Are Wedding Rings Pagan?

KW13

Are Wedding Rings Pagan?

I want to use this, if its correct. If they are Pagan, HOW Pagan are they?

lawrence

About 4800 years ago in Ancient Egypt a bride and groom exchanged rings.

It is believed that ancient Egyptians viewed the ring, a never ending metal band, as representing eternal love and as having supernatural power. Rings were worn on the 4th finger of the left hand because they thought the "vena moris" or the "vein of love" ran through it, to the head.

Of course, the Witnesses will disagree. Hell, talk about pagans, that's the least of life's problems; protecting pedophiles, killing people with "blood doctrines," being false prophets, and being morons is far worse.

forsharry

Wedding rings date back much further than you probably imagine. Primitive man would capture a woman and encircle her wrists and ankles with chains to prevent her from escaping. Yet another ancient practice involved circling her body with a rope, which would both keep her from evil sprits and bind her to him. Even in seventeenth-century BC Egypt, wedding rings had a supernatural significance, linked by their never-ending band with eternal love. Ironically, the early Christian Church initially rejected wedding rings as relics of a Pagan time, but gradually adopted the practice.

Many believe the origin of wedding rings as we now know them is that it was the outcome of the ancient Egyptian custom of placing a piece of ring-money (used before coins were introduced) on the bride’s finger to indicate that she was endowed with her husband’s wealth. This symbolism is retained in the modern marriage service.

In Roman times betrothal and nuptial rings were used as seals and symbols of ownership and wealth. Once, only highly ranked senators could wear gold rings, bearing seals of state. Others were allowed only rings of iron and some of these were keys to access storerooms. On marriage, the responsibility for the keys to a man's storeroom were given over to his bride and so came about the custom of giving a wedding ring or Pronumbum (later a token gold ring) and with it 'all his worldly goods'. It was not presented to the bride during the actual ceremony, however, but after she had been lifted over the threshold of her new home. The presentation of the key denoted the confidence placed in her by her husband and was a token that henceforth she should share all that he possessed.

Why the third finger of the left hand should have received the particular honour of being selected both in pagan and Christian times has been variously interpreted.

One rather quaint theory, which possibly goes back to the Egyptians, is the belief that a delicate vein, (the aptly named ‘vena amoris’) runs from that finger to the heart; another is that the left hand represents submission and the right hand domination – clear messages there! A popular magazine writer ascribed another reason that the third finger has long been considered sacred and hence has been consecrated to wear the wedding ring.

However, the belief that the wedding ring has always been worn upon the fourth finger of the left hand is mistaken. During the fifteenth century in certain provinces in Europe, the wedding ring was placed on the fourth finger of the bride’s right hand. In Peter Heylyn’s ‘History of the Reformation’(1661) he says “that the man should put the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand, and not on the right hand as has been continued for many hundreds of years.” Certainly some fashionable ladies in the 16th and 17th centuries took to wearing wedding rings on their thumbs!

It was not until the time of the Reformation in England that the custom of wearing a wedding band on the left hand became the norm and still, in Greece and other places, the right hand was considered the hand of power, authority and independence whilst the left was the hand of subjection and dependence and the more fitting place for the wife to wear her symbol of subjugation to her husband; so it was ordered in The English Book of Common Prayer that the ring be placed on the fourth finger of the woman's left hand.

((Just adding more from what the gentleman above me stated. Definitely has Pagan origins!))

mouthy

When as a witness I learned rings were pagan. I took mine off. The elders came to me ( because with a mouth like me....I wanted to warn the sisters? to do the same (smile) The elders warned ME to put it back on.... Because if we dont wear them when we call at the doors( if we are a lovely girl or a handsome fellow) we are sending a message to say we are available.... They added maybe not for you( cos who would want me) but for the goodlookers.honest. ( yeah he was teasing but I think he meant it LOL

Warlock

My family had an issue about wedding rings when I was active.

Another family member in a different congregation was getting married and an elder in their congregation said wedding rings should not be worn because they were of pagan origin.

One of my best friends, who was an elder, took me to the library and said "Look them up in the magazines and tell me what they say". What I found was some sources said pagan, and others did not. To wear or not to wear is a conscience issue. I showed the elder and he said "You can wear them if you want or not wear them if you want. No one can condemn you either way."

Warlock

Outaservice

I guess if you wanted to get technical, anything 'pre-Christian' could be considered 'pagan'!

Outaservice

james_woods

Outaservice, beep,beep, back up the truck...

I think you meant to say anything before the presidency of Judge Rutherford is "pagan"...

lonelysheep

My answer, too, Outaservice.

Stealth

Also the bride & grooms feeding each other cake is a pagan fertility ritual.

sspo

Interestingly, no consequences for wearing a ring even though we all know it is pagan or celebrate your anniversary but you will get df's and end up in Gehenna if you celebrate a birthday, another pagan custom according to the Warchtower. everyone knows among the witnesses that it does not make sense but no one dares to complain or question it.

Very sad, very sad

Are Wedding Rings Pagan?

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