Doesnt the fact that marriages happen so frequently out of churches and away from religious influence show that religion is a political, not a religious institution in this country?
2007-09-21 05:07:46 · 43 answers · asked by Showtunes 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
JesusSaves-we have an open relationship. Cheating is difficult and useless in our situation.
2007-09-21 05:14:48 · update #1
That is just something they say so that gay people can't get married. I say equal rights for everyone. They should be able to be as miserable as the rest of us. lol
2007-09-21 05:11:19 · answer #1 · answered by Penny K 6 · 7⤊ 2⤋
Its really more cultural than religious. Although many cultures have the same sort of institution.
It might actually be sort of instinctive really....
What I would really like to know is how it was decided that a ship's captain should be able to do it when at sea.
In some countries, a church wedding has no legal impact at all. In some countries you have to get married by a judge first and then you can go do it again at a church if you feel like it.
It really make a lot more sense doing it that way. Since marriage is generally incorporated into law as a form of contract, why shouldn't it be presided by a legal professional? You don't go to a priest to write a will or incorporate a business. Why would someone go to a priest for one sort of legal function when all the other sorts of legal functions are taken care of by lawyers and judges?
Its probably mostly a hold-over from the days when priests were the only people that could read and write in most villages.
2007-09-21 05:13:53 · answer #2 · answered by Azure Z 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are two different aspects to marriage. First there is the legal contract, which is why you have to purchase a license in order to marry.
There is also the religious aspect. After all, those who accept the Bible as authoritative will tell you that the Lord created marriage, not a civil authority.
That's why certain denominations and religions do not recognize either a civil marriage or a civil divorce, because they believe that a true marriage is one sanctioned by God and their church.
2007-09-21 05:16:48 · answer #3 · answered by Gal from Yellow Flat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not quite sure where you are coming from (or going to) with this question but I believe I've got something to add to this discussion.
God's idea of what marriage is and what man has decided to make of it are completely different things. This is yet another example of what will (continue to) happen when man puts his desires above God's love.
When I got married, I went before a judge but our mindset was that of a child of God entering into the relationship as God would have it to be - according to his will. I believe you can do this without a minister as God is the only spiritual entity required to be successful in a marriage. However, in many situations, the people getting married do not include God either when considering their marriage partner, considering what it means to be married, or in planning their marriage ceremony. This is where the problem comes in. This is where it becomes legalistic, political and everything but what God intended.
Man (and when I say man, I mean male and female) is busy trying to place his desires above God's perfect design and even to try to prove that man can do anything that God has already done as good or as well as God did. This is a concept that is really quite impossibly untrue and frankly, quite amazing to me!
Basically what I want to say here is don't get God's love and man's will confused because they are 99.9% in direct opposition to each other.
2007-09-21 06:00:40 · answer #4 · answered by Goodmomma1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Marriage is not religion based, it is civil based .It is the State that grants marriage licenses without which no marriage performed by a religious official would be legal. It is the State that determines the terms and conditions needed to get that license. It is the State that grants rights and privileges to married couples and should that marriage end in divorce it will be the State that will ultimately determine the particulars of that process not the Church.
2007-09-21 05:21:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe we should just give up on the whole marriage idea. Let the Fundies have it if they want it.
We'll use a new word and create ceremonies to go with it. It will be available to all people who wish to make that sort of commitment to each other. Religious groups can sign on, or not, as they choose.
Then during the next recession, we can start hewing away at the 'rights' associated with the old-style 'marriage', you know health insurance and hospital visitation rights. It's just a special interest group, after all.
2007-09-21 05:19:25 · answer #6 · answered by The angels have the phone box. 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Marriage is the name of two things.
1. A legal contract that entitles you to certain rights and responsibilities. Nothing to do with god, everything to do with the way our laws are written.
2. A covenant of a church that is performed to recognize the happy couple as one under the god of the church's choice. Nothing to do with law.
The problem has arisen because the religious have decided that a country's law should be based on a four hundred year old book that was written for a KING to use to keep the populace in their places. Our country was formed to combat this King and his successors laws, so why would we use this one? We shouldn't, the rules of our country do not allow for this.
And yes, religion (and fear) is a political institution in this country makes me sick and I belive T. Jefferson would be furious too.
2007-09-21 05:16:18 · answer #7 · answered by Gem 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No Americans have had civil weddings for a very long time.
But that marriage doesn't necessarily have the blessing of God.
and again many civil justices have a license with a church so they can go either way.
You are not be discriminated against.
If as it is here marriage is only legal through the church, divorce is illegal, then yeah. Where are you?
2007-09-21 05:16:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Churches don't marry people - they may bless a union or sanctify it, but after all the confetti is vacuumed up, the priest or church secretary still has to fill in all the legal documents and send them in to the registry office.
The term Marriage is just being claimed by the religious community because it's an effective weapon against the idea of same-sex marriage.
2007-09-21 05:17:09 · answer #9 · answered by Marc G 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Because marriage is also legal binding. When divorce happens, it's not the church that divides the assets, it's the attorneys and a judge. Marriage is more of a legal contract than it is spiritual or religious. That's not just my view, it's the law of the land.
2007-09-21 05:16:29 · answer #10 · answered by Ricky H 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Marriage is a civil contract . A ceremony can be preformed in a church , but it's not a legal marriage until it's recorded in the court house .
The preacher , and the wedding ceremony is for the show. The signatures and recording is what makes the marriage legal and binding .
2007-09-21 05:14:56 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋