The important aspects of a Christian ceremony.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

KU1

Select and explain. The important aspects of a Christian ceremony.

An important aspect of a Christian marriage is the vows; they are said and should be meant with all their hearts. The vows are;

I, N, take you, N,

To be my wife/husband,

To have and to hold,

From this day forward,

For better, for worse, *

For richer, for poorer, *

In sickness and in health, *

To love and to cherish, *

Till death us do part, *

According to God’s holy law,

And this is my solemn vow.

The vows establish the various commitments made to each other by the bride and groom. They are designed to ensure that the marriage will always be happy and loving and that each partner will always love and support the other, no matter what happens. Christians believe that marriage is an ever-lasting commitment to each other and to God and is made under his holy law. The vows highlighted above have special meanings as they are spoken by the bride and groom during the ceremony, they are,

“For better, for worse”- This means that each partner should support the other whether things are going well or not. Life, including marriage, has its ups and downs and this commitment is made recognising that things do not always go well. Christians believe that when things do not go well this should not be the reason for separation and that by supporting each other things can improve again.

“For richer, for poorer”- This vow recognises that there can be times of hardship as well as good times and that in making this vow support will be given ...

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“For richer, for poorer”- This vow recognises that there can be times of hardship as well as good times and that in making this vow support will be given to each other when there is hardship. Each partner needs to be there to support the other regardless of financial state and Christians believe that a marriage can be happy in times of hardship not just when times are richer.

“In sickness and in health”- This vow is made recognising that the health of each partner can deteriorate and if this happens each needs to support the other as they do when their health is good. Christians believe that in marriage they must stay with and support their partner whether their health is good or bad. This support needs to be given until they become better or die!

“To love and cherish”- This vow is a vow to always be loving, show feelings, treat with respect, to be kind and supportive to each other.

“Till death us do part”- Christians believe that in making this vow they are marrying their partner for life and commit to the other vows made during the ceremony for the rest of their lives until death.

The exchanging of rings is an important aspect of the service, because a ring (circle) has no beginning or end, a never-ending togetherness and is symbolic of a joining together. The ring(s) are exchanged after the vows have been made and symbolise everlasting commitment made to each other and to God under his holy laws. As the rings are exchanged the priest says “What God joins together let not man divide” this signifies that the marriage has been made under Gods laws and is everlasting and should not be reversed by any man.

Christians believe that they are making their commitment to their partner and to God when they go through the marriage ceremony. They believe that this commitment is everlasting as it has been made before God. Christians understand that marriage can have its ups and downs. When a family needs help the church will be willing to help, by giving moral support, listening and understanding. They believe that marriage is a life long commitment and in their love for each other they will experience God’s love.