Where did the marriage ceremony originate? Why do they call it "taking your vows?" What is different between a civil ceremony and a church ceremony? Of course there is Wikipedia which is really cool and gives a ton of information on the subject.
I have decided to give a "cliffs notes," version for you. The versions I like so far from Widipedia were the Jewish and the Christian forms:
Judaism
Jewish Wedding Ceremony 
A Jewish wedding
Christianity
Christians often marry for religious reasons ranging from following the biblical injunction for a "man to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one,"[Gen. 2:24][70] to obeying Canon Law stating marriage between baptized persons is a sacrament.[71]
Divorce is not encouraged. Most Protestant churches allow people to marry again after a divorce. In the Roman Catholic Church, marriage can only be ended by an annulment where the Church for special reasons regards it as never having taken place.[72]
"'...So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
– Jesus[Matthew 19:6]
But I wanted to dig a little deeper. How did marriage start out as a sacrament? I found the next quotes from Wikipedia
Liturgical Christianity
Further information: Marriage in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Anglicans, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox consider marriage termed holy matrimony to be an expression of divine grace, termed a sacrament or mystery. In Western ritual, the ministers of the sacrament are the husband and wife themselves, with a bishop, priest, or deacon merely witnessing the union on behalf of the church, and adding a blessing. In Eastern ritual churches, the bishop or priest functions as the actual minister of the Sacred Mystery (Eastern Orthodox deacons may not perform marriages). Western Christians commonly refer to marriage as a vocation, while Eastern Christians consider it an ordination and a martyrdom, though the theological emphases indicated by the various names are not excluded by the teachings of either tradition.[dubious ] Marriage is commonly celebrated in the context of a Eucharistic service (a nuptial Mass or Divine Liturgy). The sacrament of marriage is indicative of the relationship between Christ and the Church.[Eph. 5:29-32]Roman Catholicism
29 November 1958: Edward M Kennedy, son of the former British ambassador to Britain, Joseph Kennedy, and his new bride, the former Joan Bennett, are shown after their wedding at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Bronxville, New York
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." [74]The mutual love between man and wife becomes an image of the eternal love with which God loves humankind. The celebration of marriage between two Catholics normally takes place during the public liturgical celebration of the Holy Mass, because of its sacramental connection with the unity of the Paschal mystery of Christ (Communion). Sacramental marriage confers a perpetual and exclusive bond between the spouses. By its nature, the institution of marriage and conjugal love is ordered to the procreation and upbringing of offspring. Marriage creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children: "[e]ntering marriage with the intention of never having children is a grave wrong and more than likely grounds for an annulment."[75]
According to current Catholic legislation governing marriage, "The essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility; in Christian marriage they acquire a distinctive firmness by reason of the sacrament.[76] Divorce is not recognized, but annulments predicated upon previously existing impediments may be granted. Offspring resulting from annulled relationships are considered legitimate. The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion.[77]
Then there's a "General Christian or Protestant" view:
Protestantism
Protestant denominations see the primary purpose of marriage to be to glorify[78] God by demonstrating his love to the world.[citation needed] Other purposes of marriage include intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings. Protestants generally approve of birth control[citation needed] and consider marital sexual pleasure to be a gift of God.Most Reformed Christians would deny the elevation of marriage to the status of a sacrament, nevertheless it is considered a covenant between spouses before God.cf.[Ephesians 5:31-33]
Historically, five competing models of marriage in Christianity have shaped Western marriage and legal tradition:
- The Protestant Reformationists replaced the Roman Catholic sacramental model.
- Martin Luther saw it as a social "estate of the earthly kingdom...subject to the prince, not the Pope."
- John Calvin taught that marriage was a covenant of grace that required the coercive power of the state to preserve its integrity.
- Anglicans regarded marriage as a domestic commonwealth within England and the church. By the 17th century, Anglican theologians had begun to develop a theology of marriage to replace the sacramental model of marriage. These "regarded the interlocking commonwealths of state, church, and family as something of an earthly form of heavenly government."
- The secularism of the Enlightenment emphasized marriage as a contract "to be formed, maintained, and dissolved as the couple sees fit."[32]
And the Latter-Day Saints:
Latter-day Saints
Main article: Celestial marriage
Islam
Marriage is a religious duty and is consequently a moral safeguard as well as a social necessity
Main article: Islamic marital jurisprudence
In Islam, polygyny is allowed for men while Polyandry for women is not, with the specific limitation that they can only have up to four wives at any one time, given the religious requirement that they are able to and willing to partition their time and wealth equally among the respective wives.
For a Muslim wedding to take place, the bride and her guardian must both agree on the marriage. Should either the guardian or the girl disagree on the marriage, it may not legally take place. In essence, while the guardian/father of the girl has no right to force her to marry, he has the right to stop a marriage from taking place, given that his reasons are valid. The professed purpose of this practice is to ensure that a woman finds a suitable partner whom she has chosen not out of sheer emotion.
From an Islamic (Sharia) law perspective, the minimum requirements and responsibilities in a Muslim marriage are that the groom provide living expenses (housing, clothing, food, maintenance) to the bride, and in return, the bride's main responsibility is raising children to be proper Muslims. All other rights and responsibilities are to be decided between the husband and wife, and may even be included as stipulations in the marriage contract before the marriage actually takes place, so long as they do not go against the minimum requirements of the marriage.
In Shia Islam marriage must take place in the presence of at least two reliable witnesses, with the consent of the guardian of the bride and the consent of both the bride and the groom. Following the marriage, the couple is immediately allowed to consummate the marriage. To create a religious contract between them, it is sufficient that a man and a woman indicate an intention to marry each other and recite the requisite words in front of a Muslim priest. The wedding party can be held days, or months later, whenever the couple and their families want to announce the marriage in public.[80][81][82][83]
So did we answer your questions?
Where did the marriage ceremony originate? Why do they call it "taking your vows?" What is different between a civil ceremony and a church ceremony?
1. Where did the marriage ceremony originate. The Bible tells us the first covenant marriage was between Adam and Eve. Other views are that people needed a set of rules so they could protect bloodlines and such.
2. Why do they call it "taking your vows?" It is a covenant to be entered into, not to be taken lightly. Marriage can be tough and you need the help of a higher power if you want to make it work.
3. What is different between a civil ceremony and a church ceremony. A civil ceremony basically says you are a legal union, whereas a religious ceremony carries with it a more lasting promise, vow, or covenant between the man and wife.
Okay so please understand I don't know everything!!! If there is anything you don't agree with please comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment