When civil law forbids marriage, is the God-given right of marriage nullified?
Clearly, marriage is a God-given right or liberty, not a command (1 Corinthians 7:6-7). Furthermore, numerous historical cases could be cited wherein civil law forbade some from the God-given liberty of marriage. What would Terence say about the following people forbidden by civil law from marrying? Were they condemned by God if they married? • The 1935 Nuremberg Race Laws deprived German Jews of all citizenship rights. Since Jews had no rights of citizenship, they had no marriage right. All Jewish marriages were considered illegitimate. Those laws were followed by The Law for the Protection of the Genetic Health of the German People, which required all persons seeking marriage to have a medical examination, after which a “Certificate of Fitness to Marry” could be issued. The certificate was required for a marriage license, but certificates were not granted to Jews, Poles and many others (see International Military Tribunal records). • Slavery in the United States was governed by an ex
