Humanists win right to solemnize their own weddings in Indiana
Kimberly Winston | July 14, 2014
(RNS) A federal court has ruled that humanist couples in Indiana can be married by their own “secular celebrants,” something that until now was illegal under state law.
In a unanimous ruling, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said denying humanists the right to be married by celebrants who share their lack of belief in a deity is a denial of their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.
Under a law dating to the 1850s, Indiana required marriages be conducted by religious clergy or government officials. The humanist plaintiffs argued this denied them the right to be married by celebrants who share their philosophy and gave preferential treatment to religious people.
“The court has gotten this exactly right,” said Reba Boyd Wooden, a humanist and certified “secular celebrant” who was a plaintiff in the case. “Whether a person is atheist, agnostic, humanist, or simply doesn’t want a religious wedding, this decision means they can now have these wonderful occasions solemnized by a celebrant who shares their life-stance.”
http://www.religionnews.com/2014/07/14/humanists-win-right-solemnize-weddings-indiana/
11-page decision here:
http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2014/D07-14/C:12-3751:J:Easterbrook:aut:T:fnOp:N:1379501:S:0
