What do you think of marriages among atheists?

[Shelly2002]

I know a couple that got married at a city hall. Both of them are atheists but still did their ceremony.

I guess marital vows can be interrupted however they want to. If they don't want to include God in it, ok. Though for certain people, they think it lacks some meaning.

What do you think when you see non-religious marriages?

[Lliam]

My wife and I were both raised Catholic, but were not religious when we got married.
Nevertheless, we got married twice. The first one, on Oct 6th, was a full Catholic wedding for her very large Catholic family in Cincinnati. She wore a white dress and looked like a queen. Then we went on a three week honeymoon.
Back home in Los Angeles, we had another for my family and our friends on Nov 3rd. A spiritual (pagan), female minister presided. Again, my wife wore her white gown.

Both weddings were beautiful.

We both took our wedding vows seriously. "To have and to hold from this day forward, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part."
Those vows are a public pledge of honor; a solemn promise. I don't go back on my word and neither does my wife. We work to keep our relationship healthy an happy. And my wife has proven her loyalty numerous times.

We've been happily married now for over 28 years, had LOTS of fun, and built a wonderful life together. We love each other very much.

We don't need threats from an imaginary sky god to have morals and ethics.

[MisterWack]

“What do you think when you see non-religious marriages?”

Marriage to me, is a ceremony of love. Not a ceremony of God. Think about it, couples are showcasing their love and taking a beautiful relationship and turning it into a continued journey down a long winding road of two souls intertwined in passion & love & devotion of one another. To them, it is a ceremony of love and having your families & friends & loved ones being there to bear witness to the strong bonds between two people that fell in love and I respect that.

I’m not a man of God by any means and I plan on getting married though it doesn’t matter since I’ve always saw this as a ceremony of love and not one of religious practice. Whether you are a devoted believer of the religion you choose to subscribe to, are a person who identifies with the LGBTQ+ community, are Heterosexual, or whoever you are you are worthy of love & allowed to express that love however you see it fit even marriage. Thank you for reading.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Marriage without religion is a legal agreement, essentially saying “This is a legal acknowledgement that this person I am married to is the person I trust most with my life.” Should anything happen to either party, the spouse is the first contact for any medical decisions that the other might not be able to make, they have power of attorney, and should something even more tragic happen with no documents in place to say otherwise, they will receive the estate of the other party, meaning all of their belongings and property will belong to them in the event of death. Marriage has been a legal joining for a very long time, it’s why divorcing someone requires lawyers, and it’s why marriage used to be (and still is in some places) a business deal. There’s no lessening to the meaning of making it known to any and all local authorities that your spouse is the person you trust the most if you, for some reason, cannot make any decisions for yourself. There’s a great deal to be admired in making such a commitment.

[Jessica405]

When we reach 10 years together, my boyfriend and I will probably have a Handfasting. A Pagan ceremony just to re-affirm out love for each other, in front of our friends and family. I think non-religeous weddings are fine if they suit those concerned, but in general, I think weddings and marriage are not needed.

[Vesuvius87]

It was the most perfect moment for my husband and I. We're atheists too and don't need to pledge loyalty to some invisble, fictitious being at a depressing, dark building.

I'm already committing to him for life.

[Summeroflove]

I mean marriage should be a special day for people plus probably the families

[MrOracle]

Most people today, religious or otherwise, don't treat marriage like the sacred religious vow that it was intended to be. Once government really started to get involved around 1900, and ever more so in the 20th century, it became more of a business contract enforced by the government, with some limited civic benefits.

For example, being a girlfriend or boyfriend doesn't make you family under the law, so if, say, one gets injured, the other may not have visitation rights at the hospital and will not be considered to have the injured person's medical proxy, even if they lived together and no other family saw them for 20 years. There are a number of tax implications and benefits to being married that are an advantage in certain situations. Social Security payments are usually affected.

So, there are definitely still reasons a non-religious couple might still want to get married.

[Shelly2002]

yeah its meaning has changed over the years. It's all about the government mainly and not the way it used to be in the past, where more people really committed till the very end.

[ManOnFire]

I'm sure their marriages work no differently than those of us with faith. It's a marriage of equal values so it will work. The marriages that can become strained are those where one is religious and the other is not, or both people have different religions.

[Anonymous]

God actually has little to do with commitments made between mortals.
Religious people think this is less meaningful, but us atheists ask, why do you need a 'higher entity' to govern your unions?

[RainbowMarinade]

I think it’s nobody’s business what other people do. Who really cares if people who are not in the marriage “think it lacks some meaning?”

Opinions are like assholes. 🤷‍♀️

[JustinTheGreat]

I don’t really see how marriage is exclusively for religious people.. it’s just a ceremony to celebrate the joining of a couple. Nothing about it is religious unless you make it religious

[Nikki1989]

It worked for us. Our wedding day was wonderful, and we did it our way. No need to ruin it with some outdated religious nonsense.

[genericname85]

just cause they don't believe in god doesn't mean thy don't love each other or would want you to interrupt their marriage ceremony. wtf are you even saying?

[blueonblack22]

Just noticed the stock art. Seriously why is it that leftist and/or atheist women are often dying their hair unnatural colors (purple, blue, etc.)?

[admles]

I'm an atheist, born and raised, my wife became an atheist at 18, and we have a lovely, happy marriage. Our wedding was wonderful, a family friend performed the ceremony with zero religious involvement.

[monkeynutts]

Secular societies can still have ceremonial practices.

[DrPepper12]

They're more stable, honest & communicative without an invisible 3rd wheel

[Anonymous]

It's the commitment that matters regardless of religion or not. I guess if you're religious, you won't understand the non religious marriage as much but as long as they do, all good.

[Notherndude84]

God is a figment of crazy people’s imagination, a civil marriage has more legitimacy than the entire bible.

[Anonymous]

My wife and I are both atheists. Works great for us.

[TallAnon]

There's worth in voicing your commitment in front of all the most important people in your life

[altaboy]

I think marriage is about a commitment between two people. God has nothing to do with it.

[paledreams]

Potentially as wholesome as any

[QuietRunner]

still a bond of love