I would like to know people's honest opinions about divorce. I would then like to know how it matches up with the Bible. Thanks
here is a website I came across... http://www.bible.ca/marriage/marriage-myths-separation-divorce.htm
It's undesirable, but people make mistakes. Many people are just incompatible and can't be happy together.
I go along with the previous two posters...two people may start out with the best of all intentions and on a Biblical or spiritual basis as well and it still doesn't work out, no matter what...I've seen happen it a few times. It's best to just let go rather than live life in misery "just for the kids" or whatever.
Better to divorce than to live with someone you really don't like being around, or worse, who hits you. I agree, it's undesirable, but it's far more undesirable to be forced to stay in an unhappy marriage. As far as the bible goes, I'm pretty sure Jesus said divorce is absolutely wrong. I seem to remember that being a part of one of his sermons.
definitely undesireable for sure. To me divorce represents a loss of faith. As long as a person can believe God is God over everything in their life they will be able to surrender all things over to God. I know that is fluffy idealism but I think if my wife and I were divorced it would mean I had lost all hope and faith in God. But it does happen and sometimes it is the best thing that could happen: physical and emotional abuse, adultery, etc.
My stepmother was told by her baptist church, her pastor specifically, that divorce was wrong, even when she caught her husband molesting her daughter she had to work out the marriage for the sake of her children. That god had forgiven the man for molesting her children, and that divorcing him would be wrong in the eyes of god. That according to god this man should stay in the home with his family, it was a sin to cast her husband out. Well she tried it out for a few weeks, but after the man was arrested for attaking a little girl on the street she took her chances with the sin against god. There are definitely churches out there preaching doctrine that marriages must remain so forever, no exceptions. Where do you stand on the issue, JD4U? I don't think anyone is like "yay, Divorce!" but I definitely think there are times where it is absolutely necessary and there are also times when people just aren't truley committing to a marriage with eachother. I also think it is important that families with children should make every effort to make a marriage work, unless the relationship itself is worse for the children than a divorce would be. My problem with divorce is not religious, but more social in nature. I think children need security, identity, and confidence and in most circumstances parental relationships coming and going and changing isn't the best way to give that to your child.
I'd also like to add that, unlike you may hear in a lot of churches, divorce is not a secular problem stemming from secular or non-religious marriages. When I was in school (baptist school) I was taught that marriages fail because people don't let god choose their partner, and that god can keep any marriage together. They implied that one must be religious, or more specifically christian, to have a successful marriage, and that the unsuccesful ones were because god wasn't in their lives. Imagine my suprise when a few years later I read that a study had found that baptists had the highest divorce rate of any denomination, and were more likely to divorce than even atheists and agnostics. Dug up a link: http://www.divorcereform.org/mel/rbaptisthigh.html The article actually has a lot of interesting little stats. The entire site has a lot of info and stats: http://www.divorcereform.org/stats.html
I think if there's violence or adultery in the marriage it's more than okay. Jesus specifically talks of adultery. It's also stated in the Bible you have a right to defend yourself. My biggest problem with divorce is when kids are involved. I think that's a big problem with society today. Not just on a Christian level. On a social level.
I agree a lot with MeMilesAway... Biblically, I think sincere Christians should marry other sincere Christians--it makes things so much easier. Although every marriage is going to have its problem. Also, I think Christians should try to make marriage work because generally it is not the marriage that fail but the people who failed. HOWEVER, in certain cases such as your step mother, there are times were divorce is a necessity. ADULTERY and SPOUSE BEATING was two major exceptions to getting divorce and Jesus was clear on that on His sermon on the mount. Other than that, I believe God hates divorce. Yet a lot of these Baptist will spew non biblical doctrine and man made legalism that kills the message of God.
The volleyball coach at my college (whom I help coach with) is getting a divorce and I have seen some of the effects of it first hand. I just wanted to hear your guys views
In the links I gave above it did mention that inter-faith (even just different denominations of christianity) couples seem to have higher than usual divorce rates. I can understand how partnering with a person who shares your same faith would be beneficial to a relationship, whereas partnering with someone who has a completely different religious beliefs could cause perpetual turmoil. I agree with you also, that it isn't a marriage that fails, it is people that fail. Relationships take work and effort from both partners to maintain. Fairy tales always simply say "happily ever after," but fairy tales end at the beginning. I definitely won't disagree with you there.
yeah echo that. I taught a 7th grade class a while back and out of 26 kids about 40% had divorced parents. It absolutely blew my mind to think that kids (11-12 yrs old) had already been subjected to heavy adult problems so early in life. Socially I don't know how they will develop with regards to relationships. To me so much of life is modelling. Boys and girls will usually treat the opposite sex similar to their father and mother, respectively. The divorce rate continues to increase. I think believers in Christ are supposed to know in their hearts when God would approve of divorce. Again, different denominations (demonations ) have different takes on this. Considering that it does come down to interpretation of the scripture and the Holy Spirit.
Totally. If you want to talk about destroying the family and hurting society, forget gay marriage, think divorce. That does more harm now than gay marriage would ever do.
no doubt...gay marriage is such a moot point and divorce is the big killer. of course that might change once gay marriage becomes the 'in' thing to do. i figure that will erupt with cloning, so i'll be lined up with myself at the courthouse steps--seriously we will see that once that lil gem comes in.
