Would you get married in a church?

[brummie]

Civil marriages in their present form have been going for decades, the idea of a civil marriage has been going for centuries (probably thousands of years in fact). Think of common law marriages if nothing else e.g. married by habit and repute - no religious ceremony (not even a ceremony at all) yet you can have all the legal rights if it is believed you were/are a married couple.

Marriage just opens up a whole new selection of legal rights, you can do the same with a civil partnership if you wish. A will is not an adequate substitute really as it isn't designed to do the same thing.

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

Common Law Marriage isnt legal

 

[semi-pro waster]

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

Common Law Marriage isnt legal

You're rather missing the point I fear in that the argument was originally about whether civil marriages existed and for how long.

However I didn't actually even think that England didn't allow for common-law marriage so that was my error in forgetting your legal system varies from the Scottish one in such areas. Scotland does allow irregular marriage although it is distinctly less common since many couples will now cohabit for years without being assumed to be married and as with a couple of other areas (notably the Not Proven verdict) I rather think it is better than the English system in these regards.

 

[RDM]

What?? When did civil marriages start then?

I am talking generally rather than specifically for the UK. Marriage was first and formost a legal thing, it was only later that religion coopted it in to their remit.

I can leave a will, why get married?

Inheritance tax would be a starting point. Pension rights is another. Most important though is next of kin rights. If you are not married you have no legal next of kin rights so your partners family can overrule you on medical decisions and the like.

 

[brummie]

I am talking generally rather than specifically for the UK. Marriage was first and formost a legal thing, it was only later that religion coopted it in to their remit.

Can you please find some reference for us?

 

[Vonhelmet]

Can you please find some reference for us?

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

Get reading!

 

[yer_averagejoe]

I'd like to get married either somewhere natural (beautiful countryside) or in an old building (and since churches are the most beautiful of the old buildings.. probably a church). I don't like the idea of getting married in a modern building.. no matter how nice it is. a church is romantic i guess.. its like having a picnic rather than sitting in mcdonalds.

 

[Greenlizard0]

Hasn't read entire thread, but to the OP, then a religious building doesn't really mean anything to me, I guess my answer would be no. I'd rather save those few pennies for a better honeymoon.

 

[Raumarik]

I wouldn't get married in a chapel or church, as I'm not religious and think it'd be quite hypocritical of me to do so. I'm having a humanist ceremony, which is about as far removed from religion as you can get and I couldn't be happier. We're getting married only a few hundred meters from where we met and in a UNESCO world heritage site, which is far more interesting than a Church/Chapel and far more meaningful to us both.

Everyone has the right to a religion and to practice it, but I don't see why society should shove it down non-religious people's throat and I don't see what difference getting married in a religious building would bring to anyone who doesn't believe. I know of people who have been married in Chapel/Church when neither of them is religious or where they've both been to X number of masses to become eligable to do it.