If you are a member of a specific religion, do you consider marriages conducted outside that religion (e.g. a civil ceremony in a registry office, or in a ceremony from another faith) to be valid marriages?
by 
lady fuschia
ANSWERS: 11
-
Marriage is a legal contract and not the domain of religion. It is the representative of the state that finalises marriages in the UK and not a religious representative!
-
From my standpoint, as long as the couple obtained a license, said their vows and had people witness it and signed the license at the end, it's a valid marriage to God and to me.
-
Of course. At least I hope so. I was raised a Catholic. I divorced and re-married : ) Religion shouldn't be the base for validity of a marriage, in my opinion.
-
In my faith all marriages between a man and woman are recognized as being valid with the exception of common law marriages. For those who don't know what common law means I will explain. Here in the U.S.A. in some states if a couple has co habitated for a certain number of years they are recognized as being married even though there is no piece of paper that says they are.
-
I would say you ought to. I can think of two basic functions of marriage that outsiders should pay attention to. The first is the purely legal - next of kin, joint ownership etc. If the marriage is according to the law of the land, you should recognise it as such, regardless of the religious ceremonies. The other is the statement of partnership, that the person they have married in the alien ceremony is their significant other. I think you should respect that statement regardless of the ceremonies with which it was made; which means that you should invite their partner to occasions to which spouses are invited, not attempt to seduce them away from the spouse etc. This is a matter of respect for them as a person, not for their religion. So I cannot see any occasion outside the ceremonies of your own religion (in which they will presumably not be participation) in which you should not respect their publicly made legal and social commitment.
-
Of Course. Marriage is a legal contract. That is why same-sex people have fought so hard for it. The contract exists with or without religious sanction. As a law-abiding American I must, it is my duty as a citizen to respect contracts legally binding since it is the law. To that degree my personal opinion and that of others really is irrelevant.
-
Marriage is a legal contract that may be conducted in various ways. Marriage is equally valid, as long as it conforms to the law. Various religions have a variety of traditions. On the other hand God(s) are not necessarily required to be included in the ceremony at all. The law defines marriage as a legal contract, not a spiritual one.
-
Yes. I am a Christian who married a Muslim in a Muslim ceremony. Good enough for me!
-
I would say that as long as it's legal the marriage should be recognized as a valid marriage.
-
I do, but sadly the religion doesn't. I was married, and attend (occasionaly) synagogue. Becasue its an orthadox synagogue, married women are meant to wear hats, but I was told I didnt need to because in the eyes of G*d, as my husabnd wasnt Jewish, I wasn't married.
-
I am not a religious member and I do consider all marriages valid
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC