The scripture Gary quoted explains what God's actual word is on this. The Bible does list reasons for when divorce is allowable, and IMO those reasons would release a person from their marriage.
We should realize that the laws are much more liberal now than in Biblical times. Back then, a man pretty well ruled his household and his wife too. Unless a woman just disappeared, she was bound to her husband forever and could face punishment if she tried to leave or was unfaithful. Not that way now. Divorce is almost as easy as signing a few papers, and a woman can get out of a marriage as easily as a man can. As a former pastor of mine used to say, "God understands".
I am not an authority on Catholicism, so I won't comment on their beliefs. But in the case of the Protestant ministers mentioned who has a blanket rule against marrying a person who has been divorced; I suspect they are following some of those "laws of men" that fall under the "but we've always done it that way" category. Certainly...a preacher who takes his duties seriously should speak with any couple wishing to get married to try and make sure there is love there and that they are doing it for the right reasons. And when there has been prior marriages, I think it's prudent for a pastor to find out what happened, try and make sure any issues or behavior that might have caused it has been corrected. But IMO, they are picking and choosing in God's word if they ignore Biblical grounds for divorce.
On a related note...In my former church, I was a strong leader there for several years and was instrumental in leading the church in time of tremendous growth. When it came time for Deacon elections, I would get more nominations from the membership than all the other men of the church combined; yet as is fairly typical with many churches, the sitting board of deacons would disqualify me because of (IMO) an incorrect understanding of what 1st Timothy says about a deacon being the husband of one wife. Yes, I had a brief unsuccessful marriage when I was young. We got married at too early of an age, and after a few months my first wife decided she wasn't ready to settle down and she jumped head first into the party and drug scene. I tried to save the marriage, but as I mentioned concerning modern laws, nothing I could really to to fight it.
Under the beliefs of some, I should not have remarried after that, because I would be committing adultery against my first wife. But according to the scripture (as I understand it), I was released from those bonds the night after the first wife left when she bedded another man.
I have often asked myself what kind of a man I would have been had I not remarried. I know that answer...I would have probably been a wild thing, living a life of excessive sin, partying and bedding every pretty face that returned my smile. I would not be who I am today; an active and serving church member who has been faithfully remarried for 31 years and has raised a happy and successful daughter. I probably would not have built a couple of businesses and provided good jobs for a lot of people.
So which route would God have preferred for me? The route I took, which many consider sinful, or the alternative route I mentioned where I probably would have been a much different and less desirable person to His kingdom?
I think I know the answer to that.
We should realize that the laws are much more liberal now than in Biblical times. Back then, a man pretty well ruled his household and his wife too. Unless a woman just disappeared, she was bound to her husband forever and could face punishment if she tried to leave or was unfaithful. Not that way now. Divorce is almost as easy as signing a few papers, and a woman can get out of a marriage as easily as a man can. As a former pastor of mine used to say, "God understands".
I am not an authority on Catholicism, so I won't comment on their beliefs. But in the case of the Protestant ministers mentioned who has a blanket rule against marrying a person who has been divorced; I suspect they are following some of those "laws of men" that fall under the "but we've always done it that way" category. Certainly...a preacher who takes his duties seriously should speak with any couple wishing to get married to try and make sure there is love there and that they are doing it for the right reasons. And when there has been prior marriages, I think it's prudent for a pastor to find out what happened, try and make sure any issues or behavior that might have caused it has been corrected. But IMO, they are picking and choosing in God's word if they ignore Biblical grounds for divorce.
On a related note...In my former church, I was a strong leader there for several years and was instrumental in leading the church in time of tremendous growth. When it came time for Deacon elections, I would get more nominations from the membership than all the other men of the church combined; yet as is fairly typical with many churches, the sitting board of deacons would disqualify me because of (IMO) an incorrect understanding of what 1st Timothy says about a deacon being the husband of one wife. Yes, I had a brief unsuccessful marriage when I was young. We got married at too early of an age, and after a few months my first wife decided she wasn't ready to settle down and she jumped head first into the party and drug scene. I tried to save the marriage, but as I mentioned concerning modern laws, nothing I could really to to fight it.
Under the beliefs of some, I should not have remarried after that, because I would be committing adultery against my first wife. But according to the scripture (as I understand it), I was released from those bonds the night after the first wife left when she bedded another man.
I have often asked myself what kind of a man I would have been had I not remarried. I know that answer...I would have probably been a wild thing, living a life of excessive sin, partying and bedding every pretty face that returned my smile. I would not be who I am today; an active and serving church member who has been faithfully remarried for 31 years and has raised a happy and successful daughter. I probably would not have built a couple of businesses and provided good jobs for a lot of people.
So which route would God have preferred for me? The route I took, which many consider sinful, or the alternative route I mentioned where I probably would have been a much different and less desirable person to His kingdom?
I think I know the answer to that.
)
