Revoking Gods Rights to Pronounce Husband and Wife

[brainbomb]

I think God has.lost the ability to identify quality marriages. I propose we take away Gods rights to preside over these ceremonies. His credentials are called into question

[RoganJosh]

If you pay a priest, hell officiate your marriage.

Edit: Oops, I forgot the apostrophe.

[Incrementalist]

I think God has.lost the ability to identify quality marriages. I propose we take away Gods rights to preside over these ceremonies. His credentials are called into question

The pronouncement is not by God; the priest utters the words "by the power vested in me...*I* now pronounce you husband and wife".

If the priest is not doing a great job with the power vested in him, that's a free-will issue with the priest.

[brainbomb]

God approves of the marriage, the priest is just gods conduit of approval

[Crazy Anglican]

Mormons are doing really well in this regard statistically. Do they get a pass?

[Incrementalist]

God approves of the marriage, the priest is just gods conduit of approval

No dude, the power is vested, not forwarded in real-time. The priest makes the pronouncement by the power vested in him at some earlier date.

In fact, the question as to whether or not God *approves* of the marriage is a separate matter from the pronouncement, and isn't known at any point.

[Crazy Anglican]

God approves of the marriage, the priest is just gods conduit of approval

This statement seems to indicate that priests are in this regard infallible. Is that what you believe on this subject the infallibility of the priesthood? I don't think many churches assert that particular dogma. I have heard of the infallibility of the Pope when issuing Papal bulls, but that is another matter.

[MajorMitchell]

Surely responsibility for ensuring the success of a marriage contract lies with the two individuals who voluntarily enter into that contract. Marriage is essentially a contractual agreement between spouses, it's historical evolution is as much to do with a property contract as, or more than a romantic contract. The nobility whose wealth and power derived from ownership of land in previous centuries back to the Roman Empire had most influence in the evolution of the marriage laws, from which our modern model of marriage derives.