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Some thoughts on marriage
Katharine Jefferts Schori: Well, you know the reality of our understanding of marriage has changed enormously over the centuries. In the middle ages, even in church circles, it was understood as a property contract. You know, in an era when women were seen as property and they were handed from father to groom. That's where the "giving this woman" comes from in the marriage ceremony, when it's used. We live in a culture and a time where we understand that human beings give themselves freely to another, and that parents don't do that giving. We understand that people are free to enter into an agreement to live together in a way that, in the church, is an expression of the holy. And for the state to meddle in that seems inappropriate. There's a significant move in the church right now to take clergy out of the role of signing the marriage certificate on behalf of the state. And I think we might be healthier if we went that route. Christy George: To really separate civil and religious marriage. Katharine Jefferts Schori: Correct--as happens in many other regions of the world. More here. So, what is the difference between "civil" and "religious" marriage? And, in the mind of the average American, do you think there is a difference?
Some thoughts on marriage | 1 comment (1 topical, 0 hidden)
Some thoughts on marriage | 1 comment (1 topical, 0 hidden)
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