Divorce

Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage contract. Divorce, like marriage, has both a secular and, usually, religious component. In addition to a legal divorce, many religions require a religious divorce. For instance, practicing Jews must get both a legal divorce, to satisfy secular authorities, and a get, or religious divorce, to satisfy religious law.

Biblical View

Many believe that the Bible indicates that divorce is a sin in the eyes of God, and can lead to quite drastic consequences for those involved.

Many Christians believe that God's views on divorce are most clearly articulated in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9:

"32: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery" (Matthew 5: 32) and, "9: And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery" (Matthew 19: 9)

Most biblical scholars agree that these lines function as a total prohibition against divorce (as adultery is a sin) with a few scholars being of the view that "except it be for fornication" indicates that if one spouse committed adultery themselves then the other spouse is free of the marriage and may legally divorce. Many scholars, however, contend that these exceptions are not well founded in the scriptures.

Some believe that divorce therefore equates to adultery, and incurs the consequences of such.

The further consequences of adultery are played out more radically in Deuteronomy 23:2, when it is stated:

"2: A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 23:2)

Some believe that this indicates that children produced with a partner after divorce, other than the divorced party, will be condemned to hell, and that this will apply to their progeny for up to ten generations. As this is an Old Testament decree (unlike the previously-mentioned Matthew), it may no longer apply Post-Christ when the emphesis of salvation shifts from countries and family lines to individuals.

Many religions adopt the more liberal view towards divorce that advocates its free practice. The Catholic Church has become much more lax about divorce in recent times as well, in what many Protestants consider opposition to biblical teachingTemplate:Cite needed, however, most Protestant denominations have no prohibition on divorce.

Secular view

Divorce is the dissolution of a contract and laws vary from state to state.

Divorce Rate

The United States has a divorce rate of 3.6 per 1,000 as of 2005.