My father (a lapsed Catholic) and his fiancee (also a lapsed Catholic) got married in a Protestant Church. I wasn't really amused because I object to people using a Church for the ambiance, sentimentality, or whatever other silly reason they have to marry there. I think that those who are not practicing a particular faith should not marry in a temple, synagogue, or Church. I don't think it is appropriate. Nevertheless, there seem to be a lot of people who feel differently. So could someone please enlighten me? Why go to a Church to be married instead of to a Justice of the Peace if you are not religious?
2007-11-20 13:07:56 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Oops, I forgot to mention mosque in my list of buildings. My apologies to my muslim brothers and sisters. Salam.
2007-11-20 13:09:51 · update #1
Sometimes it is as you said sentimentality, for others it is due to family pressures. I would chose a church if only I have to. Truthfully my 'husband' and i have been thru hell and back for 8 years now, and so consider ourselves married in the eyes of the Lord. Also, this past year for Father's day I took my husband out and gave him my oath of fealty as his wife and exchanged rings with him. Naturally the kids were in on it, and encouraged it by some miracle keeping their mouths closed. It was a beautiful full moon night and the stars were gorgeous, but I had to get a 'little' drunk before i had the nerve. I'm not a person who can openly discuss their emotions easily. His mom and the rest of the family including mine want us to be married in a church, which his mother said she would pay for if. We discussed it and agreed that we would do it, but it would have to be after our actual wedding, which we want to have on Halloween night at the Scandinavian Heritage Center's Chapel in Minot. The building is gorgeous, and even though he is a Roman Catholic/Wiccan himself, he agrees and would prefer to have a pagen handfasting. I've already spoken with three priestess' and 1 priest about it. So naturally we are looking at two weddings to just satisfy our faimilies.
A possibility for the known religious outside of family pressure is the fact that a 'true' wedding takes place in the House of God, so it will be held sacried. This is so engrained in society that I believe some people are not realizing the reason.
Finally VarajaBoy8, I don't know how you personally feel about your Dad's remarrying, but I do send him my congratulations and wish him many years of Merry Hell. If you want e-mail me and I can send you the adress to the little noodle that touches on that remark, and actually explains it. Nice to here from you its been a while.
2007-11-20 17:15:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, some do so under pressure from family members.
My family asked my to have a "religious" ceremony but since I wasn't religious, I had my ceremony in a park, married by a judge. But I was a little older, and had been on my own for awhile, so it was easier to stand up for the kind of ceremony I wanted.
Also, non-religious people can get married in a Unitarian Universalist church, no problem.
I don't really understand why someone would marry in a church if they didn't believe in it's teachings (or most of them), but it's not really my concern.
And what your father and his fiance do in this respect is not your concern either. They are not marrying for your "amusement".
2007-11-20 21:29:30 · answer #2 · answered by queenthesbian 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am an Atheist and I agree it is silly to marry in a Church But I can see why a person would want to. I find nothing wrong with marrying in a church and If my lover wanted to marry in a church I would have no objection.
2007-11-20 21:16:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Maybe because of commercialize.Nowadays a lot of things are commercialize.Just like cross,how many of them wear and know the meaning and their action ,behaviour reflected the opposite.We can see in TV show..........Church has it right to reject non christian for the marriage.Marriage in church does not shield them from divorce.
2007-11-20 21:42:06 · answer #4 · answered by Jason Koh 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Choosing one's non-profit religion is a voluntary act.
In a free society, there's no such thing as a lapsed person.
The voter simply decides on the non-profit religion that person wishes to adhere to.
2007-11-20 21:20:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is a nice building that's all. Then you wonder if the KKK or a Nazi group had a nice building that could be rented out for weddings, would an atheist have their wedding there. After all it just nice architecture
2007-11-20 21:26:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
some people who do not believe in anything will use a church because you have to get married somewhere and often the minister will marry the couple even if they are not of his faith--another reason nonbelievers still wind up in church.
2007-11-20 21:12:07 · answer #7 · answered by samadhisativa 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some people do it for their family.... Would extended family who are religious not talk if it wasn't done religiously?
And most non believers, unless for the sake of family, probably don't do it in the religious setting.
2007-11-20 21:14:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Same as I was before God found me, thinking I could do anything I wanted and it was alright. Always wanting the benefits, but never honoring Him.
2007-11-20 21:28:17 · answer #9 · answered by †ℱαìtℎ7♥ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
when you dress in a completely over the top outfit you look less ridiculous in a church (because the priest will be dressed even sillier).
2007-11-20 21:11:39 · answer #10 · answered by synopsis 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋