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.
The apologists were given a similar explanation months ago ... apparently it didn’t sink in, or was not what their agenda was seeking. Their problem is ‘context’ ‘context’ ‘context’ ... isolating scriptural passages from their context in the rest of Scripture is quite useful in formulating the poison at the heart of mormonism.
“There are evidences of baptism for the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:29 and the Shepherd of Hermas (a text viewed by early Christians on par with Paul’s epistles).”
Shepherd of Hermas didn’t make it into the Bible because
it isn’t inspired scripture.
I Corinthians doesn’t command baptisms of the dead. It simply
says some were doing them. If it were important, somewhere in
the Bible it would be commanded. You will search in vain.
Just because you can find things in history doesn’t make them
Biblical.
You’ve been through so much lately. You are in my
prayers sister.
ampu
Thank you so much. Your prayers are a comfort!
Wow, you responded in less than 60 seconds!
I see a career in NASCAR for you CC!
LOL...Sometimes I am too quick to post and say the wrong things. Then there are times where my fingers get tangled.
Paul used that analogy because of the peculiarities of pagan baptism for the dead being practiced around Corinth in his day. It is likely many Corinthian church members were from that tradition and much confused by it ... mormons still use that to try and confuse folks.
The Peace of the Lord be with you as you administer to your father-in-law.
Thank you, kind sir. Wise words are always to be appreciated.
I knew there would be a knowledgeable Christian who would cut through the bologna.
And a big piece of bologna it was.
My father in law has been sent home from the hospital today to die. His brain tumor has won. I will be spending some of the following nights at the home of my in-laws to help provide comfort and care during his final days. Please cover me with prayer, and continue to cover the threads with the word of God. I am at times, soooo tired. It has been a very busy and full two weeks for me.
Most definitely!
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.
Common symptom. The other issue is simple definitions and with on-line lexicons being available (such as the mentioned Blue Letter Bible), such gross mis-definitions are not excusable methods of biblical interpretation. Of course, application of those tools could cause one to lose their testimony when exposed to the blatant abuse of the greek.
And this, coming from a guy who can’t even answer questions on the Trinity? You’re a funny guy AMPU. Wish I had time to answer you & Godzilla, but I’m getting ready for a great weekend. Have a great one guys.
Have a safe and family-filled holiday ...
If you believe posthumous baptism is nothing more than
the mumbo-jumbo of a religion different from your own in which you do not believe, than why on earth do you care if they involve your ancestors (who, by the way, may also have Mormon descendants)?
If you believe posthumous baptism is nothing more than the mumbo-jumbo of a religion different from your own in which you do not believe, than why on earth do you care.
What caused you to leap to so many false assumptions?
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
i DON'T UNDERSTAND What are false assumptions. you state that these are ritualistic foolishness. I said mumbo jumbo.
what would be the false conclusion.
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