The Temple of Earth - Ceremonies




Free TOE certificates available in our materials section: Marriage, Vow of Love, Baby Naming, Friendship, Ordination Certificate, etc.		The sauce to meat is ceremony; Meeting were bare without it -- William Shakespeare

As an ordained minister, you have the opportunity to officiate at public and private ceremonies. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to take part in meaningful moments with friends both old and new by helping to guide them and adding value to their special gatherings. Before you do this (especially officiating at weddings), you must check with your local government (city, state or country) to see whether you have the legal right to do so. As so many places have different stances on this, the Temple of Earth cannot verify your local laws and so cannot be held accountable for any illegal practices on the part of its members. We also strongly suggest that you do not use any ceremony for the opportunity of preaching. Though the Temple of Earth encourages the sharing of its viewpoints on religion and rationality, we don’t think that emotional gatherings such as weddings or funerals are the place to do so. People can be offended by an opinionated preacher, especially if his or her opinions run counter to their own. Weddings, funerals, baby namings, baptisms and other similar functions are a time to get together and get along. Stick to literature or poetry for your inspiration and everyone will appreciate you and your ceremony. The role of a Temple of Earth minister in these ceremonies is usually relatively minor. You are expected to meet with the people involved with the ceremony and ask them if they have any ideas on what and how much should be said. They, you should write a draft of your speech and any rituals you’ll perform and send it to them for approval. Make any changes they request and resubmit it to them. Once they sign off (an email approval will be fine), practice your speech in front of a mirror, friends and if possible a video camera to make sure your delivery is pleasant and smooth. Many of the certificates you’ll need can be found in our materials section. There are a great deal of resources on the internet to help you in drafting a speech and how to officiate at a ceremony. Here are some of our favorites: GENERAL http://www.secularhumanism.org/ library/shb/beck_16_4.htm http://www.nzarh.org.nz/document/celebrant.doc WEDDINGS Organizing theknot.com article http://www.ultimatewedding.com /articles/get.php?action=getarticle&articleid=1716 http://www.infidels.org/library/ modern/bill_schultz/weddings.html Readings http://www.todays-weddings.com/planning/readings.html http://www.secularceremonies.com/sample.html http://www.hitched.co.uk/plan/readings/index.asp http://www.weddingguide.co.uk/ articles/wordsmusic/poems/lovepoems.asp more: search for wedding readings at google. FUNERALS *Putting together a speech* http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/funeral.htm http://dying.about.com/ cs/funeralplanning/a/eulogy_writing.htm *Readings* http://www.bl.co.nz/Funerals/Funeral_readings.htm http://www.hospiceofhope.com/funeral_resources.htm http://www.cheraglibrary.org/archive/funeral.html http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/ Forum/showthread.php?t=3 more: search for funeral readings at google. BABY NAMING http://www.ceremony.org.uk/naming.htm

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