Shacking up? .... its against the law

As if I have not had an ummm "interesting" day already ... today I found out that shacking aka living with a man/woman who is not your husband/wife is a crime in the state of Florida. Yes, yes you've read that right. Sharing a living space with a man/woman that you are dating is against the law. As a matter of fact, its a misdemeanor.

Now those of you who attend church regularly already know that shacking is considered a sin in the bible. Here is my thing ... let God handle that. What is the state of Florida doing? This is such an unnecessary law and the fact that they are arresting people about their living environment is flat out ridiculous. What's next? Arresting the man or woman who is committing adultery? Is that not another sin within the bible?  I thought one big was not bigger than the other. What makes shacking up so special that it has its own law?

I've been convinced for a little while now that lawmakers and people who are "in charge" are some of the dumbest people in the world and yet they are the ones who make the decisions. Why? Is this a cruel joke or something? Who in their right mind would arrest a man or woman for living with someone? Thats not their place. That is a judgement that in my opinion is left up to God.

See this is the problem. Too many people, especially in America, are trying to play God. They are trying to pass judgements that they are not fit to pass. We as human beings want to be in control of any and everything. When will we ever learn? I personally look at everything that is going on in the world .... earthquakes in places that normally dont have earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, etc and say to myself God is trying to tell us something ... but are we listening? Obviously not.

I am someone who has no desire to ever marry again. I've been down that road and I do not wish to drive down it again. I guess I'll just have to pray that I'm not one of the 700 people who are charged with this useless misdemeanor. :(

Here is the article:

http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Co-Habitation_Is_Illegal_In_Florida_128835483.html

Posted: 3:26 PM Aug 31, 2011

Co-Habitation Is Illegal In Florida


This may come as a surprise to you, but it is still illegal in Florida to live together as man and wife when you are not married. More surprising is that in the last twelve months, a hundred and four people have been charged with a misdemeanor.




This may come as a surprise to you, but it is still illegal in Florida to live together as man and wife when you are not married. More surprising is that in the last twelve months, a hundred and four people have been charged with a misdemeanor. One state lawmaker thinks the statute has outlived its purpose.

Think of the year 1868. That’s when it became illegal to live in sin in Florida. The law is still on the books. Which was a surprise to Abby, who moved in with her boyfriend two months ago, after being together for a year.



Abby doesn’t want us to tell you her last name because she doesn’t want to be arrested. “We’ve been together for a while and financially, it was better. And we love each other.”

Then we posed the question to these artists at a senior center: who knows someone living as man and wife without being married. Three of the nine hands went up. Sandy DeLopez’s says her 60-year-old brother-in-law is living with a divorcee.“They’ve been living that way for ten years now and they’ve very happy. And they’re in their early 60s.”

Nearly 700 people have been charged with misdemeanors in the last five years. 104 people have faced charges in the last 12 months. What we don’t know from those records is who they are, where they lived or what happened to their case.

State Representative Rich Workman has filed legislation to repeal the ban on adultery. While he says he doesn’t condone couples co-habitating, he says the prohibition has no place in the statutes. “A little piece of your liberty, a little piece of your freedom is stolen with all these laws that try to dictate lifestyle and are not necessarily enforced.”

New census figures show more than a half million couples in Florida that appear to be breaking the law.

Workman filed the same bill last year, but couldn’t get a vote because most lawmakers found it too sensitive of a political issue.