QuakerQuaker

Primitive Christianity Revived, Again

What of God's Law?

The Minnesota legislature is considering passing a law allowing for full marriage equality. It's made me think of my own marriage to Liz on May 20, 2000 at Twin Cities Friends Meeting, and the very large and beautiful certificate we have on our wall. And it made me ask a question of TCFM, what, if any, accommodation will TCFM make for couples whose marriage they took under their care before it became legal to file for a marriage licence?

TCFM is taking the question under consideration and I'm wondering what, if anything, other Meetings have or have not done for couples who now can get married, and who they married before it became legal to do so.

TCFM is talking about having some separate process and are considering the legal requirements and ramifications of signing the MN marriage licence.

Minnesota requires that you file for a license at least five days but no more than six months before your wedding, and the signers agree to these terms by their signature. (In MN, 6 Quakers, who are members of a meeting=1 minister). There are many lawyers at TCFM and I'm pretty certain there will be much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth about what's legal to do or not.

I'm just wondering, where's God's law in all of this? What truth have you found in your process?

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Comment by Stephanie Stuckwisch on 5th mo. 18, 2013 at 3:13pm: Nearly 20 years ago, my meeting decided to take marriages under our care based on the relationship itself and not on the genders involved. This also meant that we ceased to sign the legal certificated available to opposite sex couples.

I'm not sure what the legal implications are for us now that Washington State recognizes same sex marriages.

We have had 2 couples who were legally marriage prior to joining the meeting. They requested and we took both relationships under our care following a clearness process.

Perhaps the same could be done in your meeting only in reverse? A celebration of a couple's years together as well as the meetings re-commitment to care of the marriage?

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