What Is A Spiritual Wedding

A spiritual wedding ceremony acknowledges the couple's relationship to God or the divine but gives them the opportunity to express it during the ceremony in their own way.

What does it mean to be spiritually married?

Union with God, Soul, and Spirit is what spiritual marriage entails. Marriage isn't a man-made institution. It was created by God. The high aim of marriage has been abused by man. Marriage entails physical, mental, and spiritual harmony. If you use spiritual magnetism to attract someone, you will meet your soul mate. Marriage is the union of two halves of a soul. We find the ultimate level of communion in God. Human love will be a canker in your soul unless it is spiritualized. You will never be happy until you are spiritually inclined and your partner is as well.

Spiritual marriage entails uniting your soul with God's eternal love. No marriage can be successful without God. The objective of marriage is to learn about God and to worship Him together, but this has been neglected.

Do not strive to attract the opposite sex by appealing to their bodily desires, but rather by appealing to their spiritual traits. Animal magnetism will not be able to attract a spiritual soul. When you spend too much time in the sex plane, your health and happiness suffer. You've discovered a true partner when you've created a fantastic connection with someone that nothing can break, a bond that has no compulsion and is continually growing.

Is a spiritual wedding legal?

Some couples aren't devout followers of a particular religion, or they are spiritual but not religious. If the bride and groom do not want to marry in a civil or religious ceremony, they can choose to marry in a spiritual wedding instead. Because the wedding will not follow any religious customs, the couple will be able to personalize every element. They may even incorporate elements of typical religious weddings, such as an opening prayer or the signing of a ketubah, but they retain complete creative freedom in accordance with their views. Spiritual weddings, like civil weddings, can take place anywhere, and they are frequently officiated by a government official. It is also possible for friends or family members to become ordained to marry the couple. As long as everything is done legally, the wedding will be legally binding.

Who can perform a spiritual wedding?

Have you ever questioned what that implies, what it signifies in terms of power, and who did the vesting?

These aren't simply nice words; they're legal ones as well. Only a few people are legally permitted to perform a wedding ceremony and thereby legalize a marriage. To make matters more complicated, requirements differ from state to state and even county to county. Continue reading to understand the fundamentals of ensuring that your “It is lawful to say “I do.”

Justices of the peace, court clerks, and active and retired judges may officiate at nonreligious weddings. Notaries public are also accepted as officiants in several places, like as South Carolina and Maine.

Members of the clergy, such as priests, pastors, rabbis, and others, may officiate at religious rituals. They may need to register with the county where the wedding will be held, particularly if it will be held out of state. Religious marriages may be performed in Native American cultures by shamans, medicine men, and other authorities.

Boat captains, contrary to popular opinion, are not permitted to perform lawful wedding ceremonies simply because they are captains. They'll need to be given authority in another way.

Never fear if you want a friend or relative to officiate your wedding who isn't a member of the clergy or a recognized governmental official. There are alternatives.

Any adult in some states has the ability to officiate a wedding ceremony. California, for example, will deputize someone for a day, whereas Massachusetts will provide authority through the governor.

In addition, the vast majority of jurisdictions recognize those who have been ordained to execute a ceremony by a religious group via the Internet. Many nondenominational and interfaith organizations, such as the Universal Life Church and the American Fellowship Church, will ordain and give credentials to officiants online. Some organizations charge a fee, while others do not; some demand substantial documentation, while others only require a basic application.

A few governments may refuse to accept marriages performed by ministers from such organizations. However, someone who is ordained in a state that does not recognize such weddings can still perform them in another state.

Check with the county clerk of the county where the wedding will take place to see if the jurisdiction recognizes online certification before your chosen officiant goes through the process of becoming ordained online. According to the Universal Life Church, county clerks sometimes deny marriage licenses even when there is no legal justification for them to do so. Check to determine if the ordination has an expiration date; you don't want your officiant to be unable to officiate a wedding because the ordination has expired.

If you intend to marry, make certain that your intentions will result in a legal and binding union. Start by doing some internet research on state marriage laws, and then phone the county clerk in the county where the wedding will be held. Double-check, if necessary, that the individual you've chosen to officiate is authorized and accepted in that state and county.

In terms of the ceremony itself, it must include a declaration of intent in order to be legitimate. It's at this point that the officiant will question the couple, “Do you have room for so-and-so…?” as well as each party's response, “Yes, I do.” Ascertain that this is included in the proceedings.

Finally, take care of the marriage license. When do you need to obtain it? How soon before the wedding do you need to get it? When do you have to file it after the wedding? You can double-check this with the county clerk once more.

The California Family Code provides in section 400-402 that any “A wedding may be officiated by “any authorized individual of any religious denomination,” including those who have gained authorisation from religious bodies via the Internet. According to family law attorney Edna Straus of Mission Viejo, California, the officiant does not have to be a member of the clergy. “They only need to be recognized as permitted by the religious group.”

Active or retired judges, magistrates, and justices; county clerks within each county; and legislators or members of Congress are also permitted to officiate.

The county clerk is a commissioner of civil marriages, and in many counties, he or she has the authority to appoint others to perform weddings in the so-called off-season “Deputy for a Day” is a program that allows you to be a deputy for That means that any adult who fills out an application and pays a nominal charge can officiate a civil wedding for a single couple on that specific day. Without reapplying, the officiant is unable to perform any more marriages.

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What does spiritual ceremony mean?

Civil Ceremonies vs. Spiritual Ceremonies Spiritual Ceremonies are wedding ceremonies that recognize the couple's distinct requirements on their wedding day and include both sets of needs into the ceremony material to reflect each individual individually and collectively.

How do you do a spiritual wedding?

• Writing your own vows and mentioning your spiritual link with each other is recommended.
• Ring vows: As a symbol of your commitment to one other, you each say a statement regarding the ring.
• You can burn a unity candle, sip from the same cup, or pour water into one vessel as a symbol of unity. Request some new ideas from your officiant, or omit it altogether—it isn't required.
• Close the program with a spiritual or religious poetry, song, or prayer, similar to how the ceremony began.
• Marriage proclamation: Your officiant will pronounce you married, and you are free to kiss.

What does God define as marriage?

Marriage is defined as a covenant in the Bible. When one man (Adam) and one woman (Eve) bonded to become one flesh, God set out his original plan for marriage in Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (ESV) Genesis 2:24

What is spiritual intimacy?

• “The feeling of freedom that you can connect at any time and in any way about spiritual things or issues is the foundation for a lasting marriage…..the it's feeling of freedom that you can connect at any moment and in any way about spiritual matters or difficulties.” There's no need to tread carefully when it comes to discussing or asking a question. You spend your lives with the assurance that you are spiritually related.” Les and Leslie Parrott's “Becoming Soul Mates” (pp. 164).
• “We make a conscious effort to share some spiritual subject that has to do with a family difficulty, a book we've been reading, a sermon we're working on, a Bible study class, or even political topics….
• The idea is that we don't go a day without talking about the greater spiritual picture of life as a couple.” (From Les and Leslie Parrott's “Becoming Soul Mates,” p. 176).
• Spiritual intimacy is defined as sharing your spirituality with your partner (spiritual disclosure) and listening to your partner's spiritual disclosures in a supportive and non-judgmental manner (spiritual support).
• Social scientists are only now beginning to investigate spiritual closeness. We asked men and wives to answer four questions about their own spiritually intimate behavior and four questions about their spouse's spiritually intimate behavior for our transition to motherhood study. See all 8 items in the gallery below. We averaged a couple's responses regarding the husband to come up with a total score for spiritually closeness. We also added items about the woman together to get a total score on her spiritual intimacy.
• My spiritual side is something I tend to keep private and distinct from my marriage. (Scored backwards)
• When my partner talks about spirituality, I try not to be judgemental or critical.
• When my partner expresses spiritual concerns or challenges, I strive to be sympathetic.
• My partner does not share his or her spiritual beliefs or feelings with me. (Scored backwards)
• When I communicate about my spiritual needs, thoughts, and feelings, my husband actually listens.
• When I tell my partner about my spiritual issues or challenges, he or she is supportive.
• Note that partners can have similar or dissimilar spiritual or religious identities and nonetheless engage in spiritual closeness with one another. Our method of determining spiritual connection does not necessitate spiritual or religious equivalence between spouses. Higher religious mutual involvement, on the other hand, is associated with greater spiritual intimacy.
• Yes, better marital functioning is predicted by more spiritual connectedness between wives and husbands.
• Increased affection, humor, and warmth for one's spouse (self-reported, partner-reported & observed)
• Negativity and hatred toward spouse are reduced (self-reported, partner-reported & observed)
• More contentment with the marriage (self-reported, partner-reported & observed)
• The less critical or angry both acted during videotaped marital exchanges from the time they were pregnant to when their first infant was a year old, the more couples felt each spouse engaged in spiritually intimate behavior. During observed marital interactions, higher spiritual closeness predicted that both wives and husbands would show more warmth, humor, and affection toward the spouse. Furthermore, higher spiritual intimacy predicted spouses' perceptions of their sentiments of love for each other, better communication skills in everyday life at home, and greater happiness with the marriage when they transitioned to motherhood. Because both direct observation of marital interactions and couples' self-reports of marital quality were used, these findings are significant. Longitudinal data was also utilized.
• The benefits of spiritual intimacy that we discovered could not be explained away by stable qualities of the spouses, such as personality traits, money, education, or their efforts to impress researchers. After controlling for stable, positive traits of the spouses, the percentage of husbands and wives who stated both partners had good communication skills did not predict how well each parent treated the other during conflictual discussions.
• To explain these findings, we propose that couples who share a strong spiritual bond are more likely to stay kind and resist the impulse to “go negative” when discussing their primary difficulties. In other words, when couples are dissatisfied with each other, they may need a strong incentive to stay civil and engaged, such as sustaining their spiritual connectedness. When you and your partner engage into painful debates about your core issues, the risk of losing your connection to your soul mate may inspire you to resist the impulse to try to win a battle. As a result, spiritual closeness is identified while one resource that may encourage new parents to keep and defend their marriage as they cope with the pressures of being first-time parents together, according to this study.

What has been discovered previously about Spiritual Disclosure, which is a component of Spiritual Intimacy?

• When two people openly communicate their spiritual journeys, questions, and doubts with one another, this is referred to as spiritual disclosure. Greater use of collaborative approaches to settle conflict has been linked to greater communication about spiritual concerns between college students and their mothers (Brelsford & Mahoney, 2008) or fathers (Brelsford, 2009). Even after controlling for how much the college student and parent talked other sensitive matters with each other (e.g., politics, alcohol or drug usage), and how important religion or spirituality was to each side, these relationships persisted.
• G. M. Brelsford, G. M. Brelsford, G. M. Brels (2010). Spirituality between college students and their fathers. 21, 27-48 in Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion.
• G. M. Brelsford and A. Mahoney (2008). Between older teenagers and their mothers, there occurs a spiritual unveiling. 62-70 in Journal of Family Psychology.

What is a quick wedding called?

Today, the term “elopement” is commonly used to describe any marriage that is hastily performed, with or without a public engagement period. Some couples choose to elope to avoid family or religious opposition. Elopement is also a term used in mental facilities to describe a patient who leaves the psychiatric unit without permission.

In some recent cases, the pair conspires to elope under the guise of a bride kidnapping, leaving their parents with an unsolvable situation. Most men who resort to capturing a woman, on the other hand, are of lower social rank due to poverty, disease, bad character, or criminality. They are sometimes discouraged from properly pursuing a marriage because of the bride price (which is not to be confused with a dowry, which is paid by the woman's family).

Is marriage a religious ceremony?

Marriage in the United States is a secular agreement between two people and the government, rather than a religious commitment. To put it another way, civil law, not religious teaching, governs marriage. Without a state-issued license, no heterosexual or same-sex couple can marry.

Only when a pastor, priest, or rabbi performs a wedding ceremony, sometimes in a church or temple and other times in a secular location, does it become a religious act. A justice of the peace or a judge performs several marriage ceremonies.

Thomas Jefferson declared that the Bible has no legal authority in the United States, and that no one has the authority to impose regulations on others based on what the Bible says. As our forebears underlined, religious liberty also include freedom from religion. As a result, clerks who refuse to issue licenses based on religious beliefs are breaking a civil law, not a religious principle. If a Catholic clerk refused to provide a license to a previously divorced individual because his or her faith considers divorce to be a sin, the same principle would apply.

Can a minister marry you?

Any recognized member of the clergy (such as a Priest, Minister, Rabbi, Imam, Cantor, Ethical Culture Leader, etc.) or a judge, a court clerk, and justices of the peace are usually authorized to perform marriages under state legislation. In other places, however, even clergy must first be certified or licensed.

Other people can apply for authorisation to administer marriage ceremonies under certain state regulations. For example, under California law, anyone can seek to become a Deputy Commissioner of Marriages – the authority is only valid for one day — and so officiate at a wedding of family or friends on that one day.

Certain states and counties in the United States have guidelines for preachers who want to officiate marriages. Here's a rundown of what each state requires to execute marriages.

• Any licensed minister of the gospel who is in regular communion with the Christian church or community of which he is a member may perform marriages in Alabama. Marriages may also be performed by the pastor of any religious group in accordance with the religious community's norms. — Within one month following the marriage, ministers must deliver a certificate of marriage to the court of probate.
• Alaska: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by any minister, priest, or rabbi of any church or congregation in the state. — Ministers are required to give the newlyweds marriage certificates and report the marriage to the Marriage Commissioner.
• Arkansas: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by any duly ordained minister or priest of any religious sect or denomination.

— Ministers must file their ordination credentials with the county clerk, who will subsequently give the minister with a certificate.

— The clergyman must complete the marriage license and return it to the county clerk within 60 days of the day it was issued.

• Wedding Officiants in Arizona: Any licensed or ordained cleric may officiate weddings. — Within 20 days of the marriage, ministers must document the marriage on the marriage license and deliver it to the clerk of the Superior Court.
• Wedding Officiants in California: Any priest, minister, or rabbi of any religious denomination who is at least 18 years old may perform marriages. Within four days of the wedding, ministers must complete the marriage license and deliver it to the county clerk.
• Wedding Officiants in Connecticut: All ordained or licensed clergymen from this state or any other state may perform marriages as long as they remain in the ministry.

The pastor must fill out the marriage license and deliver it to the city or town registrar.

• Any ordained minister of the gospel and any minister in authority of a recognized church may perform marriages in Delaware. — Ministers do not need to be licensed to perform marriages, but they must register their name and address with the municipal registrar in their region.

— Ministers must maintain a copy of the marriage license or the original for at least a year. In addition, the minister must complete and send to the clerk of the peace the forms necessary by the State Board of Health within four days.

• Wedding Officiants in the District of Columbia: Marriages may be performed by ordained ministers of the gospel.

– Marriage licenses are sent to the minister who will officiate at the ceremony. Within 10 days after the marriage, the minister must complete a marriage certificate for the couple and deliver another certificate to the registrar of the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions.

• All regularly ordained ministers of the gospel in fellowship with some church may perform marriages in Florida.

— Ministers must sign the marriage license and submit it to the office where it was issued with a certificate of marriage.

• Wedding Officiants in Georgia: Any minister who has been permitted by his or her church to officiate marriages may do so.

– Within 30 days of the marriage, ministers must complete a certificate of marriage and return it to the ordinary.

• Wedding Officiants in Hawaii: Any minister who has been permitted by their church to officiate marriages may do so.

Before performing marriages, ministers must get a license from the Department of Health.

• Idaho Wedding Officiants: Priests or ministers of the gospel of any denomination may officiate weddings.

– Ministers must offer the bride and groom a marriage certificate. In addition, within 30 days of the marriage, the minister must complete the license and marriage certificate and deliver it to the recorder who granted it.

• Marriages may be performed by ministers of the gospel in good standing in the church or organization to which they belong in Illinois.

— Within 30 days of the wedding, the pastor must complete the marriage license and certificate and deliver it to the county clerk.

• Wedding Officiants in Indiana: Ministers of the gospel and priests from all denominations are permitted to officiate marriages throughout the state.

—Within three months after the marriage, ministers must send the marriage license and a certificate of marriage to the clerk of the circuit court.

• Iowa: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by gospel ministers who have been ordained by their church.

— The newlyweds must receive a marriage certificate from the minister. In addition, within 15 days of the wedding, the minister must report the marriage to the clerk of the district court.

• Kansas: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by any ordained priest of any religious sect or institution.

–Before performing marriages, ministers must file credentials or ordination with a probate court judge.

— Within 10 days of the marriage, the minister must return the marriage license and a certificate of marriage to the probate judge who granted the marriage license.

• Marriages may be performed by any minister of the gospel or priests of any denomination affiliated with any religious group in Kentucky.

— There are no licensing requirements for ministers or priests who seek to officiate marriages in Kentucky at this time. “Within ONE MONTH of the date and place of the marriage ceremony, the minister solemnizing the marriage or the clerk of the religious society before whom it was solemnized shall return the license to the county clerk of the county in which it was issued, with a certificate of the marriage over his signature, giving the date and place of the marriage ceremony and the names of at least two of the persons present,” the minister solemnizing the marriage or the clerk of the religious society before whom it was solemnized

• Louisiana: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by ministers of the gospel or priests of any denomination in regular communion with any religious order. Ministers must register with the clerk of the parish's district court, or the health department if they are in New Orleans.

– Following a wedding, the preacher must fill out a marriage certificate and deliver it to the district court clerk.

• “A marriage solemnized before any known inhabitant of the State professing to be a justice, judge, justice of the peace or notary public, or an ordained or licensed minister of the gospel, is not void, nor is its validity affected by any lack of jurisdiction or authority in the justice, judge, justice of the peace, notary or minister, or by any omission or informality in entering the intention of marriage, if the marriage is in other respects lax.” (Title 19A, Section 657)

Whether you are a resident or nonresident of this state, and whether or not you are a US citizen: A person licensed to preach by an association of ministers, religious seminary, or ecclesiastical body is an ordained minister of the gospel; a cleric engaged in the service of the religious body to which the cleric belongs; or a person licensed to preach by an association of ministers, religious seminary, or ecclesiastical body.

“Every person allowed to marry shall register and retain a record of each marriage solemnized by that person in accordance with the forms and instructions established by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics…” (Title 19A, Section 654)

“A person who solemnizes a marriage without being allowed under section 655 commits a civil violation for which a forfeiture of up to $100 may be imposed. The proceeds of the forfeiture must be paid to the municipality where the infraction occurred.” (Title 19A, Section 659)

If you have any questions about the marriage process or marriage laws in Maine, the Department of Human Services' Bureau of Vital Records is the official entity to contact. This office can be reached at (207) 287-3181.

• Maryland: Wedding Officiants: Any adult can sign as a clergy member in Maryland as long as the couple getting married agrees. The celebrant is not need to be a resident, to register in advance, or to meet any other criteria.
• Wedding Officiants in Massachusetts: Marriages may be performed by ordained ministers of the gospel. — Ministers must seek for a certificate from the state before performing marriages.

State House, Boston, Massachusetts 02133, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary, Supervisor, Commissions Division. A copy of your ordination certificate as well as a statement from the church stating that you are in good standing must be filed.

All marriages performed by ministers must be documented. Ministers must also deliver a marriage certificate to the town clerk or registrar who granted the marriage license, as well as the town clerk of the town where the marriage took place.

— Contact the local clerk or registrar with any inquiries, or write to the Secretary of State.

• A minister of the gospel who is ordained or allowed to execute weddings by his or her church and is a pastor of a church in this state, or continues to preach the gospel in this state, may perform marriages.

– Ministers must complete and hand off a marriage certificate to the couple. Within 10 days of the marriage, a new marriage certificate must be returned to the county clerk who granted the license.

• Marriages may be performed by any licensed or ordained minister of the gospel in regular communion with a religious community in Minnesota.

— Ministers must file a copy of their ordination credentials with the clerk of any county's district court.

— Ministers must give the bride and groom a marriage certificate and submit it with the clerk of the district court in the county where the marriage license was obtained.

• Mississippi: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by any ordained minister of the gospel who is in good standing with his or her church. — Within three months of the marriage, ministers must send a certificate of marriage to the clerk who granted the marriage license. — If you have any questions, contact the circuit court clerk.
• Missouri: Wedding Officiants: Any clergyman who is a United States citizen and is in good standing with any church or synagogue in this state may officiate weddings.

– All marriages performed by ministers must be documented. They must provide the couple with a marriage certificate and complete and deliver the marriage license to the recorder of deeds within 90 days of the marriage license being issued.

• Montana: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by ministers of the gospel of any denomination.

– Within 30 days of the marriage, ministers must prepare and send a marriage certificate to the registrar of the district court. On request, the clergyman shall also present marriage certificates to the bride and groom.

• Nebraska: Wedding Officiants: Any ordained clergyman may perform marriages, regardless of the sect to which they belong.

– Within 15 days of performing a marriage, ministers must notify the county judge who issued the marriage license. On request, the clergyman shall also present marriage certificates to the bride and groom.

• Any ordained minister in good standing with his denomination, whose denomination is incorporated, organized, or created in the State of Nevada, is permitted to perform marriages.

– Ministers must seek for a certificate granting them permission to perform marriages. Among other things, the applicant's ministry must be primarily focused on serving his church or denomination, with marriages performed as an afterthought. Certificates of Permission to Perform Marriages, Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS).

• Wedding Officiants in New Hampshire: Any ordained minister of the gospel who resides in the state and is in good standing with his church may perform weddings. Ministers who do not live in the state can apply to the Secretary of State for authority to perform marriages.
• Wedding Officiants in New Jersey: In New Jersey, wedding officiants are referred to as “wedding officiants.” “Every religious society, institution, or organization in this State may join together in marriage such persons according to the rules and customs of the society, institution, or organization; and every religious society, institution, or organization in this State may join together in marriage such persons according to the rules and customs of the society, institution, or organization.” It is a misdemeanor if someone who is not permitted to do so does so “It is a misdemeanor for someone who is authorized to execute a marriage without the presentation of a license to do so without a license (Title 37:1-13,15)

“Before a marriage can be lawfully performed in this state, the persons intending to be married shall obtain a marriage license from the licensing officer and deliver it to the person who is to officiate, but if the marriage is to be performed by or before any religious society, institution, or organization, the license shall be delivered to such religious society, institution, or organization,” says the law. (Rom. 37:1-2)

A clergyman may also undertake “work of a psychological nature consistent with the acknowledged norms of their respective professions” and “work of a marriage and family therapy kind,…, when working within the boundaries of their profession or occupation and doing work consistent with their training.” (Chapter 45:14B-8, 8B-8)

• Wedding Officiants in New Mexico: Any ordained priest may perform marriages, regardless of the sect to which he or she belongs.

– Within 90 days of the marriage, ministers must present a marriage certificate to the county clerk.

• Wedding Officiants in New York: Important Note: The laws and processes in New York City differ greatly from those in the rest of the state. See “New York City” for more information.

Within 5 days after the wedding, ministers must prepare a marriage certificate and deliver it to the town or municipal registrar who issued the marriage license. — If you have any questions, contact the town or city clerk.

A marriage ceremony must be performed by one of the people listed in Section 11 of the New York State Domestic Relations Law for it to be valid. These are some of them:

• a member of the clergy or minister who has been officially ordained and given power by a governing church body to perform marriage ceremonies in line with the church body's laws and regulations;
• a member of the clergy or minister who has been chosen by a spiritual community to preside over their spiritual affairs but is not sanctioned by a governing Church body;
• To perform a ceremony within the city borders of New York, the individual performing the ceremony must be registered with the city.
• In the state of New York, ship captains are not permitted to officiate marriage ceremonies.

If the address on your driver's license is within the city borders of New York City, you'll need three things instead of one to perform marriages there.

In order to perform marriages in New York City, the minister must first register his or her name and address with the city clerk's office and provide paperwork.

/ /C11:2 (subdivision 1) of the Official NYC Manual on the Domestic Relations Law, p. 89., allows a priest or minister of any denomination to solemnize marriages. A duly approved pastor, rector, priest, or rabbi is considered a “clergyman or minister.” It also includes anyone with authority from, or acting under the norms and regulations of, the governing ecclesiastical body of the denomination or order to which the church belongs, if any. Persons with authority from the church or synagogue to rule over and direct the church's or synagogue's spiritual affairs are also listed. While the state may intervene to prevent marriages being solemnized by philanderers pretending to preside under the pretext of a pseudo-religious faith, it cannot prohibit dignified marriage ceremonies performed by someone with ecclesiastical authorization.

There is no necessity that the church, synagogue, or other religious congregation over which the clergyman presides be affiliated with any denomination or order in order to have jurisdiction to solemnize weddings. There is also no necessity that clergy have formal sanctioning power from a denomination's or order's governing board, or from the church, synagogue, or congregation itself.

The officiating cleric appears to be a mere philanderer claiming a pseudo-religious beliefs as the liberality in construction is stretched to the breaking point. The validity of a marriage purportedly solemnized by a person who obtained his minister's credentials by mail, who did not preside over an actual church or religious organization, whose beliefs did not provide for any form of worship or religious service, and whose accrediting organization professed a willingness to ordain anyone for a modest free will offering was at issue in Ravenal v. Ravenal, 72 Misc.2d 100, 338 N.Y.S.2d Even with the benefit of a liberal construction, the court found that the individual who performed the ceremony could not be legitimately considered as a clergyman or minister of a religion in these circumstances. The Ravenal case is an extreme case in which the person who purported to solemnize the marriage lacked any of the objective indications of traits commonly associated with ministers or clergy, at least in the eyes of the court. The court appears to have come to the conclusion that the solemnizing official was a scammer who claimed ecclesiastical authority based on a mail order ordination provided by a corporate corporation that would ordain anyone who applied. When the parties to the marriage and the person who solemnized the marriage are members of or adhere to a genuine religious faith, the officiating person's authority must be respected.

Objective factors such as the regularity of worship and the presence of tenets or principles are used to determine the validity of religious beliefs. No matter how unusual or unschooled in theology the clergyman appears to be, the subjective values of the particular religion or faith are immaterial.

• The registrant may show that he or she is listed in the denomination's clergy directory if the denomination publishes one. If the registrant's name does not appear in the denominational directory, he or she may instead present formal certification of membership from the body that publishes the directory. A certificate or letter stating that the registrant graduated from the denomination's seminary or theological school can likewise be used as confirmation.
• If the denomination does not have such a directory, the registrant must present numerous pieces of documentary evidence of authorization. To begin, the registrant must present an ordination certificate, which must be supported by an English translation if necessary. According to Ranieri v. Ranieri, New York Law Journal, March 27, 1989, ordination certificates issued by the Universal Life Church or its affiliates are not accepted as evidence of clerical authority. 72 Misc.2d 100, 338 N.Y.S.2d 324; Ravenal v. Ravenal, 72 Misc.2d 100, 338 N.Y.S.2d 324; Ravenal v. Ravenal, 72 Misc.2 (Sup.Ct.N.Y.County 1972). The registrant must present a “license to minister” or a letter of appointment from his or her religious body, i.e., from its hierarch or board of trustees, in lieu of an ordination certificate. Second, the registrant must present a letter from his or her local church confirming that he or she is the pastor or associate pastor of that congregation and that the congregation, as a result, agrees to that individual's registration. Finally, the registrant must produce a copy of the articles of incorporation if the church is incorporated. If the church is not incorporated, the registrant must include information about the house of worship's location, the rationale for its establishment, the number of trustees, the approximate size of its congregation, and how often it meets.
• If the registrant belongs to a denomination that does not have a directory and does not issue certificates of ordination or licenses to minister, he or she must present a letter stating that he or she is the recognized spiritual leader of a congregation and that the congregation consents to the registrant's registration. The registrant must also provide information on the house of worship's location, the reason for its establishment, the number of trustees, the approximate size of its congregation, and how often it meets.

A marriage ceremony must be performed by one of the people listed in Section 11 of the New York State Domestic Relations Law for it to be valid. A marriage officer appointed by the town or village board or the city common council; a justice or judge of the following courts: the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, or Western Districts of New York, the NYS Court of Appeals, the Appellate Division of the N.Y.

• Wedding Officiants in North Carolina: Any ordained clergyman of any faith who has been permitted by his church to officiate marriages may do so.

— Ministers must fill up and send the marriage license to the register of deeds who granted it.

• North Dakota: Wedding Officiants: Marriages may be performed by ordained ministers of the gospel and priests of any church.

— Within 5 days of the marriage, ministers must file a certificate of marriage with the county judge who issued the license. Marriage certificates must also be handed to the newlyweds.

• Wedding Officiants in Ohio: To be legally recognized as a clergyperson in Ohio, you must have ordination documents from an Ohio-approved church.

The Ohio Secretary of State's office can be reached at 30 E. Broad St., 14th Floor, Columbus, OH 43266-0418. Make a request for a minister's license application. Send the completed form, a photocopy of your ordination certificate, and a $10 check or money order to the above address as soon as you receive it. This will take two to three weeks.

Licensed clergy must report suspected child or elder abuse to police and follow state regulations when marrying couples, according to Ohio law. At the time of licensure, an overview of the laws is presented. This license simplifies the process of obtaining chaplaincy status in hospitals and other settings.

Marriages may be performed by any ordained or licensed minister of any religious group or congregation in this state.

— Ministers must produce their ordination credentials to the probate court of any county before performing a marriage. The minister will be granted a license to perform marriages by the judge. After that, the minister must produce his license to the probate judge in each county where he performs marriages.

—Within 30 days following the marriage, ministers must transmit a certificate of marriage to the probate judge of the county where the marriage license was obtained.

• Wedding Officiants in Oklahoma: Oklahoma statutes allow clergy who are not certified therapists to offer certain types of counseling. Clergymen are allowed to visit inmates. A right to confidential conversations with a clergyman operating in his professional capacity is likewise provided by the law. The communicant, not the clergyman, is responsible for maintaining secrecy in this situation.

Article I, Section 2 of the Oklahoma Constitution — Religious Liberty — Polygamous or numerous marriages No person or property shall ever be mistreated in the State because of his or her manner of religious worship, and no religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights. Polygamous or numerous marriages will always be forbidden.

7 of Title 43 Marriage solemnization. A. All marriages must be contracted by a formal ceremony performed or solemnized in the presence of at least two adult, competent witnesses, by a judge or retired judge of any court of record in this state, or by an ordained or authorized preacher or minister of the Gospel, priest or other ecclesiastical dignitary of any denomination who has been duly ordained or authorized to preach the Gospel by the church to which he belongs, or by a rabbi who is at A copy of the preacher's, minister's, priest's, rabbi's, or ecclesiastical dignitary's credentials or authority from his church or synagogue enabling him to solemnize marriages must be filed in the office of the court clerk of the county in which he resides. A preacher, minister, priest, rabbi, or other ecclesiastical dignitary who is not a resident of this state but has complied with the laws of the state in which he is a resident shall have filed a copy of his credentials or authority from his church or synagogue authorizing him to solemnize marriages once in the office of the court clerk of the county in which he intends to perform or solemnize marriages. Such filing by resident or nonresident preachers, ministers, priests, rabbis, or other ecclesiastical dignitaries shall be effective in and for all counties of this state; provided, however, that no fee shall be charged for such recording; and no person herein authorized to perform or solemnize the marriage ceremony shall do so unless the license issued therefor has first been delivered into his possession, or unless he has good reason to believe the persons presenting themselves before him f

B. Marriages between members of the society known as Friends, or Quakers, the spiritual assembly of the Baha'Is, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who do not have an ordained minister, may be solemnized by the persons and in the manner prescribed and practiced in any such society, church, or assembly.

Title 43, Section 8 Endorsement and license return The person performing or solemnizing the marriage ceremony shall immediately after completion endorse his name, official or clerical designation, the court of which he is judge, or the congregation or body of which he is pastor, preacher, minister, priest, rabbi, or dignitary on the license authorizing the marriage, provided that the authority to perform or solemnize marriages shall be coextensive with the congregation or body of which he is pastor, preacher, minister, priest, The witnesses to the ceremony must sign the license approving the marriage and include their names and addresses. The license, along with the certificate, must be sent to the judge or court clerk who issued it as soon as possible. All weddings solemnized among the society known as Friends, or Quakers, the spiritual assembly of the Baha'Is, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, shall be good and legitimate in the form formerly practiced and in use in their meetings. In the same way that a minister or other person authorized to perform marriages is responsible for completing the certification of marriage pursuant to this title, a person chosen by such society, church, or assembly is responsible for completing the certification of marriage pursuant to this title. For this reason, a person shall be chosen by the society, church, or assembly.

• Ministers of any church organized, carrying out its activity, and having congregations in this state may perform marriages if their church has given them permission to do so.