Divorce and remarriage

• What is divorce?

  The legal ending of a marriage
• In the UK how long do a couple have to wait to be divorced?

  1 year if the marriage cannot be saved
• What is remarriage?

  When someone marries again while their former husband or wife is still alive
• Some reasons for Divorce include : Lack of communication , People changing and growing apart , Inability to have children , Domestic violence , Work and money pressures , Immaturity , Illness or disability , Adultery , Addiction
• Some Christians believe that the sanctity of the marriage vows means they must be kept no matter what - The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament that is permanent and cannot be dissolved by civil divorce - Catholics can separate but not remarry while their partner is still alive
• Some Christians believe that divorce is the lesser of two evils and should be allowed (for compassionate reasons)
• Protestant Churches (e.g. Methodists) accept civil divorce and allow remarriage in church under certain conditions
• Divorced Anglicans can remarry in church with the bishops permission
• Protestant Churches and Anglicans believe that the Church should reflect God's forgiveness and allow couples a second chance at happiness
• Mark 10 : 11-12 suggests divorce is always wrong - Jesus taught that anyone who divorced and remarried was committing adultery
• Matthew 5:32 suggests divorce is acceptable in cases of unfaithfulness - "If any man divorces his wife for any cause other than unchastity he involves her in adultery"
• What are Hindu views on divorce?

  Hinduism has strong emphasis on the family and dharma so does not approve of divorce - it is reluctantly accepted however
• Teaching about faithfulness and loyalty within marriage appear in Hindu stories, like the story of Rama and Sita
• In Hinduism , because of the importance of family life , a man is expected to remarry if his first marriage breaks down
• In Hinduism , it is now acceptable for a woman to remarry if her first marriage breaks down - the second marriage may be seen as less important than the first - this is because of the ancient teaching that she must be faithful to her first husband even after his death
• What are Christian responses to couples having marriage problems?

  The Church may offer counselling , prayer and sacraments to support the couple - the couple could be referred to outside agencies such as Relate and ACCORD
• Christians can be encouraged to bring forgiveness and reconcilliation into their marriage
• What are traditional Hindu responses to a couple having marriage problems?

  The problems would have to be sorted out or tolerated