The Gay UK Issue 2 : MR GAY UK | Page 101

1549: The Vows The tradition of vows came from Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer. Although the book was updated later on, many of Thomas Cranmer’s words are still used in religious ceremonies today. These vows laid the foundation for how the Roman Catholic & P r o t e s t a n t churches viewed straight marriage at the time as: a partnership. Protestantism a dominant religion. 1563: Sacramental Marriage The Roman Catholic Church officially declared that straight marriage was one of the seven sacraments in this year; meaning that it was something undertaken in the presence of god. The other sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Ordination and Last Rites. The Protestant Church didn’t see straight marriage as a sacrament at this time. For the religious it meant that they could get married in a neutral place, if for some reason they couldn’t get married in their church. For the nonreligious it gave them a place void of religion. Prior to this, nonreligious straight couples had to go through a ceremony in a church and undertake practices & traditions that they didn’t believe in. In 1837 the civil registration of straight marriages started. 1837: It’s All About Straight Love Between 1837-1901 it was the Victorian Era. It is said by contemporary historians that the Victorian Era is when marriage became about love, but still only the love between a man and