Monday, July 7, 2008

Faking it...

Fake Priests Japanese Style. So related to the post, two posts below, the BBC also ran an article about a man who pretends to be a priest in Japan for business.

4 comments:

sampler said...

Hello Maria,
You were obviously interested in the fake priests in Japan story; what is your take on it?

Is is harmless fun or is it more serious than that?

Maria said...

I think it's amusing. I'm not overly upset or offended by it. I think it's a pop culture trend in Japan and a few smart and innovative people are catering to niche market. Now, if they were faking it just to pretend to do "real" Christian weddings, that would be something else. That would be fraud. I'd surely hate to think I was married by a priest and have him be a fake. Of course, if I knew otherwise, then I guess I'd get what I was paying for.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Maria.
I just wandered over from Sister Mary Martha's. I like your blog.

My understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage is that it is bestowed by the couple onto each other in the sight of God and Men (I know, I know. I don't want to open that can of worms, but 'people' sounds kinda off to me). The priest is there to represent the Church and bestow its blessings on the couple.

If they're declaring their vows in the sight of God and Men, they are Getting Married. If they're adding the theatricality of a Christian Ceremony to add solemnity and for show, that's ok with me, provided these are just ceremonies. A fake "Mass", even if all know it to be one is not ok. I couldn't tell if this is a primarily a Catholic Wedding thing or if it includes Our Separated Brethren's ceremonies as well.

Maria said...

Hi Denise,
Thanks for the comment.

You know, I had the impression that they were just going through the whole appearance of a "Christian" wedding because it was a fad. You're right that in order for it to be a sacrament, it must be done before God and Men. ("Men" doesn't bother me. No can of worms opened here.)

If that's the case it doesn't bother me at all. However, my question is why imitate something that doesn't reflect their religious or cultural norms? I mean, I'm all for celebrating diversity and culture, but I'd like it to mean something to me too.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't feel as offended by a fake priest, doing fake weddings, as I am by the fake priest violating the sacrament of reconciliation. That horrifies me.