The Morality of Divorce

The Morality of Divorce

It is estimated that nearly one in three marriages in Britain end in

divorce. There are many mixed views on divorce throughout the world

but British society has been dominated in its attitude towards divorce

by Christian teachings based on the New Testament. According to

Christianity, a marriage should be loving, permanent, life long and

committed. Such messages are found in the Bible:

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'a wife must not leave her husband…and a husband must not divorce his

wife' (1 Corin, 7:10-12)

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Jesus taught that divorce was wrong and the Christian Church agreed.

However, Jesus also taught to show forgiveness to others and the

Church recognises that a marriage cannot always be ideal and can work

out differently to how a couple intended it to be. This is why views

on divorce in society are so mixed in different Christian dominations.

Christian Church Beliefs on Divorce

The Christian Churches recognise that we don't live in a perfect world

and they have developed ways of trying to help people that are faced

with a broken marriage. Couples can separate and remain married using

any agency, either of the Church, or another, to try and bring about

reconciliation. Ultimately, a couple may decide that they must divorce

and put an end to their legal status as a married couple. This is done

through the legal system but not recognised by many Churches who

believe that marriage is a sacrament, it is binding for life and that

a couple cannot be un-married.

'What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder'

(Mark 10:9)

Attitudes Towards Re-marriage in Different Christian Denominations

Attitudes towards divorce affect what people think about re-marriage.

The Methodist Church teaches that if a divorced person wants to marry

again in church, they must be interviewed by the Church minister, who

must be willing to marry them.

However, the Church of England sees things slightly differently. They

believe that divorce is a matter for law courts.