DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post

**Caliwany** · 03-06-2009, 10:06 AM

I've never heard a convincing argument as to how Larry and Walter down the street make my wife and I less married.

The problem, of course, is the conflation of two very different concepts: having a wedding and getting married. Most recognized religious leaders are empowered to perform both marriages and weddings, so the confusion is understandable, but it's important to recognize the difference.

A marriage is a legal contract, binding two individuals into a family unit. It carries certain benefits and obligations such as responsibility for each others debts and "next of kin" status when one of the individuals is hospitalized or dies. Signing the marriage license is the marriage.

A wedding, on the other hand, is a religious or cultural ceremony. It legitimizes the union in the eyes of the community, but carries no legal force. It's entirely proper for a church to decide what weddings it will perform. No Catholic priest, for example, will legitimize the union of a divorcee. On the other hand, there are churches (or cults, depending on who you ask) that recognize unions that the State will not.

03-06-2009, 10:06 AM	#8
Caliwany Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 511 Senior Member	I've never heard a convincing argument as to how Larry and Walter down the street make my wife and I less married. The problem, of course, is the conflation of two very different concepts: having a wedding and getting married. Most recognized religious leaders are empowered to perform both marriages and weddings, so the confusion is understandable, but it's important to recognize the difference. A marriage is a legal contract, binding two individuals into a family unit. It carries certain benefits and obligations such as responsibility for each others debts and "next of kin" status when one of the individuals is hospitalized or dies. Signing the marriage license is the marriage. A wedding, on the other hand, is a religious or cultural ceremony. It legitimizes the union in the eyes of the community, but carries no legal force. It's entirely proper for a church to decide what weddings it will perform. No Catholic priest, for example, will legitimize the union of a divorcee. On the other hand, there are churches (or cults, depending on who you ask) that recognize unions that the State will not.
	Quote