CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

Shannon News, 11 March 1927, Page 4

CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

IRREVERENCE DURING- SERVICE. VICAR'S OUTSPOKEN REBUKE.' (From the Levin Chronicle). In the March issue of the Levin Parish Notes, the magazine of St. Mary's. Church, the Viear, the Rev. J. C. Da vies, makes pointed reference to the growing tendency to regard" the soleirnization of matrimony as an occasion for frivolous and unseemly conduct during the service. In the course of a very outspoken statement he says:— '' The Vicar has been deeply exercised in mind of late over the Marriage Service. He has felt deeply the lack ok restraint and reverence during the Marriage Service among the friends and others who attend. People often conduct themselves more as if witnessing a farcical sketch in the theatre, than a solemn service in God's House. There is constant giggling and talking both before and during the service which, to say the least, is unseemly. The congregation would be far better employed on their knees praying for' God's blessing on the union than passing inane remarks and stale jests of doubtful taste which reveal their poor ideal of Christian Marriage. "The Vicar also wishes it to be clearly understood that no confetti is to be thrown within the church gates. " JAKING A CONVENIENCE OF THE CHURCH." "But there is a far more serious aspect of the difficulty than the lack of reverence in the congregation. The saddest part is that people come to church to be married not because they want God's blessing on their union, but simply because a marriage in church gives greater opportunity for making a show than the Registrar's office affords. Now there must not be any misunderstanding about this. The proper place for a Christian to be married is in church; it is equally clear that the proper place for those who are not Christians is somewhere else. The Vicar constantly finds people who never attend church coming to him wishing to be married in the church. These people simply wish to make a convenience of the church and they have no intention, once the ceremony is over, to enter the church again. This of course is making a, mockery of a solemn religious service and a direct insult to God if indeed the thought of God is at any time present with these people. "It is because he can no longer be a party to this prostitution of a solemn religious service that the Vicar has decided that he will not in future marry any persons who do not worship unless they express penitence for their neg-. lect of God's House and make a solemn resolution to amend the manner of their life. He could not maintain his own self-respeet and his respect to the church and her sacraments were he to do otherwise, i "The Vicar hopes that this position he has taken up will be made widely known, so that there may be as few misunderstandings as possible."