Covenant Wedding?

[Rider]

Why is it that Fundies insist on calling their weddings/marriages "Covenant." When we got married, it was in a church with a pastor, just like the Fundies. So why insist on calling it "Covenant." It almost seems like by adding that adjective, they are telling us that their marriages more special than the rest of the population who also took their vows before God and men.

Just wondering...

[Shina]

Isn't that exactly what they're trying to tell us?

[GeoBQn]

They might be talking about "covenant marriage," a type of marriage contract in some states where the couple basically waves their right to a no-fault divorce.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_marriage

It got some attention when Mike Huckabee and his wife renewed their vows to change to a covenant marriage during a rally for "traditional marriage."

[mystweaver]

More Speeeshul than the secular people: check

More Biblical (God makes covenants): check

More Serious (theoretically, covenants aren't broken): check

More eyerolling (from the ebil pagans): check :)

[debrand]

According to wikipedia, convenant marriages have more limited reasons for divorce.

Considering how young some of these people are when they enter into marriage, I could see a person being pressured into such an arrangment that might hurt them later.

I could see this happening: A young girl or boy desperately wants to marry and have sex. The other person wants a convenant marriage and won't get married without one. Their family wonder why their child won't do the "Christian' thing and prove that they are serious about marriage. So, they have a convenant marriage. Later, the individual realizes that he or she made a mistake but has difficulty leaving the marriage.

Fundies might be shocked to know but most people don't marry with the idea that they will get divorced later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_marriage

In some parts of the United States, a covenant marriage is a legally distinct kind of marriage, in which the marrying couple agree to obtain pre-marital counseling and accept more limited grounds for divorce. The covenant marriage laws emphasize the belief that marriage is more than just a mere contract between two individuals, contending that without marriage, there would be no foundation of family in society and, in turn, no civilization or progress to follow.

The movement sets out to promote and strengthen marriages, reduce the rate of divorce, lessen the number of children born out of wedlock, discourage cohabitation, and frame marriage as an honorable and desirable institution.[1] As a law, covenant marriage is technically written neutrally with respect to religion, however it quickly became marked as a religious form of marriage, due to its historical background.[2]

[Witsec1]

Blech. I see that "covenant marriage" is legal in three states, according to wikipedia. This is basically shariah law for christians, as far as I can tell. If you want to have a covenant marriage with stricter rules, why the fuck do you require the state to enforce it. If you really believe this is what God wants, why don't you do it and not make the state play enforcer for your religious rules?

[demgirl]

Covenant marriages are stupid in my opinion, for all the reasons I'm sure are obvious. But I don't think that's what most of the fundies are referencing, because state sanctioned covenant marriages only exist in a few states. I think most of them are just trying to throw an extra word next to marriage to make them seem super special.

[Kitty]

Don't the FLDS do covenant marriages? And aren't those covenant marriages not recognized by the state, so the FLDS can go on practicing polygamy and raping young girls?

I could be wrong, but something about "covenant" marriages creeps me out.

[clibbyjo]

Are Covenant marriages legal in PA.? Maybe I need one? Demgirl is a lawyer, she can perform it for me at my 20 anniversary next year! Actually , I am an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, so I could perform my own right? Can I write my own vows to say I will continue to do whatever I want and so will he? :) I want to be special too!

edited for spelling because bad news + 3 glasses of wine make my poor brain work even worse than usual.

[demgirl]

I'm staging an intervention, clibby. No covenant marriage for you! (We don't have them here, TG).

(I like the vows though.)

;)

[gustava]

I thought our beloved fundies used the term "covenant marriage" when they didn't have a legal marriage license issued by the ebil guvment.

[Sweetpea1]

Are Covenant marriages legal in PA.? Maybe I need one? Demgirl is a lawyer, she can perform it for me at my 20 anniversary next year! Actually , I am an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, so I could perform my own right? Can I write my own vows to say I will continue to do whatever I want and so will he? :) I want to be special too!

edited for spelling because bad news + 3 glasses of wine make my poor brain work even worse than usual.

Unless you are licensed in the church of doug, I don't think it would be special enough. Doug is special unto himself, though.

Edited to add: Sigh, I need a few drinks just to make sense of things today.

[mirele]

They might be talking about "covenant marriage," a type of marriage contract in some states where the couple basically waves their right to a no-fault divorce.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_marriage

It got some attention when Mike Huckabee and his wife renewed their vows to change to a covenant marriage during a rally for "traditional marriage."

They'd be gobsmacked to find out that a coworker got a covenant marriage license for a Hindu wedding. (She and her hubs thought his family, in India, would take it more seriously.)

She made the mistake of asking me about Arizona's covenant marriage law. I laughed and told her that I was the last person to ask, since I'd written letters denouncing covenant marriage that got published in both the New York Times and the local fishwrap.