Transcript Divorce in Christianity

Divorce in Christianity
Unfortunately, life isn’t perfect and things don’t always
work out the way we had planned.
It is very common
for people who were
once in love to go
from this.............
To
This
........
..
To
this...
And
eventually
to this.....
Divorce in Christianity
In Christian law, marriage is a sacred institution.
However, a variety of denominations have different
approaches to divorce (the legal separation of a married
couple).
But before looking at the Church
teachings on divorce it is
important to note what Jesus said
about divorce.
´What God has joined
together, no man can
separate´ Mark ch10
Write this down and
explain what it means for
Christians.
Divorce in the Church of England
Whilst the Church of England does not encourage divorce, it has the structure to
help and sympathise with those who find themselves in such a situation.
A little History.........
Divorce and the Reformation
Until the 16th century CE, the Church in England
recognised the the Catholic Church and the Pope's
authority. However, when Catherine of Aragon failed to
produce a male heir for Henry VIII, and was considered too
old to give birth to any more children, Henry wanted to
divorce her. The Pope refused permission and so the only
way for Henry to get what he wanted was to break away
from the Vatican and make divorce legal. The Archbishop
of Canterbury granted Henry a divorce in 1533 (under
pressure) and Henry made himself head of the Church of
England.
But just because remarriage is legally allowed, that
doesn't mean couples have an automatic right to remarry
in church.
Protestant approach to Re-marriage
The Protestant Church like the Church of England teaches that marriage is for life. It also
recognizes that some marriages sadly do fail. The Church accepts that, in exceptional
circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in church.
In the Protestant Church the decision of whether a divorced person is allowed to remarry in church is down to the priest carrying out the wedding. They may try to find
out about the intentions of the couple and if it will cause harm to anybody before
agreeing to a re-marriage in Church. Write down the two you feel are most important.
•Does the couple understand that divorce is a breach of God's will for marriage?
•Do they have a determination for the new marriage to be a life-long faithful partnership?
•Do they seem willing to explore and grow in the Christian faith?
•Has enough time passed since the divorce for everyone to have recovered
•Has either of the parties been divorced more than once?
•Was their relationship a direct cause of the breakdown of a previous marriage?
If a couple are refused a re-marriage in church they can have a civil ceremony and
have their marriage blessed in church afterwards.
Charles and Camilla
This last question was very
important when Prince
Charles married the
divorcée Camilla Parker
Bowles in 2005. Had their
adultery contributed to the
failure of Camilla's first
marriage? The Church
thought so.
The royal couple could
not marry in church.
They had to marry in a
civil ceremony, although
church rules allowed
their marriage to be
blessed in church
afterwards.
Divorce in the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church has strict guidelines on divorce.
The Church considers the bond of marriage to be a sacred bond that cannot be
broken. It reflects the words of Jesus ´what God has joined together, no man can
separate´. Marriage is both a legal bond on earth and spiritual bond which God has
witnessed. The promises made before God cannot be broken.
What is permitted in the Catholic church is an Annullment.
An annulment, is a declaration that the marriage was never valid in the first place.
An annulment will be considered if there is reasonable proof that the bond between the
two parties was invalid from the first day of marriage. An annullment can be granted if
it is proven:
•The person was psycholigically unstable at the time of marriage
•One of the partners has hidden information such as a previous marriage, impotence or
infertility.
Why is the second point so important?
Re-Marriage in the
Catholic Church
Catholics believe promises to
God cannot be broken
therefore divorce and remarriage is not allowed.
Catholics that do re-marry are
NOT allowed to take Holy
Communion and this is central
to their faith.
However, re-marriage is
allowed if a marriage has been
annulled by the church. This is
because an annullment
recognises that the marriage
never took place legally in the
first place. Therefore no vows
have been broken.
Britney Spears got married in Las Vegas over the
weekend, but the bashful bride was single again less than
12 hours later.
The pop star tied the knot early Saturday with Jason Allen
Alexander at The Little White Wedding Chapel. Alexander
was a childhood friend from Spears' hometown of
Kentwood.
But 12 hours later the pair put the hookup on hold as they
arranged an annulment witnessed by several people,
including a lawyer. The couple apparently took a joke too
far by getting married after drinking heavily all day.
Ms. Spears and Mr. Alexander have filed for an annulment
which will become official on Monday.