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This morning, NPR had a report on \u201cCelebrants USA,\u201d an organization of \u201cProfessional celebrants\u201d that designs and officiates at ceremonies of all kinds. The report was about ceremonies of \u201cdownsizing,\u201d held when someone loses his or her job because of cuts in the size of a company\u2019s workforce. Celebrants USA\u2019s website introduces the organization as follows: \u201cCelebrants are Professional Officiants who Create Personal Ceremonies to Honor and Celebrate Life\u2019s Milestones: Weddings, Commitments-Gay and Lesbian Ceremonies, Renewals of Vows, Baby Namings, Adoption Ceremonies, Coming-of-Age Ceremonies, Birthdays, Special Achievements, Divorce Ceremonies, Survivor Ceremonies, Rites of Passage, Funerals, Memorials, and Civic and Corporate Ceremonies.\u201d <\/p>\n
On the one hand, this is all rather comical. On the other, it points to the remarkable resilience (or resurgence) of ceremonial behavior in an anti-ritual culture. And it\u2019s another sign of the church\u2019s retreat and failure, since most of these rites of transition would one day have been officiated by ministers of the gospel. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This morning, NPR had a report on \u201cCelebrants USA,\u201d an organization of \u201cProfessional celebrants\u201d that designs and officiates at ceremonies of all kinds. The report was about ceremonies of \u201cdownsizing,\u201d held when someone loses his or her job because of cuts in the size of a company\u2019s workforce. Celebrants USA\u2019s website introduces the organization as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"yoast_head":"\n