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{"id":176,"date":"2011-10-10T16:06:49","date_gmt":"2011-10-10T20:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecrescat\/?p=176"},"modified":"2017-01-26T19:05:12","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T00:05:12","slug":"going-to-the-chapel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecrescat\/2011\/10\/going-to-the-chapel.html","title":{"rendered":"going to the Chapel…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

While I was there I took the above photo from their wedding album. It came out pretty well for being a picture of a picture. They were married in the fall of 1986 at a local Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Virginia. <\/p>\n

There is so much to love about this photo but the reason I took it was because it was in a beautiful church. Church weddings have become increasingly rarer and rarer. For two years, between the ages of 26-28, I attended and participated in fifteen weddings. Only six were actually in a church. The rest were in parks, botanical gardens, one at the Chrysler museum, and another in an aquarium. Even my religious friends opted for the park and garden weddings. A Jewish friend chose a bird sanctuary for his nuptials. <\/p>\n

To date, only five of those couples remain living together as husband and wife. All the church weddings endured, save for one. Everyone else is either separated or divorced. <\/p>\n

Looking at this it seems disproportionate to me. I know there have been studies galore regarding marriage statistics and some that specifically analyzed the the divorce rates among certain protestant denominations and Catholics<\/a>. But has anyone looked at the rates of divorce for those who\u2019ve had church weddings versus non-religious civil ceremonies? <\/p>\n

I understand not every one who has a church wedding is religious. Some opt for the location because the cathedral is beautiful, family tradition, or simply it\u2019s the cheapest venue. And I will admit that my friends who had the church weddings weren\u2019t the most pious practicing types, in fact we were very much a secular group. <\/p>\n

Yet the church weddings endured. Why is that, I wonder. I can\u2019t help but speculate that the very act of marrying in a Church drives home the profound reality that marriage is a sacrament. It is not just simply a celebration or a fancy party. It is a sacramental vow till death do them part, witnessed by God in His house with a huge crucifix hanging overhead. <\/p>\n

I know it sounds like I am suggesting that couples who marry in a park or quaint garden have less serious intentions, but maybe it\u2019s not so far fetched to wonder if the non-religious atmosphere in which some chose to celebrate such a monumental life moment denigrates the seriousness of the union. Does a lack of religious solemnity start a marriage off on the wrong foot? <\/p>\n

Discuss. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"