Marriage officiants and pastors : Under God or Not?
By SomeCowgirl
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
United States
May 12, 2008 3:15pm CST
Well My fiance and I want to have to weddings, a bigger one once we have the money and a smaller one soon. My Fiance was sort of worried because he feels that a marrige officiant is not getting married under god and I agreed with him. I feel that being married by a marriage officiant is not showing god that you are devoting yourself to your partner, it almost feels as if it is just getting legal permissions to share responsibilities.
What is everyone's opinion on this?
2 people like this
3 responses
@GloomCookieLex (6073)
• United States
12 May 08
Unless you're going to a courthouse and getting married by the Justice of the Peace who is a judge, all marriage officiants are pastors, ministers, Rabbis, priests, etc. All officiants must be mandated under a religious title. Being outside of a proper church doesn't change that fact, unless you're Catholic.
2 people like this
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
12 May 08
Well I know that all people legally ordained to marry are considered officiants. I am not catholic, my fiance and I are both Christians. We still feel that it is better to be married by a pastor then by a legal officiant as a legal officiant can be a ex criminal (did you see the episode of Redneck Wedding where the officiant for their wedding was a ex con and he wore his prison shirt?)
2 people like this
@GloomCookieLex (6073)
• United States
13 May 08
Pastors are legal officiants and legal officiants are pastors, priests, ministers, etc. You cannot be legally married without a legal officiant. If you don't want your minister to be an ex-con, then don't use one. You can't control people's pasts.
Also, Redneck Wedding is HARDLY indicative of standard wedding protocol. I personally think that show is horribly offensive.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
13 May 08
I won't go out there looking for ex con priests, but i'm not going to just not have a priest because they might have prior convictions. I just find redneck wedding stupid.
1 person likes this
@hellcowboy (7374)
• United States
14 May 08
Yeah I think getting married by an officiant is not getting married under God,and I think the only way to truly be married under God is to get married by a Pastor,because marriage is a sacred thing,and once we say our vows will be together forever because I love you,and I wish that more people who get married would stay together,and that not so many people would get divorced,cause honestly I think divorce is bad,and that is dishonors God,since basically a God is working to the Pastor to do his bidding.
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@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
14 May 08
I do agree that getting married under god is better, and therefore, using a pastor is the best thing. I also agree that too many people get divorced before trying to work on their relationship.
I love you too, buttercup.

1 person likes this
@hellcowboy (7374)
• United States
14 May 08
Yeah it is always better to get married by a Pastor,and if people would stop and think before they ran out and got married,and then turned around and get divorced, especially couples who have kids,because in those cases they especially need to try and work it out,for the kids sakes.
1 person likes this
@GloomCookieLex (6073)
• United States
14 May 08
For the last time. Marriage officiants ARE pastors. You cannot be a legal officiant without being an ordained religious official.
And I do have to say that I disagree with the "staying for the kids" idea. My mother stayed "for the kids" and it got us nothing but abuse and mental anguish.

@danishcanadian (28954)
• Canada
12 May 08
I am glad you asked!!!
My husband is a Mormon, and I'm a Presbyterian. We are both comortable and happy with our religions, and no one converted for the other.
A conservative Presbyterian minister who does NOT speak for the entire aith, called the Mormons heretics, and some missionaries from my husband's church tried to convert me!!! AARRGGHH!!!
We had a totally SECULAR wedding, because we did not want these arguing clergy people involved in legalizing our marriage.
We will have a blessing cerimony with prayers and BOTH our religions performed by friends in August, and our marriage is nice and legal without the aid of people who think we're heretics.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
12 May 08
I am glad that you chose to do that and will still be bring religion into your ceremony. My fiance and I luckily have the same faith, so that we do not have any conflict in that. Our only problem is who will marry us knowing that we are living together.
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