Religious Views on Divorce & Remarriage (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Christianity – Divorce & Remarriage

Divorce in Modern British Society

•  Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage

• In Britain, divorce is allowed after one year if the marriage cannot be saved

• There are many reasons for divorce. The reasons may include:

  • Adultery

  • Domestic abuse

  • Addiction

  • Illness or disability

  • Work or financial pressures

  • Inability to have children

  • Falling out of love

• In modern British society, divorce is acceptable and very common

  • In England and Wales, in 2012, an estimated 42 per cent of all marriages ended in divorce

• Remarriage is when someone marries again after a divorce while their former husband or wife is still alive

  • Remarriage is legal but is not always allowed by the church

Christian Teachings About Divorce & Remarriage

• In the Bible, Jesus taught that anyone who divorced and remarried was committing adultery:

• However, Jesus also taught:

• In this teaching, Jesus seems to be allowing divorce because of unfaithfulness

• The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a permanent sacrament

  • If a baptised couple get a civil divorce, they are still considered to be married in the eyes of God because they have made lifelong vows before God that can never be broken

  • Catholics cannot remarry in church while their partner is still alive

  • Catholics can get an annulment to cancel the marriage if there never was a true marriage. This is defined as a marriage where both people, at the time of the marriage, enter it with 'full freedom and commitment'

  • An annulment is a Catholic Church ruling that the marriage was never valid

  • Catholics whose marriage has been annulled can remarry in church

• Other Christians believe that although marriage is permanent, divorce can be the lesser of two evils. If the marriage has completely broken down for serious reasons, divorce as a last resort might actually be the most loving action in the circumstances

  • They support this by saying that God is forgiving and this forgiveness should be reflected in the Church’s attitude towards people who have made mistakes

  • The Church of England and most Protestant and Orthodox churches allow couples to divorce and remarry as long as they take their vows seriously

Christian Responses to Couples Who Are Having Problems in Their Marriage

• When a couple is having marriage difficulties, the Church has to be careful to balance teachings about the sanctity of marriage with the need to be compassionate to people whose marriages have broken down

• When a marriage is in difficulties, Christian clergy offer support to the couple

  • They pray with them and ask them to remember their wedding vows

  • They may offer counselling or refer them to counselling agencies such as Relate and Accord to get further help

  • They may involve other members of the community to support the couple through their difficulties

Islam – Divorce & Remarriage

Muslim Teachings About Divorce & Remarriage

• Muslims believe marriage is a lifelong commitment

• The Qur’an does allow for divorce as a last resort

  • However, the Hadith teaches that divorce is

• For a religious divorce, the rules are:

  • The husband must declare it to his wife verbally or in writing

  • The couple must then wait three months without having sex but living together to see whether the wife is pregnant

• If she is pregnant, they must wait until the baby is born before the divorce can proceed

• A wife can apply for divorce, but if her husband is not at fault, he does not have to support her and she must repay the marriage gift

• The man should support his ex-wife until she remarries

• The husband must always support his children in the event of a divorce

• In the UK, Muslims must obtain a British civil divorce to end their marriage legally

  • The religious divorce is granted separately through their mosque or the Muslim Law Council in London

• Muslims can remarry after divorce

  • Muhammad married a divorced woman

  • Remarriage is particularly encouraged if there are children involved

Muslims’ Responses to Couples Who Are Having Problems in Their Marriage

• The Qur’an teaches Muslims who are having marriage difficulties to try and reconcile their differences

• Family members should try to help bring them back together, if it is God’s will (Qur’an 4:35)