# Is there a special term for someone who is atheist but marries in a Christian church? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112 "2012-04-18T02:07:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112/21 "2012-04-22T15:16:22Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > I sometimes wish that I had a Christian family or a religious family, just to experience the feeling of celebrating holidays religiously, so I could be part of the community… I could join a church, but I am not very fond of water, and I have heard that baptism is required to become accepted. Not cool to be wet or completely submerged in water. “Total Immersion” baptism is only performed by some denominations. Many do the trickle of water over the forehead thing. And you certainly don’t have to be baptised to start going to church and being part of the church community. Just show up and take part. The thing you don’t seem to understand is that Christian churches actively encourage new people to join. This is how Christianity spreads. They hope unchurched people like you will drop in and take part, and eventually become members. But they aren’t going to kick you out for not being a member, or for not being a Christian, or for not really believing in God. See, they think that you might have certain beliefs now, but if you hang around a bunch of people who have certain beliefs, you’ll start believing the way they do. So if you go to church every Sunday just for the community, they hope you’ll eventually become a Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112/22 "2012-04-22T15:19:50Z")
No, there is not a special term [in American English] that means “someone who is an atheist but marries in a Christian church”, and I cannot see any need for such a term. > [@Eliahna](#): > > Observation: America isn’t just another country, is it? It’s like a whole other world. I know more atheists than theists and have attended few church weddings. These questions being asked about atheist weddings the way one would ask about betrothal ceremonies of the native populations on an alien planet are surreal to me. FWIW I’m an American, and the OP seems surreal to me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112/23 "2012-04-22T16:58:06Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Observation: America isn’t just another country, is it? It’s like a whole other world. I know more atheists than theists and have attended few church weddings. These questions being asked about atheist weddings the way one would ask about betrothal ceremonies of the native populations on an alien planet are surreal to me. That’s not because you’re not American, its because the questions ARE surreal. I don’t believe SDMBKL is american either. I would be stunned to learn he is, actually. His extremely careful yet extremely awkward phrasing suggests he is not even a native speaker of English. Check out his recent “what means this, ‘cute’?” thread. While I have hypothesized that SDMBKL is an alien from another planet, gathering research for the eventual overthrow of earth, others have argued he is a robot from the future sent to reclaim ancient Hu-mon customs. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112/24 "2012-04-22T19:05:35Z")
I’m just a guy whose in-laws are Catholic. Me & the Mrs. had to attend some classes and agree to raise any offspring Catholic in order to get married in MIL’s church. We both lied, got married, and go to church on Christmas and Easter with the family. Her older and younger sisters both have kids that go to church, got communion - the whole Catlic deal. Us - we sleep in on Sundays… I guess you could shorten that to just “A Guy”. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112/25 "2012-04-22T21:55:12Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > That’s not because you’re not American, its because the questions ARE surreal. I don’t believe SDMBKL is american either. I would be stunned to learn he is, actually. His extremely careful yet extremely awkward phrasing suggests he is not even a native speaker of English. Check out his recent “what means this, ‘cute’?” thread. > > While I have hypothesized that SDMBKL is an alien from another planet, gathering research for the eventual overthrow of earth, others have argued he is a robot from the future sent to reclaim ancient Hu-mon customs. I came to the same conclusion soon after 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-special-term-for-someone-who-is-atheist-but-marries-in-a-christian-church/619112.md?page=1)