So you're not particularly religious and you're getting married. Do you return to the church of your upbringing for the ceremony, even though you don't accept most of the doctrine that accompanies it? Increasingly, the answer is no.
More and more, young people are opting for humanist wedding ceremonies rather than the religious ceremonies of their family heritage. Usually officiated by a humanist celebrant, a humanist wedding brings with it the formality of a religious ceremony but without the theological implications.
Though the phenomenon can be seen stateside, nowhere is the trend more prevalent than in Europe, where the post-theological worldview is very strong. For example the International Humanist and Ethical Union reports this week that Humanist wedding ceremonies have surpassed Catholic weddings in Scotland. Humanist weddings were granted legal status in Scotland only in 2005, yet between January and September 2010 there were 1706 Humanist weddings in the country compared to 1506 Catholic weddings. The humanist wedding figure represents a 35% increase from the previous year, the IHEU reports, and is the only category showing growth.
The Humanist Society of Scotland is predicting increasing popularity for humanist weddings. "In 2007, just over a year after humanist weddings were first made legal in Scotland, we forecast that 2010 would be the year that humanist weddings became more popular than Catholic ones," said HSS media officer Tim Maguire. "We're delighted our prediction has come true. By the same projection, we expect to see that humanist ceremonies will overtake those of the Church of Scotland in 2015."
In the United States, the primary organization certifying humanist celebrants is the Humanist Society which itself is an adjunct of the American Humanist Association.
"As religion declines, more and more people are seeking human-centered ceremonies that capture their personal values," says IHEU spokesperson Matt Cherry. "By providing couples with the opportunity to express their feelings and hopes in their own terms, humanist weddings appeal to those who have developed their beliefs and ideals outside of any faith tradition."
Many young people see humanist weddings as a way to stay sincere to their actual worldview. For the important ceremony that is all about their future, they choose to look forward, rather than back to the family church that they stopped attending years ago.
To a casual observer, a humanist wedding may appear very much like other weddings. But instead of religious vows and readings from religious texts that emphasize the importance of God and other theistic notions, humanist weddings will include vows, readings and music that affirm the couple's actual beliefs and values. Moreover, rather than validate an institution that the bride and groom do not actually support and admire, the humanist wedding allows the couple to bypass the traditional religious institution altogether in favor or modern, progressive, human values.
Copyright 2011 Dave Niose
