Is divorce condoned by the bible? I'm a gay person who wants to outlaw divorce, so as to strengthen marriage.

Question

The purpose of this question was to prompt thinking as to how people might feel at the thought of having their legal rights restricted by a group who has no stake in the issue. Why not have 1 man 1 woman 1 time? Of course the response to this question seems to indicate that the anti gay marriage folk are rather hypocritical in that they don't think anyone should tamper with or restrict their rights. I'm guessing that the thought of taking the divorce option away makes marriage seem less like a bond between a man, a woman and God, than a deal between a married couple and the devil. From my perspective, divorce may be the only thing keeping marriage alive.

Answer 1

Outlawing divorce definitely won't strengthen the marriages that already exist but are falling apart... in fact, it would probably put more pressure on the people involved in it. But it would definitely make people more cautious about getting married, but then... it could also turn everyone against marriage altogether... which could be bad.

Anyway, I came here to say that the Bible is against divorce unless one or both of the people involved has comitted adultery. Then both of them are "let off the hook" so to say. Otherwise, the people are committing adultery by getting divorced.

Answer 2

I think the real reason fundametalists have such a problem with Gay Marriage is that then we will want Gay Divorce and that would really mess with their heads.

Your point is very well taken and I think most of the people in this stream have taken it a little too seriously.

The point of the question is not to get an answer but to point out the hypocrasy of the situation.

The reality is that gays and lesbians make up somewhere around 5-6% of the population (10% if you count the people who tried it in college). According to the website divorcereform.org, in 2000 there were 2.3 million marriages in the US and over 900,000 divorces. They also state that 50% of marriages between those under 45 years old will end in divorce.

It is much easier to go after the "moral failings" of 5% of the population than those of 50%. Divorce bashing will not get you re-elected but unfortunately gay-bashing will.

If the church attacked divorce as hard as they attacked gay rights, half the people wouldn't go - because who wants to sit and listen to someone tell you that you are going to go to hell?

Just think, if the Church decided to follow Jesus' teachings... "Love one another as I have loved you, and all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) then we could all get along and some churches might find that their choirs sound better and their social halls suddenly got redecorated by the Fab 5 and of course, their actions would actually fall in line with their preaching. Wouldn't that be a novelty!!!

Answer 3

I see your point and can agree but don't know how this can be done. What bothers me more is the hypocritical stance that straight people have when their divorce rates are much higher than in gay relations. They condem and tell the gay community that by marriage or unions that that will hurt the family at the same time their breaking their vows and heading to divorce court.

I do believe that there should be some way, such as mentioned as adultery or truly abusive relations, in where partners can absolve the union.

Actually read the bible again and in it you will find more positive and uplifting words for the gay community. It does not condem people for who they are rather it condems those for trying to imitate or be something they are not. While it does not like people sleeping with more than one partner, no where does it say you can't have the same sex.

In fact there in mounting evidence towards the fact that the early church blessed same sex unions up untill the catholic church got involved at the time of Constantine (who named it catholicism)

Answer 4

divorce is not condoned by the bible, as you can tell by all the wedding vows a couple must take promising their faitfulness to eachother, and also when a divorce is sanctioned by the church, it is not considered a "divorce" but really an "annulment" that the marriage never existed. However, to outlaw divorce is like outlawing a mistake...it's gonna happen. My parents got divorced a couple years ago (im 15), and well, it just happened. Mistakes happen. Instead of outlawing divorce, a better thing to do would be to try and make people think harder and try harder in marriages.

Answer 5

Hey Jason, I'm pretty sure you know the answer. The purity codes in Levitcus is where "man lying with man as if with a woman" or something like that is called an abomination. But that's also where we're told we maynot wear a garment made of two different fibres, where we cannot eat meat the second day after it is killed, grow two crops in the same field, etc. Divorce not allowed, but should your brother die before his wife gives him a son, it is your duty to impregnate her so that he may have a namesake.

So many of these rules made sense in the day, if you know the conditions under which the Jews were living after Moses led them from Egypt.

I've been thinking a lot about the Bible's condemnation of gay sex. In Leviticus, it had more to do with the fact that a woman was to be subserviant to man, and man lying with man disrupted that thought. The other places where male to male sex are mentioned are abusive sex situation. In the story of Sodom, the men there attacked two angels disguised as strangers and performed gang rape. This wasn't a homosexual act, it was an act of violence. And the sin for which Sodom was destroyed was the sin of being inhospitible to strangers, not homosexuality. The other situations in the bible talk about adult men using boys for lustful pleasure. Something most of us also condemn today, and not a purely homosexual act either.

Under the New Covenent, introduced by Christ, you love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. There is nothing in that statement about love your neighbor only if he or she is heterosexual.

Answer 6

You would condemn another person to live with someone who is abusive? You would condemn someone to live with someone who has turned cold and hateful? IF I were you, I would be rooting for outlawing Marriage! The institution sucks the big one, and ... IF straights were denied the tax and inheritance issues that come along with marriage, perhaps they would be much more willing to stop all the bull about gay marriage. I know where you are coming from, and this is more for emphasis of stupidity on straight's part, but....although you make a good point in being sarcastic, you have accidentally opened a very real door as to solving the issues of gay marriage. I vote for equal non-rights...no one should be allowed to get married. Good luck, and thanks for the chance to vent. IT would seem that most answerers here missed your point...and you made a very strong point in a cute way.

Answer 7

I see your point, but so many missed it unfortunately because it is a very good point.

He is being sarcastic. The irony is that divorce is not condoned in the bible, (except adultery etc) But people get married today for the wrong reason...money, unwanted preganancy, citizenship, to get out of a parents house, confusion, fear, etc etc. So the question really is, how sacred IS marriage if you can use it this way? Marry-divorce-remarry-divorce-remarry-divorce etc etc. Hence, having the ability to get divorced allows people to marry on a whom and for alllll the wrong reasons...which weakens marriage. Yes gays will prolly marry for the wrong reasons also, not all but some, but the point is the ones who truely marry for love...or the oned who NEVER get a divorce, how have they contributed to the weakening of marriage. They haven't.

Thank you for your insight, it's right on target. Those who missed it's depth are obviously to shallow.

Answer 8

Well actually, divorce is condoned by the bible. Before someone jumps on my back for this answer let me explain. The law of Moses permitted divorce in the case of infedelity. This was the ONLY reason that divorce was permitted. Later on in the New Testament however, people questioned Christ about divorce and he said that if it wasn't for the hardness of your hearts, there would be no divorce. So, really, there is no biblically grounds for divorce. I am sure lots of people will disagree, but that is what the bible says.

Answer 9

You can't change anything by legislating against something. Let people make up their own minds about what they want, as marriage is a declaration of love, divorce is a declaration of a natural ending of a relationship you want to force people to stay in, for what? If you are ok with divorce, divorce, and if not don't. We learn and grow from many relationships in life, and the ending of a declaration of love should be the business only of the people involved. I know if my parent's divorce was a blessing, in disguise at first, and no I don't wish my own marriage to end, but I want the choice to be mine, not legislated by law.

Answer 10

um... although I can see your point. It's just not something that's going to make marriage any better. There are points such as the arrainged marriage, the abusive spouse, and many more that without divorce they'd be screwed. Is your cause so grand that you'd condeem others to prove a point. If so, you're no better than the people trying to outlaw gay marriage.