The purpose of this paper is to argue that, Christians should never turn to divorce unless the specific criteria in the Bible is met. In today's society divorce has become more and more accepted. In fact, a study done by the American Psychological Association shows that roughly 40 to 50 percent of American marriages end in divorce. Divorce has been shown to have extremely harmful repercussions on some of the children and spouses alike. In some cases, those harmful repercussions range from dropping out of high school, severe depression, constant anxiety, abnormally high stress, intense sadness, and more common in teens, rebellion as a way to try and “get back” at their parents. These are all things that will ultimately harm our society …show more content…
It is important that Christians carefully examine the Word and seeking out what Christ says on this topic, and also seek to understand God’s idea.
Statement of Fact Divorce has been around since the days of Moses. In more recent times, the divorce revolution that has struck America truly began in 1969 when Ronald Reagan instituted the first “No Fault” divorce bill. “A no-fault divorce refers to a type of divorce in which the spouse that is filing for divorce does not have to prove any fault on the part of the other spouse. All a spouse has to do is give any reason that the state honors for the divorce. (www.family.findlaw.com).”. Now, quite obviously this bill made it extremely easy to divorce and so naturally the divorce rates skyrocketed after that. The steady increase in divorce reached its peak in 1981, with roughly 5.3 divorces for every 1,000 people. This number might not seem huge but when taken into consideration that in 1981 there were roughly 229.5 million people in America, that really puts it into perspective. The church needs
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This divorce issue is a real problem and should be of concern to Christians. As previously stated, some of the biggest problems that sometimes can stem from divorce are severe depression, constant anxiety, abnormally high stress and intense sadness, we should seek to keep these awful things to a minimum since they hinder the society so much. Studies have shown, children of divorced couples are 2 to 3 times more likely than others to struggle (suffer syn) with psychological and/or social problems. Also, statistics show that children who grow up without one of their parents in the home, tend to have higher rates of being high school dropouts, with 31% of teens from divorced homes dropping out compared to the 13% of dropouts who come from still married parents. It has also been shown that 11% of teenage boys who come from broken homes tend to spend time in jail before the age of 32 compared to the 5% who come from intact homes. This is not to say that all children who come from dissolved marriages are terrible kids. There are plenty of kids who come from married couples who have struggled with the same and in some cases worse things. These statistics simply
The controversy, however, lies in the argument from critics that restricting couples from marriage or imposing fines or penalties is unjust. Jennifer Daw, a therapist with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy quoted an article from USA Today wherein opponents argued that, “divorce regulations or restrictions would create messier divorces, not prevent them and tougher restrictions on divorce could endanger women in abusive marriages.” People were once required to negotiate in divorce. The “No Fault Divorce” has changed that and takes the ground...
During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church was the epicenter of most people 's lives and it influenced them greatly, and their rulings shaped many societies. In order to encourage civil relations and less greed and bloodshed the Catholic Church installed a rule of no longer allowing divorce. For some time divorce was used in order to sever ties with your spouse when they couldn’t provide an heir, land or financial gain, or as much as another suitor. This led to many divorces and serial marriages, bloodshed and out right injustice. Some may argue that these marriages weren’t entered in with high regards to such a hefty commitment knowing that it could simply be ended whenever either spouse pleased.
In the 21st century, divorce has become commonplace not only in the United States, but in many parts of the world. Franklin and Boddie (2004) reported that within 10 years about 40-50% of American marriages end in divorce. In 2009, the divorce rate in the United States stood at 3.6 per 1,000 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Divorce, however, is not only a social issue, but it has serious health implications. Divorce has been researched extensively and is considered an adverse event (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Adverse events such as personal or parental divorce has been linked to many ailments and conditions including substance abuse, depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and premature mortality (Sbarra, Law, & Portley, 2011; CDC, 2009).
Wengert, Timothy J. "The Book of Concord and Human Sexuality, Seen Through the Institution Of Marriage." Dialog: A Journal of Theology 48.1 (2009): 9-18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 May 2014.
In fact, the number of divorces in Canada for every 100,000 people has decreased from a high of 362.3 in 1987 to 220.7 in 2005 (Wyman 1). Yet when we exclude the large and sudden jump of the Page 2 divorce rate in the 1980’s, we can see the overall national divorce rate is still gradually increasing from those of an earlier time period, which is to be expected due to the continued changes in societal norms.... ... middle of paper ... ... A senseless census reform."
According to Rodgers (1995) no-fault divorce was implemented to make divorce less restrictive, and more importantly removes the factor of fault in that it removes the need for one party to be guilty or innocent. No-fault divorce law recognises that a breakdown of the relationship between spouses can result in them no longer being able to function as a married couple, and instead seeks to reduce the legal obstacles, economic costs, and psychological consequences of divorce (Rodgers 1995). Due to these factors, divorce may have become more accessible to low income families had who previously been unable to afford it under fault-based divorce. On the other hand, no-fault divorce may have become more attractive to high income families in particular the “guilty” spouse who under fault-based legislation faced alimony payments, child support payments and loss of property to the “innocent” spouse (Rodgers 1995). The role that the no-fault law plays in divorce is that of a societal structure, in that it encompasses an association between individuals and the social institution that is the American legal system on a sizable scale throughout American society.
Divorce can be caused by problems such as drugs, adultery, abuse, and money. The United States is a fast-paced country with little to no time to spend on the basic family values it was founded upon. Jobs are more demanding, kids are spending most of their time with people other than their parents, and the economy drains marriages by causing worry and stress. The foundation upon which marriage was built has been shaken.
Divorce is a heavy concept that has many implications for those involved. The situation becomes even more consequential when children are considered. As divorce has become more commonplace in society, millions of children are affected by the separation of the nuclear family. How far-reaching are these effects? And is there a time when divorce is beneficial to the lives of the children? This paper will examine some of the major research and several different perspectives regarding the outcomes of divorce for the children involved, and whether it can actually be in the best interest of the kids.
Divorce should be harder to obtain due to the effect that it has on children the main effect it has on the children is depression. “ In the short term divorce is always troublesome for children Mavis Hetherington videotaped and scrutinized the workings of 1400 divorced families since the early 1970’s. Hetherington pinpoints a crisis period of about two years in the immediate aftermath of separation when the adults, preoccupied with their own lives, typically takes their eye off parenting just when their children are reeling from loss and feeling bewildered” (Hethrington 2). This article states that the short term effect of divorce affects the kid deep because they feel that they lost one forever and in those 1400 many of the kids felt the effect of the divorce. “Wallerstein has told us that divorce abruptly ends kids’ childhood, filling it with loneliness and worry about their parents, and hurting them prematurely and recklessly into adolescence. (Wallerstein 2).” This later affects the kids life because they try to think of happy memories they had but really all they can think about is the parent that they loss due to the divorce. “Contrary to the popular perceptions, the alternative to most divorces is not life in a war zone. Though more than 50 percent of all marriages currently end in divorce, experts tell us that only about 15 percent of all unions involve high levels of conflict. In the vast number of divorces, then, there is no gross strife or violence that could warp a youngster’s childhood. The majority of marital break-ups are driven by a quest for greener grass—and in these cases the children will almost always be worse off. (Zinsmeister 2)” this proves to me that when people get a divorce they most of the time don’t ...
Divorce is a very common word in today's society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things"(Pickett, 2000). This dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. In 1950 the ratio of divorce to marriage was one in every four; in 1977 that statistic became one in two. Currently one in every two first marriages results in divorce. In second marriages that figure is considerably higher, with a 67% average (National Vital Statistics Report, 2001). One critical aspect of divorce is often not taken into consideration: How it affects children. Every year 1.1 million children are affected by divorce (Benjamin, 2000). Children from divorce or separation often exhibit behavioral and long-term adjustment problems (Kelly, 2000). Throughout this paper I will discuss divorces effects on children at different age levels, how they react, and what can be done to help them.
One tough thing about today's American family is divorce. In 1816, one marriage out of one hundred ended in divorce. Then between the years 1869-1888, divorce increased up to one hundred and fifty percent. And the worse, between the years 1960-1980, the divorce rate increased up to two hundred and fifty percent. Divorce rates peaked in 1981 and then started to decline a little during the mid 1980's. However, divorce rates now are as high as they have ever been. Now fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. There are five reasons for the increase in divorce. The first reason is in modern societies; individual happiness is regarded to be important so when people are unhappy with their marriage, they break-up and split. The second reason is it is easier to get divorced financially. The third reason is that women's economic independence has contributed. The fourth reason is the stigma of divorce has lessened so people are not
Divorce is a process that many people in America go through. The divorce rate continues to escalate over the years. Divorce is a serious problem, it is a gradual process that ultimately results in families breaking up. There are various factors in which a marriage can fail and end up in divorce. Some skip the step of trying to reconcile things and make it work. In some cases it is easy for a divorce to take place. For instance, in cases where both parties are in agreement and have no children it is easier to handle a divorce. But in the cases where children are present, what happens to the kids? Both parents are at each others throats or one is devastated from the rejection, what role does the child play? It is a hard thing to cope with as an adult imagine as a little one or even a teenager, it affects them in more ways than anyone can imagine. It can affect them both physically and emotionally. The effects of divorce are immense, it permanently weakens the bond or relationship between a child and his parents. Can lead to them reaching out or looking to others for attention, causing poor attitudes, low self esteem, dropping grades, loss of virginity, use of drugs and or weapons, or in some cases mutilation of the body. There are various effects that children have to deal with that maybe extremely hard to cope with. One parent may say one thing yet the other disagrees and makes it impossible for the child to have a stable relationship with both of them. Children need both biological parents at their side to be guardians and counselors in their lives, to be examples of what they need to do to become outstanding citizens in our community.
Divorce, in history, has always been considered as a deviance of society. However, in the modern world, where people have senses of individualism, divorce has become a phenomenon. There are numerous reasons for divorce, from not knowing each other well enough before marriage, lack of money, long distance relationships, frequent disagreements to partners...
People could now get divorced without having to prove adultery or domestic violence, they could just divorce if things weren’t working or they. were unhappy with the snare. This law didn’t actually start working until 1971. took a period of time to be enforced. This had a huge affect on the divorce rates, as many unhappy married couples are now able to.
The Negative Effect of Divorce on Children Divorce has a negative effect on the psychological and social aspects of our children, which may appear instantly or not come to the surface for years. This is why I think that divorce should only be a last resort and not rushed into, even by couples with the most troubled marriages. The only acceptable reason for someone rushing into divorce is if they or their children are in danger. I believe that marriage is a commitment not to be taken lightly and disregarded at the first bump in the road, especially when there are children involved. Far too many people do not want to take responsibility for their actions and choices; for example, people use abortion as birth control and couples’ jumping in and out of marriages like it’s a trial and error institution.