtain A State Marriage License

By: Pastor Matt Trewhella

Every year thousands of Christians amble down to their local county courthouse and obtain a marriage license from the State in order to marry their future spouse. They do this unquestioningly. They do it because their pastor has told them to go get one, and besides, “everybody else gets one.” This article attempts to answer the question – why should we not get one?

1. The definition of a “license” demands that we not obtain one to marry.

 
Black’s Law Dictionary defines “license” as, “The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal.” We need to ask ourselves- why should it be illegal to marry without the State’s permission? More importantly, why should we need the State’s permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the State’s permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says “no”? You must understand that the authority to license implies the power to prohibit. A license by definition “confers a right” to do something. The State cannot grant the right to marry. It is a God-given right.

2. When you marry with a marriage license, you grant the State jurisdiction over your marriage.

 
When you marry with a marriage license, your marriage is a creature of the State. It is a corporation of the State! Therefore, they have jurisdiction over your marriage including the fruit of your marriage. What is the fruit of your marriage? Your children and every piece of property you own. There is plenty of case law in American jurisprudence which declares this to be true.

In 1993, parents were upset here in Wisconsin because a test was being administered to their children in the government schools which was very invasive of the family’s privacy. When parents complained, they were shocked by the school bureaucrats who informed them that their children were required to take the test by law and that they would have to take the test because they (the government school) had jurisdiction over their children. When parents asked the bureaucrats what gave them jurisdiction, the bureaucrats answered, “your marriage license and their birth certificates.” Judicially, and in increasing fashion, practically, your state marriage license has far-reaching implications.

3. When you marry with a marriage license, you place yourself under a body of law which is immoral.

 
By obtaining a marriage license, you place yourself under the jurisdiction of Family Court which is governed by unbiblical and immoral laws. Under these laws, you can divorce for any reason. Often, the courts side with the spouse who is in rebellion to God, and castigates the spouse who remains faithful by ordering him or her not to speak about the Bible or other matters of faith when present with the children.

As a minister, I cannot in good conscience perform a marriage which would place people under this immoral body of laws. I also cannot marry someone with a marriage license because to do so I have to act as an agent of the State! I would have to sign the marriage license, and I would have to mail it into the State. Given the State’s demand to usurp the place of God and family regarding marriage, and given it’s unbiblical, immoral laws to govern marriage, it would be an act of treason for me to do so.

4. The marriage license invades and removes God-given parental authority.

 
When you read the Bible, you see that God intended for children to have their father’s blessing regarding whom they married. Daughters were to be given in marriage by their fathers (Dt. 22:16; Ex. 22:17; I Cor. 7:38). We have a vestige of this in our culture today in that the father takes his daughter to the front of the altar and the minister asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

Historically, there was no requirement to obtain a marriage license in colonial America. When you read the laws of the colonies and then the states, you see only two requirements for marriage. First, you had to obtain your parents permission to marry, and second, you had to post public notice of the marriage 5-15 days before the ceremony.

Notice you had to obtain your parents permission. Back then you saw godly government displayed in that the State recognized the parents authority by demanding that the parents permission be obtained. Today, the all-encompassing ungodly State demands that their permission be obtained to marry.

By issuing marriage licenses, the State is saying, “You don’t need your parents permission, you need our permission.” If parents are opposed to their child’s marrying a certain person and refuse to give their permission, the child can do an end run around the parents authority by obtaining the State’s permission, and marry anyway. This is an invasion and removal of God-given parental authority by the State.

5. When you marry with a marriage license, you are like a polygamist.

 
From the State’s point of view, when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, but you are also marrying the State.  The most blatant declaration of this fact that I have ever found is a brochure entitled “With This Ring I Thee Wed.” It is found in county courthouses across Ohio where people go to obtain their marriage licenses. It is published by the Ohio State Bar Association. The opening paragraph under the subtitle “Marriage Vows” states, “Actually, when you repeat your marriage vows you enter into a legal contract. There are three parties to that contract. 1.You; 2. Your husband or wife, as the case may be; and 3. the State of Ohio.”

See, the State and the lawyers know that when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, you are marrying the State! You are like a polygamist! You are not just making a vow to your spouse, but you are making a vow to the State and your spouse. You are also giving undue jurisdiction to the State.

When Does the State Have Jurisdiction Over a Marriage?

God intended the State to have jurisdiction over a marriage for two reasons – 1). in the case of divorce, and 2). when crimes are committed i.e., adultery, bigamy. etc. Unfortunately, the State now allows divorce for any reason, and it does not prosecute for adultery.  In either case, divorce or crime, a marriage license is not necessary for the courts to determine whether a marriage existed or not. What is needed are witnesses. This is why you have a best man and a maid of honor. They should sign the marriage certificate in your family Bible, and the wedding day guest book should be kept.  Marriage was instituted by God, therefore it is a God-given right. According to Scripture, it is to be governed by the family, and the State only has jurisdiction in the cases of divorce or crime.

History of Marriage Licenses in America

George Washington was married without a marriage license. So, how did we come to this place in America where marriage licenses are issued?  Historically, all the states in America had laws outlawing the marriage of blacks and whites. In the mid-1800’s, certain states began allowing interracial marriages or miscegenation as long as those marrying received a license from the state. In other words they had to receive permission to do an act which without such permission would have been illegal.

Blacks Law Dictionary points to this historical fact when it defines “marriage license” as, “A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry.” “Intermarry” is defined in Black’s Law Dictionary as, “Miscegenation; mixed or interracial marriages.”

Give the State an inch and they will take a 100 miles (or as one elderly woman once said to me “10,000 miles.”) Not long after these licenses were issued, some states began requiring all people who marry to obtain a marriage license. In 1923, the Federal Government established the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act (they later established the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act). By 1929, every state in the Union had adopted marriage license laws.

What Should We Do?

Christian couples should not be marrying with State marriage licenses, nor should ministers be marrying people with State marriage licenses. Some have said to me, “If someone is married without a marriage license, then they aren’t really married.” Given the fact that states may soon legalize same-sex marriages, we need to ask ourselves, “If a man and a man marry with a State marriage license, and a man and woman marry without a State marriage license – who’s really married? Is it the two men with a marriage license, or the man and woman without a marriage license? In reality, this contention that people are not really married unless they obtain a marriage license simply reveals how Statist we are in our thinking. We need to think biblically. (As for homosexuals marrying, outlaw sodomy as God’s law demands, and there will be no threat of sodomites marrying.)

You should not have to obtain a license from the State to marry someone anymore than you should have to obtain a license from the State to be a parent, which some in academic and legislative circles are currently pushing to be made law.

When I marry a couple, I always buy them a Family Bible which contains birth and death records, and a marriage certificate. We record the marriage in the Family Bible. What’s recorded in a Family Bible will stand up as legal evidence in any court of law in America. Early Americans were married without a marriage license. They simply recorded their marriages in their Family Bibles. So should we.

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Matt Trewhella pastors Mercy Seat Christian Church, a non-incorporated non-501c3 free-church. This article is used with his permission.

Pastor Trewhella has been marrying couples without marriage licenses for ten years. Many other pastors also refuse to marry couples with State marriage licenses.

This pamphlet is not comprehensive in scope. Rather, the purpose of this pamphlet is to make you think and give you a starting point to do further study of your own. If you would like an audio sermon regarding this matter, just send a gift of at least five dollars in cash to: Mercy Seat Christian Church 10240 W. National Ave. PMB #129 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53227, or go to www.mercyseat.net

Here’s a recent family photo from homeschooling advocate Jeremy Wayne Tate.

Not many women (or men) will end up as fortunate as this. Especially if you don’t even try.

I was thinking about “Mrs. Midwest.”

First of all, she is definitely a babe. 10/10 for Looks.

Also, she seems to be a Good Wife and a Good Mother. I’ll give her a 9/10 for Character although who knows.

She is maybe not so brainy, but does it matter much? At least she is smart enough to know what is really important: 1) Don’t Be Fugly; 2) Get Married and Have Children; 3) Be a Good Wife and a Good Mother. Also, she is brainy enough to be an effective homeschooler for her children, if she choses to go that route, which she probably will. I’ll give her a 6/10 for Brains.

In other words, she is probably in the Top 3% of all American women, as a Wife and Mother — not as an Instagram bikini model, or M&A lawyer.

Also, she married a regular guy, not an imaginary guy, and not a Top 0.01% guy. She has a comfortably middle class, but not wealthy lifestyle, and seems to be happy enough about that. Her husband is probably a Top 10% guy.

Let’s see what the Female Delusion Calculator says:

Age: 26-35, unmarried
Race: White
Height: 5’8″ or taller, and not obese
Income: at least $80,000.

Percentage of men in that age group that meet all characteristics: 2.0%.

Way to go Mrs. Midwest!

Lucky husband.

Meanwhile:

This is why you don’t listen to today’s popular music.

Click on link below.

Let’s catch up with TradBabe TradMom Mrs. Midwest.

If you want to be a wife and mother, then just do that.

I used to think Brasil ’66 was a novelty band, but I’ve changed my mind.

Click below.

In 1959, the median age of marriage for women was 20.

Half of the women were married at 20 or earlier.

The 1950s were a time when there was a big problem with premarital sex and teenage pregnancy. Divorce rates had already hit 25%, compared to about 5% before 1910 or 50% today. It wasn’t that idyllic. “Dating” was already well on its way to replacing “courtship.”

But, it sure was a lot better than today.

Click below to go to YouTube.

Actually, divorce and teenage pregnancy are a big part of the plot of this movie. But, the kids got married in the end.

Here are the original lyrics:

And the women who followed his advice were better off for it.

UPDATE: Kevin Samuels may have been murdered.

Here we are, twelve years after items like “The Misandry Bubble” told us most all we really need to know. In those twelve years, many, many men gained a much better understanding of the situation as it stands today.

Also, we have seen, to my surprise, after millions and millions of comments made directly to those women themselves, in the starkest and most direct language imaginable, that women still know nothing, or at least, will admit to nothing. Here is a typical example.

Basically, she says:

“Men aren’t interested in marriage because they saw some stuff on social media.”

“Women should just tell men what they want.”

Big surprise.

We know that women are capable of some level of understanding, because of examples like Dr. Helen Smith. But, this is very rare, and does not seem to have become more common in the last decade.

Thus, it falls upon men to make all the necessary changes — to the legal system, and to women’s behavior.

In other words, Matriarchy Does Not Exist.

At the beginning of 2010, Imran Khan summed up where things stood regarding men and marriage. Drawing upon many sources of that time, and synthesizing them skillfully, the post has stood the test of time remarkably well. Here it is:

https://www.singularity2050.com/2010/01/index.html

I recommend it to women especially, at least the brainier ones, as it will help you to understand what is happening to you.

But, I think that, in the end, women will not be much help. Men will fix the problem, on the broader scale, when they begin to punish women for bad behavior. This might mean tying them to a post and whipping them. It was what had to be done in the past, to keep societies from breaking apart.

It is troubling to think that this was written at the dawn of online dating. Things are so much worse now.

For those women who want to be part of the solution, and not just follow the herd of women into the flaming pits of hell (I mean in this temporal world, not some afterlife), the process is simple:

Get married young. Remain a virgin until marriage. Marry some real-world man that is interested in you — the best you can get, obviously, but it must be a real man in the real world who is interested in you, not an imaginary man, or a man who is “interested in you” but not interested in marrying you beforehand. Plan to have children early, and raise them during your twenties. Plan on being a stay-at-home Mom, and, given the state of things today, plan to homeschool. Plan to stay married indefinitely.

While this post has much insight, nevertheless I think there is something lacking, which is this: Marriage is not primarily a way to portion out women to men equitably. It is not a way for more men to get laid. It is primarily an institution for begetting and raising children. Especially in a state of advanced civilization, children require an enormous investment in education and training, not only of the academic kind, but in a wide variety of matters. And, civilizations that do not raise children, in a manner that sustains and advances the civilization (in other words, children are as well or better raised than their parents), will perish — not necessarily by demographic extinction, but by being overrun by some more successful civilization.

These days, the instructions for women are clear:

1. Do not destroy your family.
2. Raise your children well.

Most women do not accomplish this. So, you will have to do things differently than most women.