Posted on 07/02/2008 8:18:28 AM PDT by delacoert
Wedding customs of the faithful range from solemn to colorful
In the big picture of life, all weddings are the same — they're about two people joining their lives (and families) together.
But, of course, all weddings are a little bit different, too, based on the couple's background and preferences.
Those who opt for a civil ceremony might want a simple exchange of vows at the county courthouse or an elaborate gathering with the wedding party dressed in period costumes.
Protestant weddings also can vary, depending on the denomination, church and officiating clergy.
Some faiths (Catholic) have a lot of rules about how the service should look, while others (Muslim) can vary greatly depending on the couple's cultural background. Some weddings involve wine (Jewish), some involve fire (Hindu), and some faiths consider their wedding vows as enduring not just on Earth, but into the afterlife (Mormon).
Here's what Tri-State residents had to say about what weddings are like within their faith.
Catholic
Catholic weddings differ from Protestant ceremonies in a few key ways.
For one thing, they're usually longer, says Matt Miller, director of the Catholic Diocese of Evansville's office of worship.
A full Catholic wedding that includes Mass, Miller said, may last 60 to 90 minutes.
Typically, the couple and their wedding party sits and kneels along with everyone else during the Mass, then stands while exchanging vows.
Unless there are extraordinary circumstances that would prevent it, Catholic weddings always take place in a Catholic Church.
Often, Miller said, couples opt to show devotion to a saint during the wedding ceremony — perhaps by offering flowers before a statue of that saint. Mary is usually chosen, Miller said, because of "her example of selfless service and total giving over to another."
Because of the religious component of the wedding, the wedding processional includes not just the bride and her attendants, but also the priest and other ministers who officiate.
Jewish
Jewish weddings actually involve two separate ceremonies. The first is an engagement ceremony, followed by the wedding ceremony.
During each ceremony, the couple sips wine from a shared cup as a symbol of their union.
"They use sweet wine so that from now on, they will be sharing life's sweetness," said Rabbi Barry Friedman of Temple Adath B'nai Israel.
The back-to-back ceremonies are a modification of ancient Jewish custom in which the engagement ceremony — considered a binding arrangement breakable only by divorce — took place a full year before the wedding ceremony.
Jewish weddings also incorporate physical symbols of the couple's future life together.
During the ceremony the couple stands under a canopy called a chuppah which symbolizes their first shared home.
At the end of the ceremony, the groom breaks a glass under his foot. This action has many possible meanings, Friedman said, but it's often understood to represent both the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the fact that life contains both sorrow and happy times.
Muslim
Muslims hail from many different countries, so their wedding customs can vary greatly depending on where the couple live.
"There's no particular 'Muslim wedding' because the culture is so diverse," said Bushra Saqib of Carmi, Ill., a member of the Islamic Society of Evansville.
For instance, Saqib said, in her native country of Pakistan, red is a popular color for brides, while Middle Eastern Muslim brides often wear white wedding dresses.
That said, there are some commonalities among all Muslim weddings.
Islam does not have clergy as some other faiths do, so weddings can be performed by any Muslim with good standing in the community.
Saqib's husband, Zahid, a physician, has officiated at a number of Muslim weddings.
Before the ceremony, the bride's family and the groom's family meet to come up with a marriage contract that both bride and groom will sign during the wedding ceremony.
The groom is required to provide his bride with a gift, Zahid Saqib said, and this is detailed in the contract. Other elements of the contract may stipulate the standard of living the husband will provide, the amount of housework the wife will do and where they will live.
"You can actually put down anything in the contract. It's up to the people to decide," Zahid Saqib said.
The bride should have her father or another man with good community standing give her away, and the wedding must include at least two witnesses.
Mormon
In the five-plus years that Sam Rogers has served as bishop of the Newburgh ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he's officiated at only a few local weddings.
That's in large part because of the church's beliefs about marriage.
The church teaches that the marriage bond can endure into the afterlife, but only if the couple have their marriage sealed in a Mormon temple. The church's ideal is for couples to marry and be sealed in a temple, and Rogers estimated that the vast majority of active Mormons opt to marry inside a temple. (Indiana has no Mormon temples, but Louisville, Ky., and St. Louis do.)
Rogers said the church does not reveal details of the sealing ceremony because of its sacred nature, and even among Mormons not everyone can enter the temple.
To qualify for temple admission, a person must answer questions posed by local church officials to determine if the person is living in accordance with church teachings. If the person gains the officials' approval, he or she receives a "temple recommend" that is valid for two years.
Those who marry in a local Mormon church typically must wait a year before being sealed in a temple, Rogers said.
Local church weddings are usually simple and relatively brief.
"It's a pretty low-key ceremony that we feel like invites the spirit to attend," Rogers said.
Hindu
Hindu weddings include many customs not seen in other faiths.
"Hindu wedding is different from other weddings," said Sushma Jain of Evansville, a member of the Tri-State's Hindu community.
The marriage may be arranged — Jain and her husband, K.C., have three daughters who all chose an arranged marriage — but tradition is shifting, and more and more young people opt to choose their own spouses.
The wedding takes place in front of a sacred fire that represents the deity Agni. Agni is also considered to be the principal witness to the ceremony. As part of the ceremony, the couple walk around the fire several times.
Another important part of the ceremony occurs when the bride's parents place her right hand in the groom's right hand as a symbol of the couple's coming together.
Hindu theology includes many deities, but at weddings worship is focused on Ganesh because he is associated with good luck and the removal of obstacles.
Among the other wedding traditions are several formal greetings exchanged by different members of the bride's and groom's families.
This custom, Jain said, shows that a wedding unites more than just the bride and groom.
"The wedding is not boy and girl. The wedding is between both the families," she said.
And you think His will for you is to constantly harp on and belittle those who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Goodness, I think you may be confused. Confused about the source of your idea of “His Will”.
So the article is equal parts Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, and Hindu...yet the thread is pretty much only about Mormons, and it’s the usual suspects too!
It was an interesting read. I found the comparisons
between the two Polytheistic religions (believe in many gods)
very interesting...
I am of course speaking of Hinduism and Mormonism
Hindus believe in 300 million gods
Mormons believe in billions or possibly trillions -
depending on how many of their men folk become gods.
So reading about how these religions view marriage
was very interesting. Thank you.
In another thread, open access to Mormon Temple ceremonies came up as a side issue. It is very interesting to read about public openness of one the world's most joyous ceremonies. I thought the discussion of Mormon marriage provided an interesting contrast:
And so, this thread is in fact about mostly about Mormonism, and yet you take this opportunity to deride those of us who have responded. Interesting........
That's how I have it figured. That's why you can lie to them all day long since it's a fake religion. I have no conscience regarding such fakery. If one of your kids still falls for the overpowering social process and wants to get married there like your nephew did, God will have a nice little chuckle. Indeed that higher power has a very intense sense of humor.
Of course WE have a large task with them afterwards to convince them of the fakery as we teach them life's little pleasures over a cup of coffee.
I understand what you are saying and why.
Thanks for your opinion, but I doubt that you’ll be surprised that it has no bearing upon my life.
I find it very offensive that you have included The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as non Christian.
To show you have the truth on your side and that you have the right to do this, please answer the following::
Besides reading the anti-Mormon sites, and anti-mormon threads here at FR, I also read some of the anti-Christian sites.
Their arguments are about as bad as the anti-Mormon sites.
PROVE TO THEM that Jesus is really the Christ.
And, please practice here before you face the anti-Christians. I would like to see how you defend your belief in Christ.
After construction and before a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been dedicated to the Lord, an open house is held and the general public is invited to enter and view the rooms. But for participation in a temple dedication and for all ordinances performed in the temple thereafter, only members of the Church who have a current identification card, called a temple recommend, may enter.
Temple recommends are given to members of the Church who have completed the preliminary steps of faith, repentance, baptism, and confirmation. Adult males must also have been ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Temple recommends are usually issued by a bishop and countersigned by a member of the stake presidency in interviews conducted in private. The bishop, who is responsible as a "judge in Israel" (D&C 107:72, 74, 76), conducts the initial interview. He seeks to discern personal worthiness and standards of Christlike living and counsels appropriately with those whose lives are in need of any change or repentance. It is considered a serious matter to become prepared to receive the covenants, ordinances, and blessings of the temple. Questions are asked to ascertain one's faith in God the Eternal Father, in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost; and inquiry is made regarding the person's testimony of the restored gospel and loyalty to the teachings and leaders of the Church. Worthiness requirements include being honest, keeping the commandments, such as chastity—sexual continence before marriage and fidelity within marriage—obeying the laws of tithing and the Word of Wisdom, fulfilling family responsibilities and avoiding affiliation with dissident groups. The First Presidency often emphasizes that it is a solemn responsibility for a bishop or stake president to conduct a temple recommend interview. An equal responsibility rests upon the person who is interviewed to respond to questions fully and honestly (Ensign 8 [Nov. 1978]:40-43). One practical purpose of the recommend interview is to help the applicant be adequately prepared to commit to the way of life the temple covenants will require.
Currently three different types of recommends are given: (1) for members to receive their own Endowment, to be sealed to a spouse, or to be married in the temple for time only; (2) for members who have received their Endowment to participate in all temple ordinances for the dead (see Salvation for the Dead); and (3) for unendowed members to (a) be baptized on behalf of the dead, (b) be sealed to their parents, or (c) witness sealings of their living brothers and sisters to their parents. The same standards of worthiness apply for all recommends.
Packer, Boyd K. The Holy Temple, pp. 11, 26-28, 50-53. Salt Lake City, 1980.
You do understand that in OT times there was ONE Temple at a time and not the myriad McTemples of todays Mormonism. The book of Hebrews tells us that since the time of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice the veil has been rent in two giving us all access to God. Hebrews does have a very distinctive way of viewing the Christ event. It is seen as the fulfillment of the ritual law. The Jews had a magnificent religious ritual centered in the temple service. They were very proud of it, not the least reason being that God Himself had given it to them. Hebrews shows that the Person and work of Jesus Christ is the reality of the entire sacrificial system - the need for Temple is finished.
Ceremonies in modern Mormon Temples are not related in any way to the ancient ceremonies of blood sacrifice that were performed in the OT Temple.
Your comparison to “sanctification” and sacredness are in no way equivalent unless you have preists who are taking in sacrifices and making burnt offerings....lol..
Any institution that fosters lies is not of God.
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You are doing it again.
First you say a true statement;”God hates lies. That is all that needs to be said on the subject.”
Even though the next statement is also a true statement, when standing alone, you imply the statement is about The Church of Latter-Day Saintes, making the idea you are leaving not true,”Any institution that fosters lies is not of God.”
Again, it is not what you say, it is how you say it that makes the idea untrue.
You have given another example of a half-truth.
I wasn’t talking specifically about Mormonism, but if the shoe fits.......
Wow, here we go again with the worthiness challenges in the forum.
I tried to find the last one where that happened - did it get pulled? Didn't someone else challenge your worthiness in a thread a while back, Colorcountry?
That’s why we do NOT have receptions in our Temples.
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I guess Mormons really only go to weddings to attend the reception.
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Another twisted remark not related to what is really being talked about.
I have seen this kind of answer used by many who, want to confuse, instead of staying on the subject.
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On a thread that started as a Mormon bash from post #1, and you talking about bad things you think we do, then you say you “wasn’t talking specifically about Mormonism”.
Your actions and your words do not look to be matching.
I think it was quite clear that I was referring to ANY organization that lies (since it was both bolded and underlined) and I was not targeting Mormonism specifically.
You are free to assume anything you wish - it just doesn’t make it true.
Have a nice day, fred.
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With your history as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you should know that we all (including ex-members) have a responsibility to correct lies like you describe.
Anyone who knew of the lieing on the Temple Recommend interview had a responsibility of reporting it, or they participated in the lie. They also lied.
“Who cares if a lie was perpetuated?” If you knew ahead of time, you did not care if it was a lie.
You are free to assume anything you wish - it just doesn’t make it true.
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ya, right, on a Mormon Bashing thread.
I am not surprised. Bless you and have a good day.
Melchizedek Priesthood
"Through the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, Church leaders guide the Church and direct the preaching of the gospel throughout the world. In the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood, "the power of godliness is manifest" (D&C 84:20). This greater priesthood was given to Adam and has been on the earth whenever the Lord has revealed His gospel. It was taken from the earth during the Great Apostasy, but it was restored in 1829, when the Apostles Peter, James, and John conferred it upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
LDS.org on mormon belief on Melchizedek Priesthood
From sevenbak: Currently three different types of recommends are given: (1) for members to receive their own Endowment, to be sealed to a spouse, or to be married in the temple for time only; (2) for members who have received their Endowment to participate in all temple ordinances for the dead (see Salvation for the Dead); and (3) for unendowed members to (a) be baptized on behalf of the dead, (b) be sealed to their parents, or (c) witness sealings of their living brothers and sisters to their parents. The same standards of worthiness apply for all recommends.
FROM: The Redemption of the Dead and the Testimony of Jesus
"The doctrine that the living can provide baptism and other essential ordinances to the dead, vicariously, was revealed anew to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He learned that the spirits awaiting resurrection are not only offered individual salvation but that they can be bound in heaven as husband and wife and be sealed to their fathers and mothers of all generations past and have sealed to them their children of all generations future. The Lord instructed the Prophet that these sacred rites are appropriately performed only in a house built to His name, a temple.
The principle of vicarious service should not seem strange to any Christian. In the baptism of a living person, the officiator acts, by proxy, in place of the Savior. And is it not the central tenet of our faith that Christ’s sacrifice atones for our sins by vicariously satisfying the demands of justice for us? As President Gordon B. Hinckley has expressed: “I think that vicarious work for the dead more nearly approaches the vicarious sacrifice of the Savior Himself than any other work of which I know. It is given with love, without hope of compensation, or repayment or anything of the kind. What a glorious principle.”
Some have misunderstood and suppose that deceased souls “are being baptised into the Mormon faith without their knowledge” or that “people who once belonged to other faiths can have the Mormon faith retroactively imposed on them.” They assume that we somehow have power to force a soul in matters of faith. Of course, we do not. God gave man his agency from the beginning. “The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,” but only if they accept those ordinances. The Church does not list them on its rolls or count them in its membership."
The MAIN task of the LDS temples...baptism for the dead.
Ah, so you are giving me not only permission, but charging that I do something in order to expose the lies of Mormonism?
Thank you very much - I will proceed in doing so!
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