Thanks for the tips and ideas… extra pressure now as it’s going to be in 10 weeks when the folks are visiting!
Don’t know if I congratulated you or not yet, belief, but I hoped everything worked out fine ;D I recently learned that if you want to become a marriage officer yourself, you do need to be affiliated with a religious institution here in RSA, so just thought I’d clear up my previous misconceptions, because you know what they teach you in seminary school is always TRUE, right? :-[
So you’re telling me my ordination as minister of the Universal life Church will not be recognized here? How dare they!
Yep. And they aren’t very forthcoming or helpful about this either. I endorsed my own, as well as two other, nominations to get the study material and write the exam (arguing that the FSI was a “religious” organisation in the sense that it at least engages with religious issues) - it’s now been nearly 6 months that the application is on the Minister’s desk (who now approves them all personally).
O yes thanks all happily married 
And the pastor only dropped 1 G- bomb - he was actually announcing he’d never been given 7 pages to read before with no input himself - I was wryly asserting there was a clear reason for that!! Also mananged to escape any of the skoon menses prayers and we happily tucked into our food without any bullshit and then had a right ol jol and will hopefully live happily ever after…
Congratulations! and all the best for your future.
Fixed
Congratulations!
;D
Ah, did you snag a boertjie? Can’t go wrong there. Geluk ôk. 
Rigil
Congrats. Don’t worry about the happily ever after, us heathens have lower divorce rates than the theists.
Yeah, weird that… >:D Must be the devil looking after his own.
Is there some stats on this please
Heard it a while ago, quick google gave me this:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm
Religion % have been divorced
Jews 30%
Born-again Christians 27%
Other Christians 24%
Atheists, Agnostics 21%
thanks!!
Nope not a boertjie a boesman :o
And those stats make interesting reading… I think it is down to factors such as pressure to get married quickly so as not to “live in sin” before really knowing each other, or getting married because there are little people on the way… rather than a good few sinful years of living together and really getting to know each other before tying the knot, - if they even bother - which I didn’t think I would ever, but v happy I did.
Oh, that never happens either way. Except for biographical details such as birth marks, favourite colours and hot or cold milk, any aspirations of cracking behavioural patterns, weight fluctuations, and emotional codes soon peter out. 
Rigil
I suspect it has to do that atheists dont feel compelled to live by externally set rules. We tend to view our partners as exactly that, partners, and dont bow to the traditional wife/husband roles, more communication, more mutual respect (from a woman’s point of view, the husband would not dream of telling her what to do and she in turn feeling compelled to do it regardless of her opinion thereof), its probably the communication and mutual regard of each other’s opinions that makes the biggest difference. I also suspect we tend to get married later in life due to the shortage of suitable mates and with age comes maturity and wisdom, it rather helps not getting married at 19…
Hey look everyone! it’s ANECDOTE time!
I agree with some of the above but maybe I can add…
Me and Majin are both a bit weird. That may or may not be related to our heathen-ness.
The thing is we accept, nay, embrace each other’s weirdness. I don’t live under the illusion that God created “one true soul-mate” that I’m supposed to find and love. When we have arguments I don’t start doubting whether I’ve found that person dog made for me, or whether they’re “still out there” and run away. I know we’re just 2 people trying our best to get along and that’s bound to fail at certain times, and bound to be great at other times.
Also, I (like to) think we keep our jealousies in check because we understand we are going to be attracted to other people at times, and don’t have to feel jealousy/guilty about it, we trust each other enough to know we are faithful (If you ignore the double meaning), because we want to be not because we’re being forced to be. Somehow that seems to make a difference.
I guess the theme here is: We don’t think this is going to be easy because a magical man set it up all nicely for us. We realise this takes work.
You know Boogie, I just absolutely love your (sarcastic at times) sense of humour!!
Thanks, I’ve been told it’s an acquired taste.
Yes totally agree with the lack of gender stereotyping, definitely the communication- yes and from many of the people around me I seem to be at least 10 years older than most that got married religious or not.
Reminds me of this…
People sometimes get married for the wrong reasons. Example: marry for money, fame or just for the sake of getting married because the media out there make it look so attractive. The media and social advertisements make it look like it is only one long road of happiness and forever bliss to be married. Romance is enhanced with big diamonds and beautiful thin people making it irresistible not to want the same thing. There is a certain “way” you need to act when married which was developed over the years and carried over by your own parents. People should get married if they love each other and want to share a life together. That is it. No other hidden agendas. They should decide how they will be getting on with their married life without being criticized for their way of life. This also means that you get married the way you want to…having your own way with the ceremony.
The same goes for having children. ALL the adverts on television and media show ONLY happy, content children and their married - almost always married - parents.