I have to disagree here. Even if from the outside view christian marriage or whatever is equally as weird as yudkowskian marriage, it definitely feels cultish to me and I’m an atheist. The normal way to get married is NOT by a friend of yours whose teachings you follow.
Errh. What is the normal way to get married then, from your view? Mail a letter to the nearest municipal or judicial office?
“Getting married”, once shed of all religious connotations and other nasty bits, is a social contract before witnesses published so that: 1) The spouses are more motivated to cooperate and remain at a high level of mutual affection. 2) Individuals not part of the marriage (i.e. everyone else) are aware that these spouses are “together” presumably for a long time and that they should not get in their way and they are not “available”.
I don’t think you’re using the right reference class for the question. If we’re talking about the set of people who might find Less Wrong interesting, I predict that most of them would find it more weird if two atheists from atheist families got married by a priest than if they got married by the head of an Internet community. (Most normal for that reference class is picking a celebrant who’s just a friend, or a Unitarian minister, or a comedian, etc.)
I’ve got a number of friends in non-SingInst/LW circles who’ve been married in public ceremonies overseen by friends whom they consider wise, or instrumental in their social groups, or simply good speakers. I don’t have any actual data, but in the circles I run in it seems like one of the more popular secular options.
I have to disagree here. Even if from the outside view christian marriage or whatever is equally as weird as yudkowskian marriage, it definitely feels cultish to me and I’m an atheist. The normal way to get married is NOT by a friend of yours whose teachings you follow.
Errh. What is the normal way to get married then, from your view? Mail a letter to the nearest municipal or judicial office?
“Getting married”, once shed of all religious connotations and other nasty bits, is a social contract before witnesses published so that: 1) The spouses are more motivated to cooperate and remain at a high level of mutual affection. 2) Individuals not part of the marriage (i.e. everyone else) are aware that these spouses are “together” presumably for a long time and that they should not get in their way and they are not “available”.
That’s the way I see it / was taught, anyway.
In a church, with two families present, by a priest. Just because it’s nonsense doesn’t make it not normal.
I don’t think you’re using the right reference class for the question. If we’re talking about the set of people who might find Less Wrong interesting, I predict that most of them would find it more weird if two atheists from atheist families got married by a priest than if they got married by the head of an Internet community. (Most normal for that reference class is picking a celebrant who’s just a friend, or a Unitarian minister, or a comedian, etc.)
I’ve got a number of friends in non-SingInst/LW circles who’ve been married in public ceremonies overseen by friends whom they consider wise, or instrumental in their social groups, or simply good speakers. I don’t have any actual data, but in the circles I run in it seems like one of the more popular secular options.