Dear Editor,
As a man due to marry this summer, I was delighted to hear the government confirm that weddings are permitted again. The lockdown period brought many challenges for engaged couples, with some wrestling with the issue of whether Christians should pursue a marriage ‘in God’s eyes’, adding the state’s ‘legal necessities’ at a later date. Whilst the government ban has been lifted, the issue is still worth engaging with, not least given the possibility of a second peak.
Clearly marrying outside the state’s juris-diction is admissible since the state does not have the right to define marriage as it wishes. Were the state to place a permanent ban on marriage, we would not stop marrying. We would instead pursue marriage without the involvement of the government.
