(Or The Groom?

a The Simple Divine Truth publication

Author G J T

Published Jan 01, 2011

Revised Nov 06, 20115

Who is marrying?
The priest or The groom
(Or The priest is marrying for the groom?)
Does it really sound odd and awful? You just find that out !!
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Armenian Apostolic churches

Coptic Orthodox,
Ethiopian Orthodox,
Eritrean Orthodox,
Greek Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox,
Orthodox Jacobite Church (India)
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (India)

These churches are independent and each one has their own Supreme head
Bishops. They ordain their own priests and do not come under the authority
of Pope.
I wish to refer the last, from the above list. Their marriage system consists
the following two main parts.
1. The Engagement
2. The Marriage

Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep

with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the
window open George Bernard Shaw
Another one said: Marriage is a license for adultery.
In this modern society, what is happening?
Is marriage a license for adultery? May be Yes for many !!!!!
We wish to discuss about a divine marriage, which is conducted under a
religious faith and ceremony regardless of their religion. When the religion
goes too far with rituals it becomes incongruous (inappropriate) and
refutable.
When these rituals are questioned, the concerned authorities must make
sensible changes; it is meaningless to get furious and to stick with some
primitive traditions and rituals.

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The important thing in a marriage is the commitment of two persons
to be honest and truthful to each other; sharing and caring one
another without any secrecy and selfishness. Religion has the
responsibility to show the people by way of demonstrating them by
following its spiritual aspects. One cannot teach anyone without
practicing them, because his practice is the actual teaching and not his
sermon and speech.
If you stick with astrology and horoscope and try to run a married life, it is
not necessary to be successful.
Few years back in the capital of KERALA-STATE, Thiruvanananthapuram
formerly Trivandrum the following incident took place.
A young man went to an astrologer with couple of horoscopes to see the
successfulness of their married life. One horoscope was his and the other was
the girls he wanted to marry. The astrologer spread his shells on a wooden
board and made all the calculations. After the recital of a long poem in
Sanskrit and the worshipping of his favorite gods he began to speak.
He had only good things to say and nothing bad about those horoscopes and
the commonness of those two. The astrologer said, he has never seen such a
great and fortunate alliance. As the Astrologer said these, he was very much
excited so as the young man. The next thing, the astrologer had to do was to
say the time and date of marriage. Out of over excitement the young man
gave the astrologer, five times of his usual charge and went away.
After few days a murder took place in the city and the police were
desperately looking for the culprit. After 3 weeks the police picked up this
young man who went to the astrologer and began to question him intensely.
At last this young man broke down and admitted, he killed that woman with
several cuts with a knife and that woman was his own wife
The young man said to the police, that the astrologer said that it was an
extremely good marriage that is why he had to kill his own wife.
The police chased the astrologer and questioned him. The astrologer said, he
knew nothing about the young man and that he was married, and whose
horoscopes he brought. Every day people come with similar need and he was
one of them. All that he said was, those horoscopes are of high matching
(compatible, and consistent and coincides in their characteristics). The police
could not go any further on the astrologer so they left him.
This young man was a married man; the astrologer did not know it and the
astrologer did not find it in this horoscope. The girl he wanted to marry was
his own wifes sister with whom he was in love. If my memory is correct - the
sister knew the plot. I did not know the exact punishment, the murderer and

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his helper got. But they were found guilty and sent to prison. It was a
miserable outcome of an astrological forecast.
Let us go back to our main topic. Some priests take advantage of the
situation and make a long speech during the marriage ceremony which is
quite boring for all the uninteresting people. On such occasion no one wants
to hear any advice. Youngsters have enough knowledge from all the quarters
and they have their modern ideology. Elders advice is always out of place
and out of time. What others can do for them is:-1) Show an example with their own life for others
2) Pray for them so that they may lead a righteous life.
A good number of priests are unmarried, when they talk too much about
married life those priests are deviating from the usual or from what is
expected and making themselves a laughing-stuff.
This Orthodox Church claims their marriage rituals are older than 700 AD. It
consists mainly two parts.
1. The Engagement
2. The Marriage
Once upon a time, the above two parts could be conducted separately but
later the Church authorities decided to complete them at a stretch (One time
period). Good decision! The bride and Bridegroom dont have to go, two
times to the Church to get married.

1. Putting the Engagement ring on

In western countries, by the exchange of rings between the bridegroom and
bride, the marriage is complete.
According to Malankara Orthodox Church when the rings are put on only
the engagement is complete.
Both families have conducted a marriage fixation ceremony, usually arranged
by the Brides family in the presence of both parish priests.
This marriage fixation is conducted as a preliminary step, is as elaborate as
the marriage itself; a big feast follows it, where the priests will also be on the
high-seats.
This marriage fixation or generally called engagement is not approved by the
priests as a proper one, so the priests do it in the church and the priest puts
the rings to the Bride-Groom and Bride.

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Who is supposed to put the ring on to the bride and groom?

^ Above, the priest puts the wedding ring on, to the Brides finger.
Is it not funny and ridiculous?
It has become priests monopoly and no one could change it, unless a
revolution takes place.
=======================================

^ Above, Priest putting wedding ring on, to the bridegrooms finger

=====================================

^ Above, putting gold chain on bride, by the priest

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^ Above, putting gold chain on bride-groom, by the priest

====================================

^ Above, Priest holding THALI on the brides chest for the groom to tie the
knot
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^ Above, Priest is putting Sari over the bride during the marriage
ceremony.
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If you look at Hindu-wedding; the bridegroom gives a set of dress to Bride.
The Poojari will chant some Mantras and will extend everything to the
Bridegroom. They exchange their own rings. The Bridegroom will pick up the
holy-thread with the Thali and tie the knot on the brides neck. After that

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they will exchange the garlands. The Hindu marriage is over. Poojari (HinduPriest) has a small role unlike Christian priest.

<< This is a Christian Thali (Minnu) on a gold chain.

Indian Christians have imitated many of the Hindu marriage rituals. This
Sari-giving in the Church is one of them.

^ Above, Priest gives brides hand to the Grooms hand at the end of the
ceremony: instead of the brides father
========================
Giving brides hand to grooms in marriage; is supposed to be done by the
girls father; this is a Jewish tradition, as it is written in the Bible, in the Book
of Tobit.

Tobit 7: 12-14 Raguel said, Then take her(SARA) from now according
to the manner, for you are her cousin, and she is yours, and the
merciful God give you (TOBIAS) good success in all things. Then
Raguel called his daughter Sara, and she came to her father, and he
took her by the hand, and gave her to be wife to Tobias, saying,
Behold, take her after the law of Moses, and lead her away to your
father. And he blessed them; Raguel called Edna his wife, and took
paper, and did write an instrument of covenants, and sealed it.
(Instrument of covenant=Legal Document)

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Raguel is Girls father,
Edna is the Girls mother,
Bride is Sara, and the
Bride-groom is Tobias.
Tobias marriage agreement was made by the girls father and sealed it. The
basic procedure in a marriage is, it should be conducted publicly so that
many people should know that they were wed and it must be documented as
a written proof.
Tobits book was written in the seventh century beginning.
====================================

<< This type of veil is not used by these

orthodox type people. It is a must that the
women should cover her head with a cloth,
on all the occasions they are in the church.
Mostly they cover their head with the end
of the Sari.

Orthodox people do not permit this type of a crown, for the bride,
during wedding time. Instead the priest shakes and rotates a gold
chain over the head of the bride and groom like a Temple-Poojari
doing some ritual, and calls it coronation.

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Is there a coronation without a crown?
These Orthodox church people does coronation without a crown !!!!
1. Putting rings on the brides and bride-grooms finger, by the priest
2. Putting Gold-Chain on brides and bride-grooms neck by the priest
3. Holding THALI on a thread on brides neck by the priest, while the
bride-groom ties a knot on it
4. Covering Sari to the Bride is by the priest.
5. Giving brides hand to the bride-grooms hand is also done by the
priest.
The above are the five segments in an orthodox-Christians marriage.
Priests have no right to do these things.
The bride and bridegroom is supposed be doing these things.
The priests have mixed up several countries traditions and made this up, like
a mixed vegetable curry. There is a South-Indian mixed vegetable curry
which is otherwise called SAMBAAR
Many dont know how this curry has been originated. As you keep the
vegetables for few days, some of the vegetable gets partially rotten. The
rotten portion is chopped off and the rest is taken. A small portion of all
vegetables are sliced and added with some spices and boiled. This type of
curry is lavishly used by the rice-eaters. Later this curry became an
important dish. Because too many spices are used, you never get the taste of
any of the vegetables put in the curry. Excess hot chilies and other spices
aggravate the burning and in digestion some times. If you are not used with
it, it could burn your tongue and upset your stomach.
If you are making this mixed-vegetable curry out of fresh vegetables, it is a
criminal waste, because with each vegetable you can make a separate dish.
The Malankara Orthodox Christian Marriage ceremony takes more than
ninety minutes. There is no time for sitting during this ritual according to the
traditions. For modern marriages, chairs are arranged by the concerned
wedding-party, though priests dont like it, they just keep silent.
When the wedding is over the priest will stand between the Bride-groom and
bride, and pose for photographs inside the church. This an unbearable thing,
how many Hindu poojaris are projected prominent?
In this type of Orthodox marriage, the priest is the hero; you can see them in
too many photographs also, much more than the Bride & Bride-groom.
After this process, the couple exchanges flower garlands for the loss of such
occasion before. This garland exchange system started recently.

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Previous tradition was, couple of kids will garland and give bouquet to these
couples.
A series of photographs and videos with kith and kin will be taken after which
they will be escorted to the reception hall with THAVIL a South Indian drum
and NGASWARA a South Indian pipe instrument.

THAVIL a South Indian drum. On the left side they will have a drum-stick
and on the right, they use their fingers having porcelain rings to produce
high pitch sound.

This pipe-instrument is more than couple of

feet long wind instrument, sounds like trumpet. Both instruments are good

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for outdoor performances because they are audible to a great extend of
distances.
These two instruments are used for South-Indian Classic music; mostly in
temples, also for public performances and for Hindu-Marriages. Since it
makes hell of a noise you cant stand close to it for a long time.
After coming to the reception hall, the bride and bride-groom will a light an
oil lamp, Cut cakes and will have some soft drinks. After these the feast will
begin. The priest will make all the announcements and prayers.
<< Usually this oil lamp is a six-footer; with
the top making it a perfect symbol of Indian
otherwise it is wholly a Hindu tradition. This
lamps with the cross are commonly seen
Churches.

a cross on
Christians
type of oil
in Indian

Hindu traditional pedestal lamp

Hindu temple oil lamps of this kind will have a peacock on the top instead of
the cross.

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Coming back to the main subject:The laymen hate the priests high handedness in marriage ceremony. Though
they dont express their view publicly, they really like to see this being
changed. What they dont know is how to get this done.
1. Which Bridegroom does not want to put the ring on the Brides finger?
2. Which Bride does not want to put the ring on the Bridegrooms finger?
3. Which Bride-groom does not want to give the Sari to the Bride?
4. Which Bride and Bridegroom do not want to give the gold chain to each
other?
5. Which Brides father does not want to give his daughters hand to the
Bridegroom?

Are these priests, some super humans, so that they can do anything and
everything they please?
The Old testament is the only authentic all-in-all book for Jews; The Old
and the New-Testament for Christians. The Bible contains not only the
spiritual matter but a code of conduct for every human being. Christians
are supposed to follow every syllable written in the Bible but the priests
play super-God and make all the rules above the Word-of-God. These
practices are all corrupt. Among all Christian groups Malankara Orthodox
is the worst.
You just think about what is really right?
If you can, do something to change these primitive practices.

Read, The Kingdom of Gold Chapter XIII.

Kingdom of Gold (Degeneration of Christians)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22164110/Kingdom-of-Gold-Degeneration-ofChristians

Published January 01, 2011

Revised Nov 06, 2015