So why is it the Pastor will say....Do you....take this WOMAN....to be your LAWFULLY WEDDED WIFE?
“So why is it the Pastor will say....Do you....take this WOMAN....to be your LAWFULLY WEDDED WIFE?”
We don’t say that; never did. There are no “vows” in the Orthodox Sacrament of Marriage. The vows we hear in Western weddings today are a variation on those set out in the 16th century English wedding ceremony and reflect the state’s overlordship of the English church. Beyond that, I can only assume that today here in America “lawfully” means according to God’s law and that the state recognizes that marriage. Adam and Steve getting “lawfully married” by some notary public (or woman pretending to be a priest) says absolutely nothing about you being “lawfully married” in your congregation.