Obviously, lying about your relationship (by saying you are married) cannot turn "[[living in sin]]" into marriage. There are exceptions in law, whereby a man and a woman who live together as if they were married for a period of time may be considered to have entered into a [[common law marriage]]. This is not to absolve them of the need to seek [[benefit of clergy]] or to justify their [[fornication]], but to protect the rights of the woman and the rights of any children she might bear. | Obviously, lying about your relationship (by saying you are married) cannot turn "[[living in sin]]" into marriage. There are exceptions in law, whereby a man and a woman who live together as if they were married for a period of time may be considered to have entered into a [[common law marriage]]. This is not to absolve them of the need to seek [[benefit of clergy]] or to justify their [[fornication]], but to protect the rights of the woman and the rights of any children she might bear. |