Marriage vows: What the...?

under_believer

I, [name] , do take you, [name], to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife], to love, honor [bride: and deeply respect], for as long as we both shall live together on Earth under God's marital arrangement.

Ummm... what? So romantic, so meaningful. Is it just me, or is that marriage vow right out of the frickin' Twilight Zone?

Lawfully Wedded: Betrays the Witness obsession with appearances. Why is "lawfully" inserted? Of course they're lawfully wedded.
Deeply Respect: So the husband isn't promising to deeply respect his wife? Does that mean that the Society thinks that husbands shouldn't respect their wives? Of course they don't think that. So why put the difference into the vows? Because they are OBSESSED with the "Christian headship arrangement."
On Earth: This is a holdover from when there were a lot of "anointed" with a "heavenly hope." The idea was that after you go to heaven, the marriage bonds are broken.
Under God's Marital Arrangement: This is a reference to the wildly speculative idea that many Witnesses had that after Armageddon, there would be no more marriage. I.E., they'd no longer be under "God's Marital Arrangement."

So, okay, I understand WHY the vows are like that, but am I the only one that thinks that they really suck, and totally miss the point of marriage altogether?

WTFBBQPWNT

Marriage sucks.

under_believer

ALSO: How tired did you get of hearing that damn Kingdom Song "Shulemite Maiden" played while the bride walked out?

earthtone

lmao @ the shulamite maiden reference.

This one wedding I went these two sisters (literal sisters also) sang it acapella. It was very beautiful. I remember thinking if they were "worldly" they would be rich.. I mean they had such beautiful voices. Everyone loved to listen to them. Oh well another dream sucked down the watchtower drain!

Anyhoo, I was always thought it was so dramatic (no not romantic) and had more meaning than "worldly" wedding. How brainwashed is that!

sinis

I had to use that f*cking song, I wanted to use Vivaldi "four seasons" but was promptly shot down by the elders as that was not a Theo-crack-tic song.

Kudra

I was wandering through the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix this year when I head the unmistakable sermonizing of a JW wedding.
All the "respect this respect that" immediately caught my ear.
I felt like running through their wedding and telling them all the real truth...
-that would have been fantastic. For me and some bored wedding guests. Would have ruined the bride and groom's day. Maybe later when their marriage fell apart or later when the wife was totally in depression over having to be married to someone who won't have oral sex with her (yeah this is melodramatic) and makes her cook every meal for him they would have looked back on the girl who "ruined" their wedding and laughed.
Anyway.
Yeah those vows are the lamest. Do they let you use your own vows at the KH?

Finally-Free

I, [name] , do take you, [name], to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife], to love, honor [bride: and deeply respect], for as long as we both shall live together on Earth under God's marital arrangement.

So, as soon as they're no longer living together all bets are off.

W

luna2

Hey, FF, cool...a loop hole. LOL

zenpunk

I had the terrible displeasure of having to go to my brother-in-law's JW wedding in South Africa last year, but hell, it was South Africa so I was going. During the vows I made the mistake of saying "what a load of shit" outloud before I could stop myself. Its on their wedding video and everything! Poor guys! Yeah those vows suck! I dreaded them when I said them myself.

fullofdoubtnow

I'm getting married next year, probably in a Registry Office, and thankfully, we won't be hearing that rubbish.

Marriage vows: What the...?

Share this