You realize that two people can have a legal, presentable, and binding document without having a “Government” stamp/signature on it... don’t you?
You seem to believe that without a government stamp tax then nothing is legal or lawful or provable in a court of law?
I suggest you do some basic research on contract law and binding agreements.
Then read up on how marriage contracts (heck, even Wills) were drawn up in pioneer America, pre-1750.
And to (Again) make my original point: The marriage license collected the tax that “permitted” my marriage to occur because the State has written that it is a legal requirement, but I was not MARRIED until my Priest did the ceremony.
You understand the difference - and my point - I hope.
Did your Priest perform the marriage without you having to first get a license from your county clerk? I’m asking this out of curiosity, since most people have their clergy sign the marriage certificate and the clergy then directly sends the certificate back to the county clerk to file.
“You realize that two people can have a legal, presentable, and binding document without having a “Government” stamp/signature on it... don’t you?”
Self-contradiction there... if it is ‘legal’ its purpose is to hold up in court - that’s Government recognition.
“You seem to believe that without a government stamp tax then nothing is legal or lawful or provable in a court of law?”
LOL. So you will try up your own contracts to do exactly the same thing as what a legal marriage license does and go through all that both to save the $50 filing fee?!?!?
“Then read up on how marriage contracts (heck, even Wills) were drawn up in pioneer America, pre-1750.”
Um, these are contracts, legally binding - intended to hold up in front of a government agent aka judge in a court of law.
Methinks you are trying real hard to split hairs. if you want to consider your real marriage what the priest did, fine, but government and legal recognition hinges on goign to the courthouse.
It would be great if we could just convince gay couples that a gay-church priest is all they need to be ‘married’ but thats not what they want. They want the courthouse seal of approval.