she must take the consequences of her stand. Let the polygamist return her to her parents or guardians and reclaim the dowry that he gave for her, and thus free her. God’s law pronounces her relations with the polygamist fornication, not a marriage. Continuing in this relationship debars her from being baptized, although she may attend meetings and talk the truths of God’s Word to others.

CONSENSUAL AND COMMON-LAW MARRIAGE

15, 16. (a) What is common-law marriage and what is consensual marriage? (b) What circumstances and mental attitudes account for many living in such an arrangement?

¹⁵ This leads to the subject of common-law marriage. Such is a marriage according to common law (not civil or canon law), a marriage without a legal civil ceremony or religious ceremony, but where the man and the woman privately decide to live together as man and wife, so making it a consensual marriage also. There is no dowry or bride price given in such a case. Often in lands where the canon law of a church governs and consensual marriage is not legally recognized the two in such a consensual arrangement would like to marry legally but the marriage fees demanded by the clergy who hold it a sacrament are not within the means of the couple; they are too poor. The necessary legal steps, such as presenting a birth certificate that may not exist, are hard steps to take. Or it may be that the national government under no circumstances allows legal divorce, or the getting of a divorce from a mate even on Scriptural grounds is such an expensive and long-drawn-out matter. So the undivorced person who wants to remarry privately enters into relations with another person of the opposite sex to live as man and wife. This is a case of their living together without marriage. But very often a man undertakes consensual marriage because he wants to keep a woman inferior, dependent upon him. If she wants his support in a home that he provides, she must stick faithful in morals to him. But whereas he wants her to stick to him he may not want to keep her always. If he is not legally bound to her by marriage, he can at any time that he chooses feel free to leave his consensual partner and the children and take up such a life with another woman. So the women desire a legal marriage for the protection of themselves and their children, but the man may selfishly refuse to legalize their union.

¹⁶ A postwar reason for many to live together without marriage is that the woman is receiving an allowance from the government as a war widow or otherwise and she would lose this if she remarried. So she and the man agree to live together without marriage to keep the government allowance coming to her, and the illegitimate children of this union are taught to keep up this pretense by calling the man “uncle,” not “father.”

17. (a) How does common-law marriage often begin, and why is this wrong? (b) What is one result of common-law marriages, and how are these legalized in some lands?

¹⁷ Oftentimes a consensual marriage is started by the girl’s letting the man have intercourse with her on his mere promise to marry her. Then after he starts having relations with her he takes up living with her and never takes the legal steps. But a promise to marry is no Scriptural ground for beginning intercourse. Even engaged persons are Scripturally forbidden to indulge in intercourse during their betrothal period. Trial marriages that are not legalized but merely make a test of whether the couple can get along together are not right, for God’s law pronounces them outright fornication, immorality. Some states do recognize common-law marriage so that it is a real binding marriage with legal obligations; but many states and countries (even Catholic lands) that do not recognize it do nothing about consensual marriage. As a result it is very prevalent in most lands, and in most places the neighborhood accepts it as a regular thing. Thus many illegitimate children are born; in one country we know of up to fifty-five percent of the children, in another up to eighty percent. In some lands a consensual-marriage couple are entitled to a legal civil or religious marriage after they have lived together for a minimum number of years or after a child has been born. The court may then rule it a legal marriage automatically. The “de facto” marriage may be registered with the government on the application of one or both consensual partners.

18. What scriptures show that we are to witness to those living in common-law marriage?

¹⁸ The New World society does not recognize consensual marriage and common-law marriage as complete. That does not mean we dare not preach the truth to persons living in such a marriage. At Jacob’s fountain in the Samaritan city of Sychar Jesus himself talked privately to a Samaritan woman who had had five husbands and whose man then having relations with her was not her husband. To this woman Jesus preached salvation and even confessed that he was the promised Messiah or Christ. (John 4:4-30) If the truth could not be preached to the immoral, how could Paul mention fornicators, adulterers and sodomites as unfit for God’s kingdom and then say to faithful Christians: “Yet that is what some of you were”?—1 Cor. 6:9-11, NW.

19. What does the New World society require of its members as regards common-law marriage and consensual marriage?

¹⁹ No one coming into the New World society is permitted to enter into a consensual marriage or a common-law marriage thereafter. As for those who are already in it when the Kingdom message reaches them, they must legalize their marriage with an appropriate legal ceremony before they may be baptized in water in symbol of their having dedicated themselves to God. So they must expressly recognize the legal obligations of marriage as well as put themselves within the protection and other benefits of the law by having the marriage registered and legally recognized. They must have the birth of their children certified legally and must acknowledge their being the parents of them. Then, too, the New World society makes and keeps record of this legal marriage. As it is written: “In whatever condition each one was called, brothers, let him remain in it associated with God.” (1 Cor. 7:24, NW) He cannot be associated with God in it if the condition is unclean.

20. (a) Under what conditions can a consensual marriage be recognized, and under what obligations does this place the woman? (b) In what circumstances must a woman refuse to have anything to do with her onetime consensual husband?

²⁰ Suppose a consensual wife accepts the truth and she wants to have the marriage legalized and registered but the man for selfish reasons absolutely refuses to be talked into it by the woman. The New World society will recognize the marriage as “de facto” provided the helpless woman promises and signs a written statement that she will be faithful to this consensual partner as to a husband and will get the marriage legalized as soon as she can get the man to legalize it. Hence she herself may not thereafter cancel this “de facto” marriage by herself separating from the man. This temporary recognition of her “de facto” marriage gains for the woman no legal benefits but it does result in spiritual benefits to her. Her dedication to God may now be looked upon as accepted by Him and she may be baptized in water and treated as a member of the congregation and entitled to privileges of preaching the Kingdom message. As the apostle Peter advises wives, she will try to bring the man into the truth and thus bring him to an eagerness to legalize their de facto marriage and register it. The registration of a marriage is an obligation that a couple owe to the community in which they live, declaring their relationship as man and wife by law before all the community and before the government under which they live. A man who loves his wife will legalize and register his marriage to her proudly. If a consensual husband will not legalize the marriage and if the woman is not dependent and if she does not choose to declare herself before God’s congregation as his bound wife, she must tell the man to stay away and have nothing further to do with him. She must live single till she can enter legal marriage. In lands or states where the law recognizes common-law marriage, this marriage may be dissolved only by legal steps taken by one or both of the marriage mates.

21, 22. (a) What must a man do if the truth finds him in consensual marriage with two wives? (b) If one or both women accept the truth what is their responsibility?

²¹ In many Catholic-controlled lands a man will carry on two or more consensual marriages at the same time. Here a case presents itself of where two of his women take up the message of God’s kingdom, the man also accepting the message or not doing so. How can the dedication of any one or all of them be viewed as acceptable to God and how can a baptism in water be performed in symbol thereof? If the man takes the truth, he must decide which of the two or more women he wants as his wife and get legally married to her and have no further relations with any of the others. If he does not come into the truth, it is then up to the two women. Both cannot continue relations with the same man in support of fornication. One must arrange with the man to be his one woman and get him to legalize their marriage or she must declare herself before the congregation as bound to him as his chosen woman until legalization is possible. The other woman must recognize this arrangement and have no further relations with the man. Otherwise, both women must have nothing further to do with the man, especially if he is still carrying on other consensual arrangements with other women. They cannot be rendering wifely privileges to a polygynous man.

²² More on this discussion of marriage problems and of the Scriptural view of singleness will appear in the next succeeding issue of The Watchtower.

Added Attraction

● Restaurants are noted for using atmosphere to attract customers. Not long ago the Broadway Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, decided to improve on its usual after-services refreshment attraction by also adding atmosphere. An “old fashioned” Sunday service was called for and parishioners came attired in old-fashioned clothing. Other atmosphere features included oil lamps, lantern lighting, music by pump organ and segregation of the men and women in the church pews. “This is being done,” explained the pastor, “not to provide entertainment, but in an effort to recapture the atmosphere and spirit of our forefathers.” In view of the dearth of spiritual knowledge in the world, it seems that Christendom’s churches need Bible truths more than they do atmosphere, “for the scene of this world is changing” permanently at Armageddon.—1 Cor. 7:31, NW.