marriage

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I wonder on what basis you say that marriage was originally a religious ceremony. So far as I know, it seems to have been originally a social institution, but since it predates recorded history, it's difficult to say definitively what its original character was.

I know of no society where marriage is established for a man and women based on equality; either you get equality, or you get polygamy, but I know of no cross-over.

[Midge]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's a story of a man in the Bible who took a woman into his tent to signify that they were married. Can't think of who or what story that is, but it seems like it's in there.

Anyway, not much of a religious ceremony.. or any ceremony at all.

[Earniel]

Bah, spammers will say anything to make their posts look less like advertising. At least this one actually searched for relevant threads.

[Valandil]

Originally Posted by Midge

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's a story of a man in the Bible who took a woman into his tent to signify that they were married. Can't think of who or what story that is, but it seems like it's in there.

Anyway, not much of a religious ceremony.. or any ceremony at all.

That sounds like Isaac and Rebekah - from Genesis (end of ch. 24)

[inked]

Taking her into his tent was the culmination of the process, ya'll. It covers two chapters and was an arranged marriage. Check out chapter 24 and 25 in toto before you go all simplistic and everything!

Bye the by, the original marriage was recorded in Genesis 2:15-24. It is an enlargement of the synopsis of the creation of mankind in Genesis 1:26-30.

Interesting to note about Genesis 2:
1)the Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and it becomes the proper name, Adam; and,
2)the wife's name is not given until 4:1 - "And Adam knew Eve his wife, ..." - Eve sounds like the Hebrew word for life-giver and is related to the word for living.

I would point out that Adam and Eve are an arranged marriage, too! God arranged it. Which brings up the question, why should you settle for a star-crossed love when you can have one from God?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by inked

Interesting to note about Genesis 2:
1)the Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and it becomes the proper name, Adam; and,

Just to flesh that out a little more, ha-adam is a gender-inclusive term, like Latin homo, Greek anthropos, German mensch etc., rather than a male-specific term like vir, andros, mann, etc.

[Nerdanel]

why is this thread so popular amongst spammers? :P

[Earniel]

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Spammer dealt with.

[deleted for spamming by Eärniel]

[Mari]

Does anyone else find the above post in relation to the quote hilarious?

[Earniel]

Very. *breaks out the plastic gecko*

[katya]

I may or may not have gotten married at the courthouse a month or so ago. But only a couple people know about it. I couldn't help but think of this thread that I made all those years ago. Anyway I think the main reason for getting it official was for stuff like insurance and rights as far as hospital visits and such, and for if one of us died. So there you go, kind of a weird case study.

[The Gaffer]

Congrats!

How come all the secrecy?

[Jonathan]

Congratulations Katya!
I guess there weren't many people present except you two and the priest?

[Acalewia]

Congrats!

My husband and I weren't married by a priest in a church.

We were married by a JP in a little apartment XD

[Mari]

Congratulations

[Valandil]

Congratulations Katya!

Long may it last. But you should start getting the word out to families.

[katya]

I think part of it was because we had been watching Weeds and I liked the idea of a secret wedding and then later have a real ceremony. It was kind of awkward timing too but we wanted to get it official for practical reasons. It was so funny, we didn't have rings or anything or even take our winter coats off. The magistrate was a sweetheart though.

[The Gaffer]

Just the other day I found out that a friend I've known for about 5 years is married to his partner. It was a bit awkward because it turned out that even people he has known for 20+ years didn't know, and they only got married fairly recently.

In fact that may have been the Most Awkward Silence of 2011 for me, when the whole room turned round as one and said "WTF??".

I have a feeling it think that in their case it is to do with the legal position regarding her daughter (i.e. his step-daughter), possibly on account of the biological father being a wanker.

So yeah, all sorts of reasons.

Twas ever thus though eh? Isn't the romantic ideal of marriage a relatively recent convention?

[inked]

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

So yeah, all sorts of reasons.

Twas ever thus though eh? Isn't the romantic ideal of marriage a relatively recent convention?

Precisely. The "romantic convention" is a recent historic convention that has been imported anachronistically into all sorts of ideas and places by that ever popular cinema.

Arranged marriages are probably the most common world-wide and historically.

"Falling in love" is a rather recent ideal as a cause for marriage. It was marriage that led to falling in love usually. And, of course, the marriage vows in the Prayer Book reflect that reality rather than our age's.