Prostitution and adultery

[Director Michael]

BS'D
Is there anything like formal marriage procedure for Noahides?

Yes. Noahides are encouraged to observe the process of legal certification of marriage between a man and a woman, as it can be accomplished according to the civil laws of their society. Noahide couples are also encouraged to have a marriage contract, and it should preferably be a valid legal contract according to the civil laws of their society. Please see our web page

http://asknoah.org/noahide_marriage

From what I read above, it seems that as long as both partners maintain a shared home they are deemed married.

That's the MINIMAL context for the Torah-law status of Gentile marriage.

But will not this simplistic solution lead to many problems? For example, the partners may agree at whim and separate instantly.

The requirement to establish a shared home, with their domestic relationship becoming public knowledge, means that there is some demonstrated commitment (not just a whim), and a separation/divorce from this living situation will require a process and some effort (i.e., it won't happen instantly).

I don't think that will be good for the individuals.

Note that even the MINIMAL context for Noahide marriage is more strict than the definition of civil marriage in the United States.

In the U.S., all that's needed for the legally recognized condition of civil marriage is for a man and woman to show up at the desk of a marriage-license office, fill out the paperwork, and get an accepted signature (in some states a blood test is also required), and it doesn't require any demonstrated commitment to a shared living situation.

Maybe your question is more about Noahide divorce, and not about Noahide marriage?

Also please tell me dear friend that if two unmarried people agree to remain with each other without any formal social agreement or contract, will not that lead to social anarchy?

It's hard to see how a couple REMAINING together could lead to social anarchy. Even the civil law in most countries recognizes (legally!) the status of common-law marriage, after a couple has remained together for a certain number of years. As cited above, the Noahide Code encourages couples to have a legally certified marriage, and to have a binding marriage contract. A marriage contract also provides the advantage of extra civil-law protection for both partners.

The real problem of social anarchy comes from the failure of societies to enact or enforce some of the most basic requirements of the Noahide Code, in regard to the prohibition of adultery and the other forbidden relationships. Not to mention that prostitution and casual licentious relationships are clearly identified in G-d's Torah (which is the basis for the Noahide Code) as being destructive to society, and contrary to G-d's will.

This is what happened in USSR. In the early 1920s, the weakening of family ties produced nearly 7 million homeless children. This situation occurred mainly because marriage was declared as a personal choice of people with no affirmation from society.

The Noahide Code includes the requirement that society must affirm the religious significance of the institution and the condition of marriage - that marriage is a Divinely imposed societal institution (Genesis 2:24). The atheistic doctrine of the communist USSR is what led to the weakening of their family ties and the breakdown of their society.

Also is it not true that social pressure is the main reason why people don't commit adultery?

It could be a reason, in places where there is in fact any such social pressure. If people would realize and take to heart (i.e. be properly educated) that adultery (as defined in the Noahide Code) is a capital sin, which can also cause the unrepentant transgressors to be denied a place in the World to Come, then there would be much fewer instances of adultery.

In short what is Noahide regulation on relations between unwed couples?
Thanks for your time, sorry if I was too long.

The Noahide status of relations between couples who are *unmarried* (according to the definition of marriage in the Noahide Code), is that relations outside the context of marriage are considered licentious, contrary to G-d's will, harmful to the overall well-being of the individuals, and destructive to the society.