Editing Ceremony (section)

==Religious and civil (secular) ceremonies==
According to [[Dally Messenger III|Dally Messenger]] and [[Alain de Botton]], in most Western countries the values and ideals articulated in both church and [[Civil ceremony|civil ceremonies]] are generally similar. The difference is in what Messenger calls the "supernatural infrastructure" or de Botton the "implausible supernatural element".<ref name="messenger">Messenger, Dally; ''Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement'', Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), 2012 {{ISBN|978-0-86786-169-3}}</ref><ref>Kelly, Fran; Radio Interview with Alain de Botton, RN Breakfast, Australian Broadcasting Commission, Podcast 2012.</ref>

Most religions claim some extra advantage conferred by the deity, e.g., Roman Catholics believe that through the words of [[consecration]] in the [[Mass in the Catholic Church|mass]] ceremony, God himself becomes [[Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist|actually present]] on the altar.

Both religious and civil ceremonies share the powerful psychological, social and cultural influences which all ceremony seeks to attain. The style of music played, words used, other components and the structure vary.

===Shared traditions===
[[File:Leaders welcoming boy into Mexico Scouting.jpg|thumb|Leaders welcome a boy into Scouting, March 2010, Mexico City, Mexico.]]As [[Edward Schillebeeckx]] writes about the [[Wedding|marriage ceremony]], there are a number of ancient traditional elements in both church and civil ceremonies in the western world. Key ceremonies date from the pre-Christian Roman and Greek times, and their practices have continued through the centuries. For example, from pre-Christian Roman times in the marriage ceremony, we inherit [[Groomsman|best men]] and [[Bridesmaid|bridesmaids]], processions, signing of the contract, exchange of [[Wedding ring|rings]] and the [[wedding cake]].<ref>Schillebeeckx, Edward; translated by N.D. Smith:; Secular Reality and Saving Mystery. Volumes 1 & 2, Sheed and Ward, London, 1963. Note: later versions have these ISBNs: {{ISBN|978-0722076644}} {{ISBN|0722076649}}</ref>

===Sharing non-supernatural content===
Writer and philosopher de Botton maintains [[Atheism|atheists]] should appropriate many of the useful insights, artistic treasures and symbolism inspired by religion. He argues that the secular world can also learn from the religions the importance of community and continuity.<ref>De Botton, Alain: ''[[iarchive:religionforathei00debo|Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion]]'', 2013, Vintage Books, {{ISBN|978-0307476821}}</ref>  Messenger agrees, and points out that the success of [[Celebrant (Australia)|civil celebrants in Australia]] has been partly due to their espousing of these principles, both in theory and practice, since 1973.<ref>Messenger, Dally; Alain de Botton and Humanists, Australian Humanist Magazine, no. 106, Winter 2012, p. 10.</ref><ref name="ceremonies">Messenger III, Dally (1999), ''Ceremonies and Celebrations'', Hachette -Livre Australia (Sydney), {{ISBN|978-0-7336-2317-2}}</ref>