by Dr. Lorin Bradbury
Question: How do I go about getting married?
Yes, that is a real question that has been posed to me on several occasions. On each occasion the couple was living together, and had one or more children. I would venture to say that most of the couples considered themselves religious and were affiliated with one of the Christian denominations represented in the Delta.
What I have found very troubling is that parents, elders, and even religious leaders had not addressed the issue of marriage with these couples. They accepted a lifestyle of young couples living together unmarried as the norm, with little or no guidance concerning the institution of marriage. In some cases clergy refused to marry the couples because they had not completed premarital coursework, even when the clergy were not available to provide the coursework.
So why should a psychologist be concerned about the institution of marriage? Marriage is probably the oldest institution known to man. It provides the foundation for society. When the foundation crumbles, society collapses into a pile of rubble. The evidence of such a collapse is all around us, no less significant than a major earthquake.
From a Christian perspective, the institution of marriage was established to regulate heterosexual behavior and procreation, ensuring a stable family structure in which children would be reared, educated, and socialized. Marriage provides a framework of commitment in which love can develop and grow.
So if you are a young couple desiring to be together and live together, before you move in together and live together as though you were married, take the necessary steps to get married. If you are a couple who has already set up house together and maybe even has children together, let me encourage you to take the steps necessary to provide one another and your children with the security of a committed marriage relationship.
You may be asking yourself, as several have asked me, “How do we go about getting married?” First, you must obtain a Marriage License Application. This now can be done online. Simply Google Alaska Marriage License Application. Follow the instructions on the marriage license application.
Once you receive the license, you will need to secure the services of someone authorized to perform the marriage, such as a clergy person or a judge. If you have further questions about the process, I would be happy to answer them. Or, if you have difficulty securing the services of someone authorized to officiate your marriage, I will do my best to put you in contact with someone authorized to do so. My clinic number is listed below.
Lorin L. Bradbury, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Bethel. For appointments, he can be reached at 543-3266. In addition to being a Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Bradbury is an ordained minister and pastor of the Bethel United Pentecostal Church. If you have questions that you would like Dr. Bradbury to answer in the Delta Discovery, please send them to The Delta Discovery, P.O. Box 1028, Bethel, AK 99559, or e-mail them to [email protected].
