Work, Family, and Religious Involvement: Family Values or the Modern Family?

Abstract
Do family formation and social establishment predict religious involvement for both men and women given increasing individualism and rapid changes in work and family roles? Using a random sample of adults from upstate New York (N=1006), we find different predictors of men and women’s religious involvement using multiple involvement measures. Children and fulltime employment explain all forms of religious involvement for men; for women, having children predicts use of congregational ministries but not their own church attendance. For all respondents, religious individualism is associated with decreased religious involvement. We argue that "modern" family lifestyles reduce religious involvement, especially for married women who work fulltime. We call for further research to capture the contested and evolving nature of women's relationships with religious institutions.

Men’s and Women’s Participation in Religious Institutions
Analyses of religious involvement in the United States consistently have found that family formation and higher social status, including participation in the paid labor market, increase involvement (eg: Hertel 1995; Mueller and Johnson 1975; Myers 1996; Sherkat 1998; Stolzenberg, Blair-Loy and Waite 1995). Since the 1970s, there have been several inter-related changes in women’s paid employment and men’s involvement in the family, including the increased numbers of dual-earner families and men’s increased involvement in parenting (Furstenberg 1999, Nock 1998, Treas 1999). Some argue that increasing individualism has restructured individuals’ relations with work, family, and religion (Ammerman and Roof 1995; but see Sherkat 1998 for a counter argument).

Research examining the impact of these social changes on religious involvement has focused mainly on two questions. Stolzenberg, Blair-Loy and Waite (1995) ask whether family formation still increases religious involvement despite the rapid change in work and family roles, and conclude that it does (cf. Myers 1996, Sherkat 1998). Other scholars ask whether the rise in women’s full-time employment explains the shrinking "gender gap" between women and men’s church attendance, finding at least some support for this argument (deVaus 1984, deVaus and Mcallister 1987, but see Ulbrich and Wallace 1984).

Such work interprets involvement in religious institutions as a straightforward expression of an individual’s structural location, which deVaus and McAllister (1987) argue is best understood as a combination of an individual’s employment and family contexts. We argue that religious involvement is better understood as a socially-influenced choice (Sherkat 1998). We investigate how structural location and individuals’ own attitudes and beliefs combine to explain men and women’s religious involvement after a period of rapid change in work and family roles.

We ask a different set of questions, hoping to refocus the debate on the relationships between work, family, and religion. First, do family formation and paid employment influence men and women’s religious involvement equally, and through the same mechanisms? More generally, are the overall set of factors associated with religious involvement the same for men and women? Do men and women have different attitudes and beliefs about the relevance and role of religious institutions in their lives, and do these modify the effects of structural location on involvement?

To answer these questions, we compare the evidence for three competing hypotheses about the links between work, family, and religion for women and men: 1) a family values hypothesis that religious involvement is strongly tied to family formation and establishment for both men and women, 2) a equalization hypothesis that men's religious involvement will be more strongly predicted by family formation, and 3) a modern family hypothesis that wives' full-time employment will negate the effects of family formation on women's religious participation.

The presentation of God in the scripture has to be the most important asset for the reader of these divine books. Any distortion of the image of God in any of these books has to represent a distortion of the claimed scriptural texts as God has special qualities that canot be denied, distorted, degraded or damged by human intervention. While some passages of the Bible and the Quran agree on the same qualities of God, there are some passages in the Bible that totaly distort God and His qualities when compared with the Quran. We will present here both groups of qualities that agree and the others that disagree. Let us start with what the Bible and the Quran agree about regarding God.

AGREE........

DISAGREE.......

“Women Without Men”: The Pros and Cons of a “Man-Free Life”

  Writing about gender roles of the 1950s, Betty Friedan once defined the “suburban housewife” as “the dream image of the young American woman.” Just as prescriptive literature of the 19th century geared to the middling classes emphasized women’s “true” place in society as mother and wife, the 1950s saw an ideal perpetuated in books, magazines, movies, television, songs, and ads that depicted the white, middle-class woman fulfilled only by a happy marriage. The following article from a popular magazine of 1960 offered a sociological survey of the more than one-third of adult American women whose lives did not fit this domestic norm. Based on interviews with single, divorced, and widowed women, and a host of “experts”, the author detailed the “frenzied” mating efforts of women who tried, but failed, to marry as well as the adverse psychological effects of being single. Despite the evidence presented that unmarried women could be happy—sometimes even happier than their married counterparts—the article’s rhetorical emphasis on “frantic hordes of unwed women” relentlessly searching for husbands perpetrated a stereotypical depiction at odds with some of the statistics and testimonies quoted.

Women Without Men

About 41,500,000 of the adult women in the United States are married. But 21,327,000 others are women without men: women who have never married (11,822,000); widows (8,047,000) and divorcees (1,458,000).

This means that a little more than one third of the 62,827,000 women in the United States are getting along without steady male companionship. How do they adjust to this fact of life? How do they like their manless lot? What do they do about changing it? Do they want to change it?

To find the answers to these questions, I have interviewed scores of widows, divorced women, bachelor girls, men, gynecologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, managers of women’s hotels, executives of women’s organizations and Government statisticians.

Here are a few conclusions that emerge from these interviews:

1. Despite the assumption by many males that women cease looking for sex, men and marriage after the age of 50, the fact is that, as one gynecologist put it, “they remain interested in all these things until cremation.”

2. Many unattached women of “nice” background are as much drawn to sexual relations with men as married women are, or perhaps more so; relentlessly, they go about most of their lives trying to find sexual fulfillment.

3. Although it is a world-wide and historic conviction that every woman wants to be married, a great many do not want marriage. Consciously or unconsciously, many of them spend a lifetime resisting it.

4. Today, one out of every ten families in the United States is headed by a woman. Many of these women were forced into this role by the death of their husbands or by divorce, while others are the sole support of elderly parents.

5. Hundreds of thousands of young women who have left their homes and moved to the big city in search of work and a husband have found only the work.

What complicates the problems of the more than 21,000,000 women without men is that they outnumber their unattached male counterparts by 3,696,000. (There are 14,331,000 adult bachelors in the United States; 2,272,000 widowers; 1,028,000 divorced men.) Furthermore, if the ladies do not get to the altar at an early age, they are likely to get stranded. Nowadays, 70 per cent of all American women marry before they are 24 years old. From then on, it’s a downhill slide. By the time a woman is 30, there is about one chance in two she will ever get married and at 40, only one chance in five. By the time she is 50, the chances she will marry are just one in 16, and after 60, her chances drop to one in 62.

Undaunted by the statistics, most American women without men make repeated (if sporadic) attempts in the direction of marrying throughout their lifetimes—often in ways that would have scandalized the proper Victorians.

Almost to a woman, those I interviewed said the same thing: “I have only one problem. I would like to be married, but I find it impossible to meet eligible men no matter how I try—and nobody can say I don’t try.”

Since the end of World War II, well over twenty million Americans have moved from their home states to settle elsewhere, and this mass migration included untold thousands of manless women—mainly to California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, New York and Ohio. But whether these women are newcomers or “natives,” and regardless of age or income, they operate with the same husband-hunting techniques.

They reason that first they must locate a male. Even if they are among the special glitter-group of the very rich, the hunt remains the same, essentially, except that it is often conducted in these postwar years against a background of Paris or Rome. “But,” cries a beautiful 32-year-old divorcee, “I’ve been abroad for two years now, and what do I meet? Old bachelors living smugly on their little incomes, or young bachelors who want to live smugly on my big income. I feel strange and alien here; I think I’ll go home and find an American husband again. But where shall I go?”

More typical is the complaint of a pretty 25-year-old secretary who moved to New York City a year ago: “There’s nothing I haven’t done to meet men since I came here. Why, for the first six months, I had 35 different jobs because I deliberately worked for a temporary employment agency. But most of the men I met in offices didn’t want to mix business and pleasure. I’ve met a few men ice-skating, but some evenings I get so lonely my judgment gets off-base; then I go dancing at a public dance hall. How can you meet a man there and be sure of his background?”

Many women join political clubs. (The head of one of New York’s local Democratic clubs says, “They go from club to club to meet men; we call them Carpetbagging Liberals.”) Others go to evening classes at universities, taking courses in such subjects as “How to Sail a Boat,” with the hope that it will attract men. Some of them join a number of churches in succession, interested less in finding God than in finding a husband. Spasmodically, they go in for sports, becoming members of ski clubs, riding clubs, golf clubs. They save their money for cruises—often discovering, once the ship is at sea, that they are trapped with dozens of other unattached women like themselves. One 45-year-old widow mourns, “This winter I went on a 14-day cruise to the West Indies. Whom did I meet? Eighty single women, and only ten men—one of them 17, another 70.” ...

Some single women—and of course many married women—recognize their problems and realize that they need professional help to solve them. An estimated 50,000 to 75,000 women currently get private psychiatric help in the United States. In general, the married women are dissatisfied with their marriages. “The problems of the single, divorced and widowed women are more difficult,” an experienced psychiatrist says. “But probably a common denominator in this group is that they feel they are not getting much out of life—not accomplishing as much as they are capable of. This holds for their jobs, studies, social activities, any area of their lives—a general dissatisfaction applies to all of them.” He adds, “In the younger age group, the dominating symptom among the unmarried is likely to be anxiety; in later years, it’s depression.”

However depressed they may be, most of them continue the frenzied man hunt. ...

One possible sex problem which turns out to be minor among our millions of unattached women is Lesbianism. According to Kinsey, only 13 per cent of all women, married or single, have had an all-out homosexual experience. Among males, the figure is 37 per cent.

Many widows, divorcees and single women have succeeded despite all obstacles in either finding a man—or in learning to live without one. In the search, many women have come up with a geographical solution. They have gone to the states with a high percentage of available males. There are 24 states where the men still outnumber the women: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. ...

She enjoys “a life of my own.”

But many others have recognized the truth—that they enjoy a man-free life—and are the happier for the recognition. Says a handsome 47-year-old divorcee, “I was married for 23 years, and I’ve been divorced for five—and having my freedom has opened up a new door in life for me. During my married life, I was told I wasn’t able to do a lot of things for myself, like drive a car; I was so timid I believed what I was told. But since my divorce, I’ve taken driving lessons and bought a car; I’ve taken my first job in 18 years; I’m a new and confident person with a life of my own. While I’d like to date men, I don’t think I ever want to marry again.” ...

The decision to accept the fact of living without a man can make an enormous difference. Occasionally a manless woman has the foresight to take fresh stock of herself just because she is manless. She decides to quit marking time in a job of little interest and to find—or invent—work that will absorb her. Often such thinking has led to fascinating, self-fulfilling careers. ...

Some of them find many interests. Thousands of single women do more things, are truly conversant with more subjects and pursue their hobbies with greater concentration than married women of the same age and educational background.

A number of doctors and psychiatrists told me, “In my experience, I have found my unmarried women patients to be happier than many married ones.” A woman psychologist added, "Getting along on her own, either in marriage or outside of it, is what really matters—for each person must be a self-sufficient individual to be happy.

It would do no harm if our frantic hordes of unwed women would think over those statements. Perhaps several million of them would stop their headlong hunt and finally settle down for a well-earned rest.

Source: Eleanor Harris, “Women Without Men,” Look, 5 July 1960, 43–46.  

                                                           

The first days of New Iranian/Persian year which are followed by widespread celebrations all over the country, are called "Nowrouz"(نوروز) or "New Day".

The ancient celebration of Nowrouz dates back to at least 8 thousands years in Iran. The vernacular residents of Iran, this sophisticated and glorious country, have used to mount colorful and fascinating celebrations to mark Nowrouz since 80 centuries ago, in which the friendship of nature, the values of Mother Earth and affinity with the humankind is marvelously significant.

Ancient Iranians had divided a single year into 12 sections and would hold a specific celebration for each month; Farvardin-gaan, Ordibehesht-gaan, Khordad-gaan, Tir-gaan, Mordaad-gaan, Shahrivar-gaan, Mehr-gaan, Abaan-gaan, Azar-gaan, Dey-gaan, Bahman-gaan and Esfand-gaan. Moreover, there were several other celebrations based on the transition of seasons, transformation of earth and climate, natural phenomena and cultural traditions.
 
Ancient Iranians have long honored the customs of Mother Earth and natural transformations, adapting themselves to climate changes in various seasons of a year to preserve their human life besides keeping a friendly and respectful cooperation with nature; it would also help them to form a salient and fortified civilization which could outlast for a historical period of time.

Not only ancient Iranians had learnt to consume the gifts and blessings of benevolent nature delicately, but also had they discovered to protect their own lives in the face of nature's insurgence and irritation.
Natural phenomena, however, always shaped a major part of Iranians' ancient celebrations and festivities. Iranians had considered these elements as the celestial endowments so they would try their best to preserve them in different ways.

"Mehregan" was the fest of creation. Ancient Iranians would inaugurate this celebration at the beginning and the end of autumn. Having the cultivation of agricultural crops finished, they would mount this thanksgiving fest, hoping for a more prolific year in the future.

With the conclusion of winter and the commencement of spring, Nowrouz would begin; the fest of nature's regeneration.

The frosted and lifeless nature would again start to blossom, and the earth would again green. Iranians believed that nature and its beauties should be enjoyed of, while being respected and protected; once the nature smiles at you greenly, you should smile and set off cheering.
Zoroaster, the ancient Iranian Prophet, was also the one who always stressed on living a happy life and avoiding polluting the nature and embroiling in conflicts, wars and battles.

Iranians have long used to purify and clean their homes and appliances at the moment of Nowrouz' arrival, wash and bath, sew the seeds of edible plants and nurture them, cook and bake the best foods and confectionaries, set fires on the roofs alight etc.

At the first day of Nowrouz, they would go for family gatherings, bring gifts and presents for each other, congregate and eat the most delicious foods, junkets and desserts, dance and make merry, sing and triumph.

At the ancient ages, they would also convey gifts to the kings and receive endowments instead. These celebrations would last for 12 days and on the 13th day, they should leave the homes, set off to plains and hills, settle tablecloths and gather in the nature to conclude their gala of the 13th day in the heart of nature.

Nowrouz and its celebrations, however, are not limited to the land of Iran and are rampant in adjacent countries such as Central and Southeastern Asian countries.

On the final days of the winter, Iranians would dust and sweep up their homes entirely, clean everywhere, buy new cloths and home appliances, purchase gifts for the family members, obtain comestibles and various kinds of groceries and sweetmeat to cook the best foods in the New Year. They also prevalently buy dried nuts and spring fruits to prepare the best for their guests and families.

At the final moments of winter, which is spanned to the spring by the moment of equinox, they huddle around a blessed tablecloth, named "Haft-seen". This ancient table is settled based on precise customs and ways. After the announcement of equinox moment which marks the official beginning of spring and is usually marked by the firing of New Year's cannon, they congratulate to each other, eat from the content of Haft-seen table, give gifts to each other, take a visit of families and friends and continue celebrating by the end of 12th day. 

With their Nowrouz, Iranians renew links with nature and felicitate the regeneration of nature. They applaud the revival of flowers and plants with praise and strengthen their family and friendship ties hereby. Nowrouz is the opportunity of reconciliation with nature, family and friend, and that's why it's considered to be the symbol of companionship and comradeship with the nature and humankind.  

A major part of New Year rituals is setting the "Haft Seen" (seven items). In ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them. Today they are changed and modified but some have kept their symbolism. All the seven items start with the letter "S"; this was not the order in ancient times. These seven things usually are: Seeb (apple), Sabze (green grass), Serke (vinager), Samanoo (a meal made out of wheat), Senjed (a special kind of berry), Sekke (coin), and Seer (garlic). Sometimes instead of Serke they put Somagh (sumak, an Iranian spice). Wheat or lentil representing new growth is grown in a flat dish a few days before the New Year and is called Sabzeh (green shoots). Decorated with colorful ribbons, it is kept until Sizdah beh dar, the 13th day of the New Year, and then disposed outdoors. A few live gold fish (the most easily obtainable animal) are placed in a fish bowl. Mirrors are placed on the spread with lit candles as a symbol of fire.

Source: http://www.legofishlabs.com/IGSA/200603index.html

Sizdah Bedar ( 13 Bedar)

  
                                                                                 

The tradition of leaving the house on the thirteenth (Sizdah) day of Farvardin, the last day of the Norooz period, and spending that day outside with joy, laughter and pleasure has been in practice since ancient times in Iran. This is the last phase of the celebrations of the New Year ( Norouz). This joyous celebration has its roots in the Zoroastrian belief that laughter and joy symbolize the throwing away of bad thoughts. According to Zoroastrianism, bad thoughts are the gift of Ahreeman (the devil) and his offspring and the festival of the New Year will cleanse all bad thoughts. The celebrations defeat the enemies and plant shoots of comradeship and peace. The custom of kissing each other on the cheeks also comes from a belief that it cleanses the individual.

On the last day of the New Year celebrations, the 13th of the first month Farvardin, it is the custom of Iranians to pass as many hours as possible outdoors. All people leave their homes to go to the parks or local plains for a very festive picnic. It is a must to spend this day in nature and the occasion is called Sizdah-Bedar. It is generally believed that if people stay home something bad can happen.

This day was not celebrated in this manner before Islam and might be several rituals in one. It is possible that this day was devoted to the deity Tishtrya (Tir), protector of rain. In the Zoroastrian calendar each day is named after a deity and this particular day in the month of Farvardin is named after Tishtrya. In the past there were outdoor festivities to pray to this Eyzad in hope of rain that was essential for agriculture. The act of throwing away the Sabzeh from Haft Seen into rivers and running waters on this day also indicates veneration for a water deity. The act symbolically represents an offering made to such a deity.

However, Anahita was the goddess protector of running waters and not Tishtrya. It appears that at least part of the celebration is to pay respect to some water deity. Tishtrya/rain or Anahita/water are likely mixed together to preserve veneration for water deities in general. In ancient mythology the deity Vata the rain-bringer was associated with Harahvati Aredvi Sura, which means possessing waters (Anahita is a later assimilation of this deity). She personified a mythical river and all rivers flow out of this one. Clouds also took up rain from the same mythical river every year. Tishtrya goes to the river once per year in the shape of a white stallion to fight the Demon of Dearth appearing in the shape of a black stallion. After Tishtrya’s victory he rushes into the sea and water is hurried all over, and Vata snatches some for the clouds. The rest of the water is mixed with seeds of plants, which sprout as the rain falls. Ancient Iranian rituals quite often enacted their mythologies, waters were respected and many rites existed with respect to waters. It is very likely that several of these were combined to preserve some aspect of the ancient celebrations venerating waters. Till the 19th century there was horse racing on this day, which very likely represented the fight between the two stallions.

Another account of Zorastrian folk stories mentiones that twelve devilish spirits sent by Ahreeman are eating away at the 12 pillars of the world all year around, and at the end of the year when the pillars are on the verge of collapse, the evil spirits come to earth to celebrate. While they are dancing with joy, during the first 12 days of Norooz, the pillars are restored to their original state due to the people's joy, celebrations and goodwill. The bad spirits will again start eating away at the pillars on the thirteenth day of the year hoping to topple the world once again. The first twelve days of the year were therefore considered particularly significant and had the important duty of safekeeping the world and the lives of people on earth. The thirteenth day of the year was considered the beginning of the normal period of the year.

In Iranian stories it is stated that the world’s length of life is 12 thousand years and the number 12 is taken from the 12 months of the year. On expiry of the 12000 years, the world’s lifespan is over and the world’s population has the prime duty of fighting against Ahreeman. On the expiry of 12000 years, according to Zoroastrian folklore, the people will completely defeat the Ahreeman and with the appearance of Shoosaianet, the last face of Ahreeman will be destroyed and the war of Ahooramazda against Ahreeman will result in Ahooramazda's absolute victory. From then onward there will not exist a materialistic earth and the people will return to their permanent place in the heavenly body 'Minoo' enjoying universal happiness, peace and tranquility.



                                      ---------------------------------
                                                             ---------------------------------
                                                                               --------------------------------------

The Wedding Ring – A brief history

By nikalas

My last post sparked an interest in me to learn more about the tradition of the wedding ring. Interestingly, most of the information I found was through websites of jewelers. Who else would have ample reason to give the history and significance of this cherished piece of jewelry? Sell the idea of the ring and you sell the ring itself.

The wedding ring is one of the oldest traditions surrounding marriage in the known history of mankind. So here is a compilation of what I found – all you ever wanted to know, or not. Though I couldn’t include everything I found, I listed my sources at the end of the post so you can further research it if you choose. And here is a picture of mine. Not the actual ring I wear on my finger, but the one from the James Avery website. The script is Hebrew and says, “My beloved is mine and I am his” from Song of Solomon.

 

 

The wedding band is a symbol of unity. It is also the symbol of the sun, earth and universe, and represents holiness, perfection and peace. The never-ending circle of a wedding band symbolizes eternal love by its lack of a beginning and an end. This tradition comes from an ancient tribal custom where brides decorated their wrists and ankles with circlets of grass.

The exchanging of wedding rings between couples is an age-old tradition that will always instill a sense of magic and superstition. This symbol of unity signifies that wherever you may go alone, you will always come back to each other.

The wedding band dates back to 17th century BC Egypt where wedding rings had a supernatural significance. A never-ending band made of twisted plant materials such as hemp, signified eternal love between two people. The Egyptians placed the rings on the fourth finger of the left hand, based on a belief called vena amoris or love vein. It was believed that the vein from that finger lead directly to the heart, thereby linking the couple’s destiny.

The Romans were a little less romantic. Their iron wedding bands were not a symbol of love, but signified a binding legal agreement of ownership by husbands, who regarded rings as tokens of purchase. It also represented protection to the wife—a protection against challengers seizing her legal and rightful position in a power grab. As with the Egyptians, the Romans believed in vena amoris and wore the bands on the fourth finger of their left hand.

In ancient cultures it was believed that the third finger of the left hand, had a special vein called vena amoris, the vein of “love,” that ran from the “ring finger” finger directly to the heart. There is, of course, no scientific basis for this romantic theory, but the custom has, nevertheless, endured through generations. It was King Edward VI of England who decreed that the third finger of the left hand be designated as the “official” ring finger and, in 1549, the Book of Common Prayer sealed the deal with the designation of the left hand as the marriage hand. Despite the designations, in many European countries brides wear their wedding rings on the right hand.

Even after the discovery that there was no vena amoris, the custom of wearing the wedding band on the third finger survived. Early Christian marriages included a ritual that landed the wedding band on the third finger: As the priest recited, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost,” he took the ring and touched the thumb, the first finger, and then the second finger. When he said, “Amen,” he placed the ring on the third finger, sealing the marriage. The wedding band has occupied the third finger into the 21st century, except for a short period during the Elizabethan era, when whimsy decreed that the wedding ring reside on the thumb.

Russian wedding rings include a combination of three different colors of gold, linked rings. These rings are believed to represent the Holy Trinity and are still very popular today. Elizabethans wore a version of this ring called the Gimmal Ring.

In the Irish Claddagh ring, a heart (symbolizing love) is surrounded by clasped hands (symbolizing friendship) and a crown (symbolizing eternity). This ring is popular and can serve as a friendship ring, an engagement ring, or a wedding ring.

In the Middle East, puzzle ring wedding bands were worn by ladies to prove faithfulness to their husband. A puzzle wedding band is actually made up of many rings that, when worn correctly fit together to form a band ring. A lady who wore a wedding band showed to the world, that she was married and would be faithful to her husband. If she ever took the ring off her finger, it would be very difficult for her to get the puzzle rings correctly together again and the husband would know that his wife had been unfaithful.

In the Renaissance, jewelers created a new kind of wedding ring called the gimmel, or twin ring. It consisted of two or more interlocking rings, joined by a pivot, so they could slide together into one ring symbolizing the union of two lives. The gimmel ring has always remained popular, in a variety of incarnations. A spinoff of the gimmel ring was formed so that the hoops terminated in a pair of hands, which clasped together when the ring was closed. This variation was known as a fede ring (Italian for faith). It was introduced around 1600 at the very same time that the Puritans tried–unsuccessfully–to abolish the tradition of the wedding ring.

In colonial America, jewelry was considered to have no moral value and was largely prohibited. Ladies wore thimbles as engagement or promise rings, after marriage the bottom portion of the thimble was taken off leaving just the top portion on the finger. This looked quite like a wedding band and the tradition carried on for many years.

Ancient Northerns believed that a lover’s knot was a symbol of love, faith, and friendship. The knot was formed out of the hair of the beloved, woven into a knot that was then worn as a ring. Among the Anglo-Saxons a part of the “wed” was a ring worn on her right hand.

Historically, the betrothal ring was the only one a bride could expect from her groom. Rings have been used throughout the centuries to mark engagements. Rings with gemstones were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The creative gentleman might present his beloved with a gemstone ring where the first letter of the stones within the setting spelled out his name or a word such as, for example, “dearest” (diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, epidote, sapphire, turquoise). Medieval wedding rings were often set with colored gemstones, because of the symbolism of the colors. Gentlemen in the Middle Ages often kept a betrothal ring suspended from the band of their hat . . . ready to send to their chosen beloved.<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]-->

The word “betrothed” comes from the Anglo-Saxon “troweth,” meaning truth. Betrothed means giving a truth or pledge and an engagement ring becomes an outward indication to everyone that a woman has pledged her love to one man alone.

The Greek “adamant” means steadfast or invincible. It is from this word that the diamond gets its name. Diamonds were believed to be invincible, indestructible, and exceedingly strong. It is easy to understand then why it was chosen to symbolize purity and light, protected against evil. Legend tells us that the diamond’s sparkle rose from the lovers’ fires, and that it possessed great harmonizing powers. The icy fire of the true white diamond remains the foremost symbol of love.

The number seems astronomical, but, believe it or not, more than 6.7 billion dollars are spent annually on engagement rings in the United States.

Ceremonies differ, vows are often unique, but the tradition of the wedding band has survived through the ages, and probably will—for all eternity.

It is the weakest of the fingers on the hand, as it shares a flexor muscle with the middle and little fingers. It is the only finger that cannot be fully extended by itself separately.

-wikipedia



                      

                                                                 
                                    





Meaning of Numbers in the Bible

 

The Holy Bible has a consistence to numbers, from the Book of Genesis to the Revelations. Other than the regular page numbering, numerals are used throughout the passages. From seven depicting the number of days God used for creation, to number of the Anti-Christ in the Book of Revelations…

The Holy Bible is revered by Christians around the world. It is accepted as the 'word of God'. Numbers are an important part in religious or spiritual writing. They are either interpreted in literal application or spiritual symbolism. The references made in the Bible, using numbers, include:

·         1 - the 'one omnipresent' God, all pervasive and supernatural

·         2 - the two testimonials or testaments of the Bible, The Old Testament and The New Testament

·         3 - the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, the triune God Head or the 3 days before Christ's resurrection from the dead

·         4 - the very symbolic 4th verse 'And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.'

·         5 - the 5th day of creation, when God filled the earth with life forms and added glory to the creation of land and water or the 5 decades the Holy Rosary to the Virgin Mary, in the case of Catholicism

These are just some of the meanings that certain numbers relate to in the Bible. Likewise, different people derive different explanations from the use of these numbers and while some members of the congregation take the numbers literally, in their numerical application, some look for hidden clues and meanings. Whether the numbers are symbolic or not, they are there to facilitate a sense of quantity and time.

The contents of the Bible are divided into two distinct parts. And, both have numbers integrated into verse. While the first part, The Old Testament, reveals about creation and the prophets before Jesus Christ, The New Testament emphasizes on Christ's life and times and the Revelations about the 'end times'. The Bible is full of symbolic reference and it is not very easy to accept the Word as 'one directed by God' and then find meaning to the numbers within.

Numbers have been used to indicate the days it took: God to create the earth, the time span during which the first two humans lived on the earth and procreated, the days of the flood, the periods of fasting, the 'end times', the 'beast' or the anti Christ, the days before Christ resurrected, and even the Stations of the Cross at the Easter ritual. It is absolute faith that Christians accept and believe in numbers and symbols that defy limited human understanding.

The numbers used and referred to in the Bible play a very important role in helping the faithful to determine a span of time or a quantity or a specific reference to a character. Chronological time standards are used not only by Christianity on the basis of the information in the Bible, but also by other religions. The numbers are usually indicative of and specific to traditions, feasts and celebrations and rituals. They are used to literally indicate the number of or symbolize spiritual signs.

Again through the implementation of numbers, it becomes easier to relate to the:

·         10 Commandments as a code of behavior

·         13 hours or Adoration - symbolizing the Crucifixion of Christ

·         14 Stations of the Cross

·         40 days of Lent

·         666 reference to the Anti-Christ

It is important to remember that the Bible has been written by various 'men', under directives from God, over different periods of time. The spiritual meaning of numbers in the Holy Bible are personally significant when they are accepted literally or with sufficiently proven interpretation. 


                               -------------------------------------------
                                                       ---------------------------------------------
                                                                          --------------------------------------------------