Stateless marriage

[RevDebbie]

In order to have a true stateless marriage, you need to have the the ceremony performed as described in this article:

http://www.mercyseat.net/pamphlets/marriagelicense.html

The ceremony is religious and performed by a minister who is willing to marry you without you obtaining a state marriage license.  In place of the license, the marriage is recorded on the Marriage Certificate in the family records section of your Family Bible.  It is signed by the minister and two witnesses.  The author of the article I linked to, Pastor Trewella, claims that this Bible marriage certificate will hold up in a court of law.  He's performed marriages this way for over 10 years.  He refuses to marry any couple who has a state marriage license. 

A civil officiant, such as a mayor, judge or Justice of the Peace, would be prohibited from performing a religious marriage ceremony, since they are employees of the state.  And I'm sure they would also be prohibited to sign the marriage certificate in the front of a Bible, again because they are employees of the state and that would violate the separation of church and state.
   
If anyone is contemplating having a stateless marriage, please contact me via PM with any questions.  Thank you.

[RevDebbie]

What happens if a couple gets their government paperwork/license, but never solemnizes the contract is it still valid?

In order for the contract to be valid, the couple obtains the marriage license, gives it to the officiant and the officiant performs the wedding ceremony, completes the marriage license with the information requested (including witnesses signatures if they are required by whatever state you are in), and the officiant mails or takes the completed marriage license to the office where marriages are recorded (the title of the office varies by state).

If the couple obtains the marriage license but doesn't have any ceremony performed.  There is no valid contract.  The ceremony must be performed and the completed marriage license must be filed with the state by the officiant for there to be a legal and valid contract.  The actual filing of the marriage license with the state after the wedding ceremony has taken place is what legally validates the contract.

I've officiated close to 500 weddings over the 11 years I have been a minister and I have officiated in 5 different states.  So I've had to research the state marriage laws fairly extensively in order to make sure the marriages I solemnized were indeed legal and valid.  Hope the above answer helps.   

[J’raxis 270145]

In order to have a true stateless marriage, you need to have the the ceremony performed as described in this article:

http://www.mercyseat.net/pamphlets/marriagelicense.html

The ceremony is religious and performed by a minister who is willing to marry you without you obtaining a state marriage license.  In place of the license, the marriage is recorded on the Marriage Certificate in the family records section of your Family Bible.  It is signed by the minister and two witnesses.  The author of the article I linked to, Pastor Trewella, claims that this Bible marriage certificate will hold up in a court of law.  He's performed marriages this way for over 10 years.  He refuses to marry any couple who has a state marriage license.

Sounds rather Christian-specific, and the type of marriage Trewella seems to support is even more restrictive than statist marriage. Check out what he says about divorce and parental permission, and his sidelong attack on polygamy; in fact, a lot of what he's complaining about is that state marriage isn't restrictive enough.

But I have no idea what MTPorcupine3 is looking for, so whatever.

[Kat Kanning]

My mom's church will do stateless marriages, but they're in TX.

[Pat K]

By the power invested in me by Bacon I declare you now married.

Go and do as you will long as you hurt no others.

[Kat Kanning]

With a PatK marriage, instead of tying the knot, he'd be tying bacon around their wrists.

[Russell Kanning]

if this person wants a formal or church or "christian" marriage .... i think there will be many options in NH ... in order for me as cardinal of the shire to bless the marriage ... i would have to know the participants.

[MTPorcupine3]

if this person wants a formal or church or "christian" marriage .... i think there will be many options in NH ... in order for me as cardinal of the shire to bless the marriage ... i would have to know the participants.

Cardinal of the Shire?
I thought it was satire.

[Pat McCotter]

Would Pastor Garrett Lear perform a stateless wedding?

[doobie]

So far as I can tell if you are poly and living with multiple partners and calling them husband/wife for 3 years, based on RSA 457:39, it sounds like your cohabitation turns to marriage, at which time you are a bigamous couple.

I wonder if anyone has ever been 'married' in this fashion and charged....  Unless

and generally reputed to be such,

somehow nullifies this idea.  Who wants to do this 3+ years CD act?

[thinkliberty]

So far as I can tell if you are poly and living with multiple partners and calling them husband/wife for 3 years, based on RSA 457:39, it sounds like your cohabitation turns to marriage, at which time you are a bigamous couple.

I wonder if anyone has ever been 'married' in this fashion and charged....  Unless

and generally reputed to be such,

somehow nullifies this idea.  Who wants to do this 3+ years CD act?

I just read your rsa and from the looks of it, your state will only recognizes the marriage after death:

"...and until the decease of one of them, shall thereafter be deemed to have been legally married."

[MaineShark]

I just read your rsa and from the looks of it, your state will only recognizes the marriage after death:

"...and until the decease of one of them, shall thereafter be deemed to have been legally married."

Yup.  NH has limited common-law marriage, for inheritance purposes only.

Joe

[doobie]

I just read your rsa and from the looks of it, your state will only recognizes the marriage after death:

"...and until the decease of one of them, shall thereafter be deemed to have been legally married."

Yup.  NH has limited common-law marriage, for inheritance purposes only.

Joe

How does it work for poly relationships?

[bigmike]

What the Hell is more religious than a freekin Cardinal?

I looked. As it turns out, there isn't another religious bird.

[MaineShark]

Yup.  NH has limited common-law marriage, for inheritance purposes only.

How does it work for poly relationships?

That's an excellent question.

Joe