The Salvation Army is a Christianity based religion,
whose beliefs are ostensibly the same as the Church
of England's. Great use is made of military terminology and prospective
Salvationists sign a document called the 'Articles of War' before
being enrolled as a Salvation Army soldier.
Members of the Salvation Army believe that, men have become degenerate
sinners that are justly exposed to the wrath of God as a result of
Adam and Eve's disobedience. It is also believed that repentance towards
God, faith in Christ and restoration by the Holy Spirit are necessary
for salvation. Members believe marriage is a voluntary and loving
union that should last for life, at the exclusion of all others and
a relationship of love, reflecting God's love for the human race.
Salvation Army officers must marry another officer, although there
are no such restrictions for other Salvationists.
A certificate or licence has to be obtained in the normal way for
a wedding to be held in a Salvation Army Church, as no banns are read.
The legal requirements to be fulfilled are those that apply to civil
marriages. A superintendent registrar needs to attend the ceremony
if the officer is not authorised to register marriages. For further
information, please see the Marriage Legal Requirements article. Many
Salvation Army churches are licensed to hold weddings, and most Salvation
Army officers can hold weddings, so there will be no need for the
couple to attend a civil ceremony.
While it is believed that divorce is a failure, Salvationists believe
that Jesus would be compassionate to those struggling with painful
marriages. Therefore, the Salvation Army realises the certainty that
some marriages will fail, and allows its officers the option to perform
marriage ceremonies for divorced people, if it is believed that a
remarriage could lead to a positive outcome. Couples who have been
married and divorced can re-marry in the Salvation Army churches.
The Salvationist wedding is similar to any other Christian
ceremony, although, apart from the legal requirements, there is a
lot of flexibility in terms of choosing music
and readings.
There is no set text or liturgy. A Salvation Army ceremony normally
lasts about an hour and is often very music orientated. Both members
and non-members of the Salvation Army can get married in a Salvation
Army church, but the preparation that a couple must go through before
marriage differs from church to church and from officer to officer.
The couple are helped to understand the meaning of marriage within
the church, and the Christian significance of their ceremony and promises.
The officer preparing the couple may use a variety of books and other
resources to help the couple prepare for their commitment, and this
will probably take place over the few weeks leading up to the ceremony.
The majority of people getting married in the Salvation Army do not
wear the uniform that they may wear for ordinary services, but normal bridal clothes. Most people have the usual attendants such as bridesmaids,
pageboys, and best men. However, if the couple both ordained Salvation
Army officers, (the equivalent of two ministers getting married),
they are expected to wear their uniforms.
In England it is necessary for a registrar to attend the wedding as
Salvation Army officers are not automatically registered to perform
weddings, however, this does not apply to weddings in Scotland.
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