About Divorce and Remarriage in the Church

Marriage has always been looked upon as a sacred rite in most churches. When a couple gets married, it is traditionally believed to be a lifetime commitment. However, as times have changed, so have the outlooks of many couples. Whereas they would sometimes stay together because they did not believe in divorce, couples are now more open to the fact that divorce is sometimes imminent. However, just because a couple divorces, that does not necessarily mean that their decision is accepted by the church. Moreover, individuals who have been divorced sometimes cannot remarry through the church because that is also frowned upon.

History

Amongst the older generation of Christians, divorce was a rare occurrence, therefore, the question of whether it was accepted was rarely raised. In the past, dealing with divorce on a Biblical level was near impossible because the notion was foreign to most church members and officials. Divorce in those days was frowned upon and church members who did get a divorce were sometimes ex-communicated from the church and could not participate in sacred rites.

Significance

A commitment to one's spouse is meant to be lifelong and therefore is the marriage divine standard in the Christian church. This is the same for the Catholic church, as well. The Bible states that if a man "puts away" his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. Therefore, not only is divorce frowned upon, but so is getting remarried to another.

Function

Long gone are the days of ex-communication from a church because of a divorce. In addition, church members are no longer prohibited from participating in sacred rites because of divorce, so long as they go through the proper channels for repentance. In the Catholic church, before a divorced person can remarry, they must have their previous marriage annulled. The priest must have a justifiable reason for the annulment, however. In the Christian church, the divorcee must go through repentance and be forgiven for having gone through divorce.

Considerations

Even if a person is forgiven and has repented for having been divorced, there are a couple of things to consider before getting remarried, especially through the church. First of all, Christians frown upon marrying someone who is not also a Christian. If this does happen, the non-Christian is encouraged to be "saved" and accept Jesus Christ into their lives. Second, if a Catholic divorcee gets remarried, they must first make sure they have been granted an annulment, otherwise it is likely that they will not be able to get married through the church.

Warning

Going through the proper channels for divorce and remarriage if you are a religious person is important. Without repenting or getting an annulment, you will not be able to get married through the church. In fact, most priests will refuse the rites. There are ways around it, however, you will not be married through the church. A civil marriage through the justice of the peace is about the only option you have if you are refused remarriage through the church.