2. The couple must have a license to marry. 3. They must pass a blood test that shows they have no  dangerous  disease. Marriage Rites The  Christian  rite  for  celebrating  marriage  varies among  Christian  faith  groups.  Regardless  of  faith group, however, the Christian marriage ceremony is always  enriched  in  customs  and  traditions.  The  parts  of a  Christian  wedding  ceremony  generally  take  place  in the  following  sequence: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Bridal  procession Welcome Sacred  scripture  readings Sermon Introduction   to   the   rite   of   marriage— significance, stateliness, and honor of marriage Questions—regarding   freedom   to   enter marriage,  faithfulness,  and  acceptance  of children Consent—the  couple  proclaim  their  approve  of the union Blessing of the rings Exchange of rings-the bridegroom places his wife’s ring on her ring finger Blessing of the couple Recessional According to traditions, customs, or faith group, other actions may also take place, such as a special wedding benediction; a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer; placing  symbolic  crowns  on  the  bride  and  groom; lighting  unity  candles;  presenting  flowers  to  parents, guardians,  or  close  relatives;  use  of  meaningful  musical choices; and the rites of communion or the eucharist. Now  that  you  have  read  about  Christian  weddings, let’s  take  a  look  at  another  important  Christian event—the funeral. FUNERALS Christian  funerals  are  the  ceremonial  customs, traditions, or rites of death and burial. In the Christian faith,  religious  traditions  surrounding  death  have evolved  from  the  different  concepts  of  human  mortality. Historically,  Christians  have  followed  the  teachings of Jesus as interpreted in the Gospels: Matthew, Mark Luke, and John. Among his sayings, Jesus reflected upon a place where one goes after death. The Christian funeral rites are based on the interpretations of these reflections.  Some  examples  of  funeral  responses  among different Christian communities are shown in figure 1-7. TERMINOLOGY,  LAWS,  AND REGULATIONS How can Christians be so different in their beliefs and in their forms of worship and still all be Christians? In spite of the many denominations, all Christians share certain basic beliefs that originated in the teachings of Jesus. Although Jesus never wrote a book, the words he spoke were written down by his followers. His words and works are found in the four Gospels of the New Testament-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In many cases, the teachings of Jesus reflected the basic religious writings  of  the  Jewish  religion.  These  writings  are referred to as the Old Testament in the Christian Bible. Jesus taught about God. Furthermore, he taught about man’s relationship to God in a way that stirred men’s hearts and created the foundation of the Christian religion. Here are some of the basic beliefs shared by all Christians: l l l l l l They believe in one God, the Creator of all things, who is merciful and just. They believe in the teachings of Jesus, and almost all Christian groups believe in his divinity-that he was the Son of God. They believe in the Beatitudes or the blessings spoken by Jesus in the sermon on the mount, which is in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. They  believe  we  should  love  our  fellowmen, even our enemies, and forgive them as we want God to forgive us. Almost all Christians believe in baptism or in some union with Jesus. Most Christians believe in the Lord’s Supper, the eucharist, the mass, or holy communion. Now that we have talked about the basic Christian beliefs, let’s look at some of the ways in which Christian belief systems may differ. 1-18