I don't really know anything about marriage, but I thought that when people were getting married they read from the Bible and were married by a preacher. Wouldn't this not be binding for an atheist, since they don't believe in God? Just out of curiosity, again I don't know much about marriage.Do atheists get married in a different way than religious people?
Not in a church
Marriage is civil in most countries, and you can have a religious 'layer' added to it - but without the non-religious bit it's not legally binding.
You have readings - just not religious ones. You have songs - not hymns. The person who conducts the ceremony is not a religious person.
All very similarDo atheists get married in a different way than religious people?
They get married in a non-religious establishment such as a registry office, and are married by a judge or a registrar. Marriage is a legal contract, before it is a religious contract. If people get married in a religious establishment for example a church, and are married by vicar or a priest, they still have to have it registered at the registry office, in order for it to be legally recognized.
I've seen several of both, so the main difference (not counting a Catholic marriage that includes Mass), is that there are no Biblical readings and no mentioning of God.
The person conducting the wedding may or may not be an actual preacher as many ministers are more than willing to perform non-religious ceremonies.
There are many beautiful and elaborate ceremonies that have nothing to do with religion, and I've also known religious people to get married at the county administrators office due to a lack of funds.
There are two marriages. The first is the one where a couple declares themselves married in a religious ceremony and is sanctioned by some religious or another. The other marriage is the one recognized by the state which is licensed and determines how property ownership and other legal matters influence the life of the couple.
People who get married without the religious rituals, are just as married, and just as happy without all of the claptrap, and expense of a big overdone church wedding for a couple, who will get divorced five years later down the road , because they are not suited to each other, nor sexually compatible, and not happy!!
I got married in front of Justice of the peace 39 years ago, and we are still married!
Wow! what a surprise!
We also slept together first, to make sure we would be satisfied!!
But then again it is different strokes for different folks! You get what you put time and effort in, to get in any good relationship!
Marriages don't need god to work!
They need people willing to give 100%, and take 100%, Nothing more, nothing less!!
Wait until you find someone that you can't live without, or be happy without!
Marriage is a civil as well as potentially a religious ceremony. You get a license from the state, NOT a church. Any religious aspect may be added depending upon your beliefs, but the actual marriage MUST be licensed by the state to be legal.
I'm curious, though: how do you believe Jews get married? They don't read from Bibles...
I've been at many non-religious marriage ceremonies. Lots of it is the same - bride in wedding gown, groom in suit, someone officiating. Even the music is the same in lots of cases.
Only difference is there are no prayers, and it's not conducted by a religious leader.
When my wife and I married, the ceremony was performed by a friend of ours who just happened to be a former Presbyterian minister. We wrote our own vows, and they made no mention of any supernatural entities.
As far as the ';binding'; part goes, it really has more to do with the marriage being acknowledged as LEGALLY binding by all the requisite governmental agencies, so that we can get tax breaks, insurance benefits, and all that jive. And THAT has more to do with simply filling out and filing the proper paperwork at the county courthouse.
I've never heard of people reading from the bible, even when it's a church wedding.
No, you don't have to get married by a preacher. A justice of the peace can preform your ceremony, and the wedding itself can take place just about anywhere. My brother and his wife rented out a country club for their ceremony, and my best friend was married on a gazebo on the beach. Both weddings were officiated by judges.
Marriages aren't legally recognized just based on the fact that they were preformed in a church, anyway. City Hall gives you your official marriage license, regardless of what you believe. Without that, your marriage is in name only.
This atheist got married by a priest, in a church. That's what my wife want, so that's what I did. No biggie.
As for the Christian aspect of the vows, you are correct: I don't consider there to be any supernatural bindings to an imaginary friend in my marriage.
However, the vows I made to my wife are binding.
Yes, we have secular services in which vows are exchanged, the wedding goes on a usual and we sacrifice good Christian children before the banquet. ;) just kidding.
The service isn't much different, there just isn't any praying or mention of gods, only devotion and love of family.
The priest is just the middle man that signs the marriage license as a witness then turns it in to the state, and the bible is just one of his accessories. Atheists just cut out the middle man.
Did it occur to you that Christians aren't the only religious peoples in this country? How did you think they accommodate all the obscure tiny religions that occupy this country?
It's called a justice of the peace, hello. All you need for a marriage to be binding is a piece of paper called a marriage license. In some states, you don't even need that; you need only agree to be married (it's called common law marriage).
I did. I married a Christian woman, and we had to find a preacher that would marry her to an atheist. I found the whole situation hilarious. I told my wife I didn't care who we had do it. I'd tell the nutjob I was a Christian and solve the problem. :)
We're not married anymore. :)
Marriage is a legal institution.
If the only thing ';binding'; two religious people together is their mutual belief in fairy tales, that's truly sad...
The Bible is optional. How do you think people of non-Christian beliefs get married?
My official marriage was done at the drive-thru in Vegas. I was married in a limo by a guy hanging out a tiny window. He said, do you take him? I said yes. He said, do you take her? He said yes. We signed a paper. The end.
My family-wedding (a handfasting) was a little more traditional, but there was no Bible present. We said vows, we exchanged rings, we drank wine, we sang, and then we went to dinner.
Yes they get married in the registry office in front of real people because they think it is waste of time to get married in front unreal/imaginary god.They do not want to fool them-selves.
You know we're talking about religion in my Human Geography class and I really don't know. Come to think of it--I know I can ask Mara--but how do Jewish people get married? Huh. LOL. Yeah I really don't know. Sorry. Have fun with this one.
Marriage is a civil contract. You need a license from the state and a justice of the peace can marry you. No preacher is necessary.
They usually just have a non-religious ceremony, one presided over by a justice-of-the-peace or some other non-religious figure certified to preform marriage ceremonies.
Marriage is a pagan, NOT CHRISTIAN, tradition. It was one of many things integrated into Christianity to get people to believe.
They get married by a justice of the peace in a non religious building. Personally I'm getting married in a park.
they could get married in the town hall or just get a marriage certificate the whole church thing is just a ceremony.
I married my Catholic wife at our local county building. Religion has nothing to do with how two people come together. Unless of course, that is your tradition. It is not mine.
They make their vows to each other, and there are secular people who are licensed to perform marriages. The rest of the details are up to the couple.
I got married in a little wedding chapel by a retired preacher. We just had him leave out the religious stuff.
*Palm face*
How'd you think the billions of people who aren't Christian marry?
No.
