Christianity: Divorce & Remarriage (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Christian Teachings About Divorce & Remarriage

Divorce and Remarriage

• Divorce is a legal process that ends marriage

• Divorce in the UK has become more common in recent years

  • In the 1950s there were 30 thousand divorces in the UK, by 2012 there were over 118 thousand

  • More recently, the number of couples getting divorced has decreased but this is mainly due to the numbers of marriages also decreasing

• There are many reasons why the number of divorces had risen so dramatically

  • New laws made divorce much cheaper and easier to obtain

  • Increased equality meant that women were no longer prepared to treat unequal treatment from men

  • Equal rights laws meant many women were financially independent and could afford to live well after divorce 

  • There are less people who are religious and so this would not be a factor in ending the marriage

  • Divorce has become more socially acceptable with high profile people getting divorced. For example, members of the Royal Family

• Remarriage is when an individual marries again after they have been divorced

  • Until 2000, most people who divorced remarried within ten years of their divorce

  • However, remarriage has declined as more divorced people are choosing to cohabit instead

Christianity about Divorce

• Christians believe that marriage is intended for life

  • This is symbolised by the exchange of rings at a wedding ceremony with the rings being an unbroken circle

• All Christians either believe that divorce is wrong or should only happen as a last resort when everything else has been tried

• If one of the couple dies then the remaining person is able to remarry

Roman Catholic Teachings about Divorce and Remarriage

• Many Christians (particularly Roman Catholics) are against divorce

• Catholics see marriage as a sacrament and the exchange of vows means that the only way a marriage between baptised Catholics can end (religiously) is by the death of one of the partners or if the marriage is annulled

• The Catholic Church does not allow for the legal separation of spouses and in the eyes of God they are still married, and so cannot remarry

• As there cannot be religious divorce, there cannot be religious remarriage because that would be the same as bigamy and adultery; both of which are considered a very serious sin

• Roman Catholics are against divorce for many reasons, including passages in the bible that seem to support this:

  • Jesus taught that anyone who divorced and remarried, except for sexual immorality, was committing adultery

• The bible stresses the importance of married couples remaining together

• St Paul says Christians should not divorce, but if they do they must not remarry

Non Catholic Teachings about Divorce and Remarriage

• Most non-Catholic Churches think that divorce is wrong, but allow it if the marriage has broken down

  • Most of these Churches also allow divorced people to remarry

• Some Christians allow divorce for many different reasons

  • Jesus allowed divorce in Matthew 19:9

  • They believe that there are certain situations where Christians must choose ‘the lesser of two evils’

    • If a marriage has really broken down then the effects of the couple not divorcing would be a greater evil than the ‘evil’ of divorce

  • Christians allow forgiveness and a new chance if they confess their sins and are truly repentant

    • This belief in forgiveness should apply to divorce and remarriage as much as anything else

Non-Religious Attitudes Towards Divorce & Remarriage

Humanist and Atheist Attitudes to Divorce and Remarriage

• Atheists do not believe in God and so they regard marriage as a purely human and legal institution and do not make promises to God during the wedding

• Some atheists do not believe in marriage and would cohabit and so would have no need to divorce

• Many atheists would have the same attitude towards divorce and remarriage as most humanists (who are mainly atheists)

  • All married couples should have the right to divorce if they feel the marriage has failed

  • Divorce should make sure that the spouses are treated equally in the financial arrangements

  • Divorce should make sure that any children are well provided for

  • Any divorced person should be treated as a single person and so have the right to remarry if they so wish 

• Some atheists may adopt an ethical standpoint towards these matters

Ethical Theories Surrounding Divorce & Christian Responses

Situation Ethics and Divorce

• Christians, Humanists and atheists often apply an ethical theory to deal with divorce and remarriage

• One such theory is Situation Ethics, which began with an American Christian thinker, Joseph Fletcher

  • Fletcher taught that although the rules of the Bible or the Church are important, they can sometimes be altered by a situation

  • For example; the Bible and the Church say that stealing is wrong but if we found a madman who had nuclear weapons, it would surely be right to steal the weapon from him

  • People who apply Situation Ethics look at the situation, decide on the pros and cons of the possible choices and then determine what would be the most loving thing to do

  • So, in the case of divorce there may be many pros and cons to consider before deciding if it is the most ethical

  • Advantages of divorce could be some of the following

    • It brings domestic peace and emotional security as it removes the conflict

    • It ends children’s exposure to damaging parental conflict

    • It gives a chance for a fresh start for the spouses and the opportunities for new, better relationships

  • Disadvantages of divorce could be some of the following

    • It is expensive, and apart from the legal costs, divorce usually means selling the family home

    • It can hurt children as they are forced to choose between parents and may have to select which one to live with

    • It hurts family relatives as they often lose contact with the children if their relation is not awarded custody

    • It can cause stress for everyone involved

• Therefore, some Christians would accept divorce if it was felt that it was the most loving thing to do for all those concerned

Christian Responses to Ethical Theories

• Responses to these theories will differ depending on the Christian and their beliefs

• Roman Catholic Christians are likely to be still be against the divorce taking place and would believe that support should be given to a couple when the marriage is struggling

  • This belief is based on biblical principles and the view that it is better if the family remains together

• Other Christians may agree with the approach based upon Situation Ethics and believe that the most loving thing is always the best thing even if this means getting a divorce

  • This belief is based upon the Christian principals of love and forgiveness