The Secular Advance on Marriage

Church weddings – remember those? They seem to decrease in our society every year. According to The Knot, a popular nationwide wedding planning website, only 22-percent of couples chose a religious institution for their wedding in 2017, which is dramatically lower than 41-percent in 2009. Where are the majority of people holding their wedding services? In 2017, 15-percent were held in barns, farms or ranches; 14-percent in historic homes; 17-percent at banquet halls; 12-percent in hotels and 12-percent in country clubs. In addition to a dramatic generational reduction in church weddings, the service itself has been subordinated to the reception venue and activities. The majority of couples are no longer deciding in which sanctuary to be joined together. The celebratory aspects have become the priority. As a result of this trend, the role of clergy in weddings has been significantly reduced. According to The Knot, 43-percent of couples chose a family member or friend to officiate at their wedding in 2016, as compared to 29-percent of couples in 2009. The secular rampage that is engulfing American society has penetrated the wedding sacrament, reducing a spiritual bond to a purely legal experience. Marriage as an institution is under duress, and religion is largely absent from weddings that do take place. 

The Armenian American community is not immune to this reality. In the western diaspora, our communities are heavily influenced by the societal values of the host nations, which has both positive and negative effects. For example, the values of education and personal freedom have been widely exercised by Armenian Americans, leading to their general success and prosperity as a group and benefiting their host communities. While the importance of family has diluted some of the negative influences, secularization, divorce, drugs and violence have impacted Armenian Americans. In a society where success is defined in financial terms,  Armenian institutions do their utmost to protect their constituencies from the harmful side effects of financial prosperity.