[Stiff Little Fingers]

I'll attend wedding & funerals in churches if my family are involved, but I have no plans to get married in a church. If I get to the point where I'm marrying someone, and she wants a church wedding then fine, I'm completely nonplussed, but I'd rather have any wedding outside (Registry offices are as dull as the weather outside my window at the moment).
As for my funeral - I don't care. My body will probably be split up and the organs donated to those in need, either that or medical school cadaver - something that will actually provide a use to society. If people then want to hold a funeral for me then by all means, but I'd hope they respect me enough to leave religion out of it and just celebrate my life rather than mourning and praying.

[DaveSmith99]

The reason that weddings and funerals are still held in churches is because it has become the cultural norm. Personally, I'm not fussed about getting married and only would if my partner wanted to. As for a funeral, I see funerals as something for the family and not for the deceased, so if my family wants a funeral then that's fine, if not then that's also fine.

[RobertWhite]

(Original post by stargirl63)
Hey guys,

I wanted to ask a few of you out there who are atheists what or how you want your wedding ceremony to be like. I know quite a few people who have not been to church in years, say they are atheist, but then still want to get married in a church, for traditional purposes. Or are you happy with a registry office, small ordeal type of event? What do you guys think about this?

The same theory I have seen with funeral arrangements. A family who isn't religious still want a proper funeral with the involvement of their church or community etc. Also, if you are atheist but go to a funeral, do you still pray, even though you believe there is nothing after death?

I just wanted to know your views on this.

I would still get married at a church. My family is protestant and I went to a catholic school. I don't know what there is after death I just don't agree with the religions we have. I still pray sometimes when I'm in a really bad situation or completely stuck, I can't help it. I don't pray to Jesus usually, though sometimes I think I am. I've been brought up with Jesus so I think if I pray I use that image, but not necessarily a religion.

I tend to skip in and out of agnosticism and atheism. I think I'm in my agnostic stage at the moment.

[SubAtomic]

(Original post by stargirl63)
Hey guys,

I wanted to ask a few of you out there who are atheists what or how you want your wedding ceremony to be like. I know quite a few people who have not been to church in years, say they are atheist, but then still want to get married in a church, for traditional purposes. Or are you happy with a registry office, small ordeal type of event? What do you guys think about this?

The same theory I have seen with funeral arrangements. A family who isn't religious still want a proper funeral with the involvement of their church or community etc. Also, if you are atheist but go to a funeral, do you still pray, even though you believe there is nothing after death?

I just wanted to know your views on this.

Marriage not worth the paper it is written on. Would only do it if it meant a lot to the person I was with for x amount of years.

Funeral, when I die feed me to the fishes, no burial, no cremation just something with as little impact on resources as possible.

[SparksInTheSky]

(Original post by stargirl63)
Hey guys,

I wanted to ask a few of you out there who are atheists what or how you want your wedding ceremony to be like. I know quite a few people who have not been to church in years, say they are atheist, but then still want to get married in a church, for traditional purposes. Or are you happy with a registry office, small ordeal type of event? What do you guys think about this?

The same theory I have seen with funeral arrangements. A family who isn't religious still want a proper funeral with the involvement of their church or community etc. Also, if you are atheist but go to a funeral, do you still pray, even though you believe there is nothing after death?

I just wanted to know your views on this.

I wouldn't get married in a church because it would seem hypocritical, but I would like to get married somewhere more special than a registry office, like a country house or something. And it wouldn't have to be a small ordeal!
Same with funerals, really. Yes, I would pray, because it polite, but I probably wouldn't feel there was anything actual significant in what I was doing. Also, theres more to being an athiest than believing there's nothing after death.

[adsm_inamorta]

As an Athiest, I would still get married in a Church. Because of my Athiest views, I do not see a Church as a 'religious place of worship', I see it as a traditional place to get married. I would also get married in a Church to please my Christian parents. They know I am an Athiest and i think by getting married in a Church then they would be proud that I am at least trying to accept Christianity in my life. But for me, I see a Church as a place to get married.
The same for funerals really. I see a Church as a place to go to honour the deceased at their funeral. The setting and atmosphere of a Church feels right for a funeral. When I enter the Church, I have no religious attachment to the place.

[tory88]

I'd like to be married in a nice building, I don't care whether that's a church or not just that it's looks good. And seeing as churches are usually some of the best architecture around I certainly wouldn't say no. With my funeral, I really don't care - I won't be there so the can throw me on a bonfire for all I care.

[Chwirkytheappleboy]

(Original post by The Mr Z)
I feel even religious people should do this as well - to turn to God at either a wedding or a funeral is to distract from the event itself, and the couple who are marrying

Interestingly enough, coming from a Christian perspective this is something I would actively aim to do at my wedding. When/if I get married, I would want the ceremony to focus on God rather than me/us. Certainly within the service itself, I would carefully choose hymns that direct the attention squarely onto Christ, and I'd also ask the speaker to give a sermon which made proclaiming the gospel the priority. If he then wanted to mention us as a side-thought then that'd be fine, but not especially important.

[Insanity514]

Pretty happy not to get married, but due to family I probably will (also depending on what my partner's views are) I would respect them and do it. As for funerals I don't really care what happens, organ donations will do for a funeral

[mmmpie]

(Original post by Chwirkytheappleboy)
Interestingly enough, coming from a Christian perspective this is something I would actively aim to do at my wedding. When/if I get married, I would want the ceremony to focus on God rather than me/us. Certainly within the service itself, I would carefully choose hymns that direct the attention squarely onto Christ, and I'd also ask the speaker to give a sermon which made proclaiming the gospel the priority. If he then wanted to mention us as a side-thought then that'd be fine, but not especially important.

Really?

If I were to get married, then to me it seems like the point is to announce exactly how I feel about whom and vice versa. If you happen to believe in whichever god then great, your god presumably sanctifies your marriage with you, but it's always seemed to me to be principally celebrating the people who are committing themselves to one another.

[The Patriot]

(Original post by stargirl63)
Hey guys,

I wanted to ask a few of you out there who are atheists what or how you want your wedding ceremony to be like. I know quite a few people who have not been to church in years, say they are atheist, but then still want to get married in a church, for traditional purposes. Or are you happy with a registry office, small ordeal type of event? What do you guys think about this?

The same theory I have seen with funeral arrangements. A family who isn't religious still want a proper funeral with the involvement of their church or community etc. Also, if you are atheist but go to a funeral, do you still pray, even though you believe there is nothing after death?

I just wanted to know your views on this.

As things stand (which admittedly is the view of an 18 year old with many years ahead of him) I don't think I will be getting married, as I don't really agree with it as a concept. However if I force myself into the hypothetical situation of me getting hitched, I doubt I would have it in a church. I would probably do it with literally a handful of friends, or maybe just one or two in secret.

As for a funeral, again non-religious. I would (if I knew I were going to die soon) request a few songs and maybe a reading, but otherwise I would leave it to others to d the cliche "celebrate his life" type of funeral.

[Manitude]

I'd want them both outside, ideally on a nice sunny day. And I don't want just a tombstone I want a burial mound.

[Steevee]

I don't believe in marriage, though I suppose at some point I may be married for tax reasons and such like. Then it wont be religious ceremony and certainly not in a Church, probably a Stately Home or something like that.

I plan on donating all my organs or my body to science, but what's left will be cremated, so there will be a small service. I don't ever pray, but sometimes I wish someone well in my head, even though I know they cannot hear.

[Lintu93]

I'm an Atheist but yes, would like to get married in a church. It's more traditional, I was rasied Catholic and all my family are strict Christians. For me a registry office or a hotel just wouldn't seem right or proper...