marriage

Does Modern Spiritualism have a legally-accepted wedding ceremony?

Hi Mac - I don't think the nature of the ceremony matters in UK law as long as the person solemnising it is authorised by the state - is that what you're asking?

obiwan wrote:Hi Mac - I don't think the nature of the ceremony matters in UK law as long as the person solemnising it is authorised by the state - is that what you're asking?

Yes but also I wondered if there is a church ceremony as in mainstream religions.....

Are Spiritualist ministers authorised to perform wedding ceremonies and is there a Spiritualist one with vows etc?

Any recognised religious group can perform such ceremonies that they consider to reflect their spiritual values and which encompass the current legal requirements.

mac wrote:

obiwan wrote:Hi Mac - I don't think the nature of the ceremony matters in UK law as long as the person solemnising it is authorised by the state - is that what you're asking?

Yes but also I wondered if there is a church ceremony as in mainstream religions.....

Are Spiritualist ministers authorised to perform wedding ceremonies and is there a Spiritualist one with vows etc?

That's a good question, and I'd like to also know what the SNU and other spirtualist organisations think about same sex marriages.

hiorta wrote:Any recognised religious group can perform such ceremonies that they consider to reflect their spiritual values and which encompass the current legal requirements.

I see.

Is there, then, a 'model' marriage ceremony used within Spiritualism's churches or centres and does anyone know if marriages are in fact being carried out?

Wes wrote:

mac wrote:

obiwan wrote:Hi Mac - I don't think the nature of the ceremony matters in UK law as long as the person solemnising it is authorised by the state - is that what you're asking?

Yes but also I wondered if there is a church ceremony as in mainstream religions.....

Are Spiritualist ministers authorised to perform wedding ceremonies and is there a Spiritualist one with vows etc?

That's a good question, and I'd like to also know what the SNU and other spirtualist organisations think about same sex marriages.

I'm also interested in this matter - anyone know anything?

Spiritualist ceremony is still little more than a 'tailpiece' of Christian ritual,having still to formulate its own ideas. The last 'Spiritualist' wedding I attended was in two parts, the 'churchy' part was termed a 'blessing' while the legal part was in the local Registry Office. An excellent opportunity for dressing up, but beyond that.....
In any case, does ritual have any place in Spiritualism?

The Christian hang-up with matters sexual would seem to have travelled with those who now profess Spiritualism.
SB mentioned that it was the existence of Love between individuals that mattered more than the way that Love was expressed - Love being of the Great Spirit, the expression of that love often being determined by culture and custom of the place and time (my paraphrase)

Anyway, a very interesting question which may put the proverbial cat among some complacent pigeons.

hiorta wrote:Spiritualist ceremony is still little more than a 'tailpiece' of Christian ritual,having still to formulate its own ideas. The last 'Spiritualist' wedding I attended was in two parts, the 'churchy' part was termed a 'blessing' while the legal part was in the local Registry Office. An excellent opportunity for dressing up, but beyond that.....
In any case, does ritual have any place in Spiritualism?

The Christian hang-up with matters sexual would seem to have travelled with those who now profess Spiritualism.
SB mentioned that it was the existence of Love between individuals that mattered more than the way that Love was expressed - Love being of the Great Spirit, the expression of that love often being determined by culture and custom of the place and time (my paraphrase)

Anyway, a very interesting question which may put the proverbial cat among some complacent pigeons.

thanks - It's something about which I knew absolutely nothing.

I asked the questions here because on this website we have experienced and knowledgeable members. This subject was raised elsewhere and I was unable to offer any help or comment.

I didn't know either mac, I wondered what powers SNU Ministers had. According to Google:


Wedding Services the Spiritualist Way

COMMUNITY
DISTRICTS A-Z
CHURCHES A-Z
OUR MINISTERS
Weddings
Namings
Blessings
Funerals & Memorials
OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Spiritualist Weddings....



SNU Ministers and Officiants are fully trained to carry out marriage ceremonies, which includes the necessary legally binding vows.



In most SNU Churches a Registrar would be needed to witness and record the vows, although some Churches have an 'Authorised Person' who records the marriage in the same was as a Registrar.



Remember that when vows are exchanged in the Spiritualist service those in the Spirit world are also invited as witnesses. Special people in the Spirit world who cannot be there in body can certainly be there in spiritual form, bringing the love which continues to flow from them.



If you are not a Spiritualist, you need to consider whether this service is suitable for you as it treats those present as accepting of the Seven Principles and having an understanding of Spiritualism.



To find out more about having your wedding the Spiritualist Way, contact your local SNU Church or pick up a leaflet for more details.



To find a Minister in your area, select the Districts A-Z menu and your location.

normy wrote:I didn't know either mac, I wondered what powers SNU Ministers had. According to Google:


Wedding Services the Spiritualist Way

COMMUNITY
DISTRICTS A-Z
CHURCHES A-Z
OUR MINISTERS
Weddings
Namings
Blessings
Funerals & Memorials
OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Spiritualist Weddings....



SNU Ministers and Officiants are fully trained to carry out marriage ceremonies, which includes the necessary legally binding vows.



In most SNU Churches a Registrar would be needed to witness and record the vows, although some Churches have an 'Authorised Person' who records the marriage in the same was as a Registrar.



Remember that when vows are exchanged in the Spiritualist service those in the Spirit world are also invited as witnesses. Special people in the Spirit world who cannot be there in body can certainly be there in spiritual form, bringing the love which continues to flow from them.



If you are not a Spiritualist, you need to consider whether this service is suitable for you as it treats those present as accepting of the Seven Principles and having an understanding of Spiritualism.



To find out more about having your wedding the Spiritualist Way, contact your local SNU Church or pick up a leaflet for more details.



To find a Minister in your area, select the Districts A-Z menu and your location.

thank you normy That sorts things out.

I've posted a link for the member who had asked.

Hi Mac,

Lis and I were married using a written Spiritualist Ceremony by the President of Ilford Spiritualist Church. Naturally as he was not a Minister we had a civil registrant on the premises. Great Service too. In the UK the place also has to be registered to hold weddings. Before our marriage Lis and I were involved in finishing getting the Church ready (our wedding was the first use of the renovatted church) and getting the church re registered. Ilford Spiritualists had only recently acquired the church from, I think, the methodists after the compulsory purchase of their old premises.


Great service much more user friendly than the normal church service but, very importantly not so different that it could put off all the non Spiritualists who attended as guests. Being the first use of the church on top of our guests all of the Ilford attendees came along (well on top of the first use of the church not the church hall Ilford was one of the churches Lis served on her East London circuit) the place was packed.

Jim

thanks, Jim - very interesting - it's made me realise there's more going on in the church scene than I had thought - interesting, too, that in all the time I've been around Spiritualism it was the first time the subject of a marriage ceremony had come up

Ilford, eh? Do you miss the UK at all?

Sometimes Mac, the pubs and the ability to do proper research given all the available material in parts of the UK. Hmm, then there is the fact that, although things are clearly not the same over there as in the early 80's there would be more likelihood of attending a centre with something worthwhile and a chance to see some of the better mediums.

As a medium it might be good to work in more places too.


I also miss the countryside because I spent most of my time living in and around villages or towns like Horsham but then Adelaide is lovely if sometimes too hot in summer.

I recently made an online friend for a time who'd moved - been taken as a child by his parents - to Australia in the sixties. His parents had had links here to the Spiritualist church and from what I 'picked up' about him I felt sure that a similar path had been intended for him. But it wasn't to be and his spiritual activities took an altogether different direction.

Now in his late sixties he dreams of an extended visit to the UK particularly seeing again the places he grew up in as a child.

There are many reasons why a couple have a civil wedding ceremony but may also like to have a spiritual blessing on their marriage. If this is your situation, you can have a civil ceremony in a registry office or other authorised venue closely followed by a Wedding Blessing in a church, hotel or another place of your choosing.

HemantM wrote:There are many reasons why a couple have a civil wedding ceremony but may also like to have a spiritual blessing on their marriage. If this is your situation, you can have a civil ceremony in a registry office or other authorised venue closely followed by a Wedding Blessing in a church, hotel or another place of your choosing.

HemantM, copied the above from the Longton Spiritualist Church website, and never bothered citing the source.

www.longtonspiritualistchurch.com/services/blessing.php

HemantM please stop copying and pasting whenever you come on here, if you do ensure that you cite your sources.

I'm wondering if HemantM may be a less-than-genuine contributor here and his style and lack of response to others' comments reminds me of someone else... Someone who was around for a time and then disappeared mysteriously.

I wondered but its a new IP to me, from India.

Ah, OK, we'll see how it pans out then...