My heart is full this morning. As many of you may know, I hate weddings. It may seem odd that a woman hates weddings, but it's true. I hate them passionately. Here's why...Once upon a time a wedding was a representation of something sacred. It was a symbol of the commitment before God and each other to work at a holy marriage together, forever. With a 50% divorce rate, we've clearly strayed away from that idea. Divorce is an acceptable option now, and it's expected. Few work at staying married, each too concerned with his own happiness over God's holiness. The ceremony is filled with false promises.
The other reason I hate weddings is the white dress and the veil covering the bride's face. Why is this done? A white dress is a symbol of virginity, and the veil signifies modesty and purity. Do I really need to elaborate? Well, I don't mind if I do.
Today Prince William married Kate Middleton. I saw her "lovely" white dress and virginal veil splashed over Yahoo, and I shook my head. They were away on vacation together when he proposed. They moved in together before the wedding, and with the blessing of the Archbishop! He justified giving his blessing because "modern" couples want to "try out the milk before buying the cow"! Click here for the complete article.
Why the veil? What are you covering when the groom has already sampled everything? Why the white? Are we to believe they've been sleeping alone? Instead of setting an example for all of the young girls watching, they bowed to modernity like so many others before. It's so sad that an archbishop would forsake the Bible and bless their choice.
I want my daughters and son to aspire to wear white honestly. Our society has taken away the meaning. Brides are secretly scoffed at when they choose to do so and haven't earned it. Others simply wear creme or champagne since savvy designers have declared white "outdated" and off white colors "chic". Weddings are about more than "tradition", and we should treat them as such. They should not be a show. One should not say vows before a God that they do not honor with their lives. It's not a requirement, is it?
I am not trying to be harsh, and I welcome your thoughts. I am not trying to be judgmental, as it is my intention to edify. But I do not apologize for speaking truth from God's word. We are commanded to do nothing less.
While fashion trends change, God word doesn't. Sex is to be reserved for marriage. Teaching anything less is to rob ourselves and our children of what married love is meant to be. We can not teach a gospel that follows trends and modern thought. That is faulty at the core. Our lives should conform to the Bible. It is time that Christians stand up and be an example. Let the white of our wedding attire represent the purity in our lives.
Photo from Charliesbridal.com
3 comments:
Well, I found this site when I googled "i hate weddings".
Interestingly, I hate weddings too, for some similar reasons - even though I have a completely different value system.
I'm an atheist, but I think it's hypocritical for people to put on a show of believing in things that they obviously don't really believe.
For most people (whether they admit it or not) marriage in modern society is primarily just a social and economic contract. These days, marriage is mainly a piece of legal paper from the government that entitles you to benefits like health care and family leave, and which grants you property and inheritance rights. Sorry, but we live in a modern capitalist society - marriage is mainly about legal rights, no matter what religious trappings you dress it up in. (Think I'm wrong? Then ask yourself: how come you can get married and divorced by the government with no religious involvement, but religious marriages that don't include a government-issued license and paperwork don't count as legal marriages, or entitle you to anything? Because we live in a secular society based on the rule of law, and not in a theocracy - that's why.) Personally, I couldn't care less what people do with each other in bed before they get their paperwork from the government.
That said, I think it's stupid and hypocritical - and probably insulting to the minority of true believers out there - for people to PRETEND to care about god and religion when they really don't. The whole lip-service to some religion the couple doesn't actually follow always irritates me. If you're a modern person with secular values, just admit it - and stop thinking you're entitled to a church wedding. Church weddings are for actual believers, IMO. Yes, white was about virginity - and I happen to think that people who don't actually embrace the sexual mores of the western religions that preach abstinence until marriage should just wear something else, and stop pretending to embrace church teachings.
That, and the whole wedding-as-conspicuous-consumption-ritual thing bothers me. But again, we live in a capitalist society, so of course, any sort of ceremony is going to have a heavy consumption component (even if our consumption habits are unsustainable).
We have the weddings that fit our society.... and you and I seem to be disgusted by them for similar reasons, albeit from opposite sides of the value spectrum.
Like I said - interesting.
While we may have different value systems, it seems we both agree that weddings are simply social gatherings in most cases. The marriage is a legal transaction. I've never understood why people torment themselves with a "church" setting when it isn't a part of who they are. Your comments have given me food for thought. May God bless you, even if you don't believe in Him, He believes in you.
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