1. Divorce

2. Celebrity Divorce

3. Statistics Is marriage for life no longer realistic?
In 1960 there were 26,000 divorces
In 2009 the number had increased to 126,496
One in four UK marriages end in divorce
However in 2009 the divorce rate had fallen for the fifth consecutive year

4. Divorce in the Old Testament
God intended that a man and woman should remain married for life
In the OT Moses allowed the people to get divorced because they failed to live up to God’s ideal of marriage
Divorce, however was never part of God’s original plan

5. Jesus’ teaching on Divorce
Jesus taught that a man could only divorce his wife if she had been unfaithful
Matthew 5 v 31 – 32, 19 v 4 - 6
Jesus taught that anyone who leaves his wife and marries another commits adultery
Mark 10 v

6. Paul’s teaching on Divorce
1 Corinthians 7 v 10 – 11
A wife should not leave her husband but if she does she must remain unmarried
A Jewish woman at the time was not able to obtain a divorce under any circumstances

7. Divorce and the Law
1857 – Men and women could obtain a divorce. Men on the grounds of adultery alone but women had to prove adultery and cruelty
1923 – Men and women could obtain divorce on the same grounds of adultery
1937 – Desertion, cruelty and insanity became grounds for divorce
1969 – No longer necessary to determine who was to blame for the breakdown of the marriage. Divorce was granted if a “marriage had irretrievably broken down”

8. Church of England and Divorce
C of E churches accept divorce is sometimes necessary
People cannot remarry in a church unless approved by the Vicar
A Civil Ceremony followed by a blessing in the church is the usual procedure for people who have been divorced and want to remarry

9. Baptists, Methodists and Divorce
Divorced people are allowed to remarry in the church
Individual ministers can refuse to marry a couple if it conflicts with their own, personal beliefs

10. The Catholic Church and Divorce
Marriage is a sacrament which cannot be dissolved
The alternative is to separate but remain married or get an annulment
When an annulment is granted it is as though the marriage never happened. It will only be granted if:
The couple did not understand what they were doing
One of the partners did not give their full assent
One of the partners never intended to have children

11. What do you think? Should we expect to get divorced these days?
Why has marriage become devalued?
Are there any circumstances when divorce is the best option?