Can I tell you about a way to get married without government involvement?
Question:
I noticed a guy wrote a piece about marriage claiming he didn't need a piece of paper. He is right by all means; all you need is two witnesses and you can be married by American law. But if you do get a marriage license, you put your kids under government authority in such a way that the government has legal ownership of your kids. That's why social services can come in and take your kids and why people receive benefits from the state, why kids have to go to school, and why when you go to court they go under family law (which is very ungodly). But my question is to you is if I showed you a way where people could get married and still be regulated by God and not by the state, and it would make people think before getting married, would you be up for looking into that? I know a company that will explain every detail and the paperwork for a marriage that is legal and doesn't bind you to the state or its rules but only God's and it's all legal. So you know, marriage licenses were only made after the war between the north and the south, and only for something that was considered illegal in the state which was blacks marrying whites. (Which shouldn't have been illegal, but sin has its way of messing up people and making people racist which is sad.) Have an awesome day.
Answer:
I find your question interesting because while you claim that you want to avoid government involvement in the licensing of marriage, yet you offer an alternative that you claim is legal (acceptable to the very government that you seek to avoid).
First, whether a government wishes to license marriages or not, it does not change the fact that God regulates marriage. Government is granted authority by God, operating underneath God and not above Him. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves" (Romans 13:1-2). The government's request for marriage licenses does not interfere with God's rules regarding marriage; therefore, Christians should subject themselves to the government in this matter.
Second, I happen to like doing genealogy in my spare moments. I know from first-hand knowledge that marriage licenses were issued by states long before the Civil War.
Third, having signed many marriage licenses as a preacher, I know that the license does nothing more than what is stated: it is an acknowledgment that two people can become married in the eyes of the state. It has absolutely nothing to do with future children. If your contention were true that a marriage license gives the government authority to take children from their parents, then those who have children without being married would be protected from the government -- but that is not the case. More unmarried people lose the rights to their children than married couples.
The government takes away children when those in power believe the children are in harm. Many times they are right, and sometimes they make horrible mistakes. The mistakes need to be battled and changes made to minimize these mistakes, but mistakes do not imply that the overall goal is wrong.
Similarly, the government wants an educated population; therefore, they require children to attend some form of schooling whether government-run, private, or in the home. That requirement does not stem from marriage. Illegitimate children are required to be educated just as much as legitimate children. Nor is the requirement for education contrary to God's will. There is no reason to battle the need for education on the part of a Christian, though we can and do battle what is taught to our children.
Welfare benefits these days are based on the number of people in a household and not on whether the people are married, sad to say. Again, the marriage license has little to do with the benefits received from the government. But then why should this be an issue with you since you are trying to avoid your duty as a Christian to be subject to your government?
Finally, family law courts are those which specialize in family issues. Unmarried couples with children appear in these courts along with married couples. The fact that we have laws dealing with family doesn't make the laws or the courts that uphold these laws right or wrong. There can be immoral laws created by the government, but those laws should be dealt with through the means provided by the government.
