1. What are the top reasons for people to divorced? Put them in order. 1.Drug and alcohol addiction 2.Sexual issues 3.Money 4.Lack of communication 5.Immaturity

2. To reflect on the causes of marital break-up To U Jesus’ teaching on divorce To K what different Christian churches teach about divorce Divorce

3. What happens when a marriage breaks down? Judicial Separation Desertion 5 years later…Divorce Are any of these forms of marriage break up “religious”? One partner abandons other other partner with or without children The judge forbids the partners from interfering in each other’s lives The legal process by which the courts finalise that the marriage is now over. The courts may also have to decide who gets custody of the children and divide up the possessions

4. Religious Divorce ? Jewish Law Jews followed Moses teaching on divorce: Legally required in cases of adultery A man’s prerogative to divorce his wife, for any reason, and women had no rights. Jesus: Look up the following and paraphrase Jesus’ response: Mark 10:6-8 Mark 10:9 Mark 10:11-12 ** How is Matthew 19:9 different from Mk 10:11 or Lk 19:9 ?

5. Mark 10:6-8 You Jews need to get back to understanding marriage the way God designed it: permanent union between man and woman, indivisible. Mark 10:9 God is the one who joins husband and wife as one in marriage: this bond is not for human beings to dissolve. Only death dissolves marriage. Mark 10:11-12 Even if a husband or wife “divorce”, this is NOT valid in the eyes of God– so if they remarry, they are guilty of adultery, because they remain still married to their first spouse. There is no such thing as a religious divorce in Jesus’ teaching.

6. The “Exception” clause Matthew 9:19, Matthew 5:32 “Whoever divorces his wife, except for unfaithfulness, and marries another, commits adultery.” divorce for other reasons is not permissible. you cannot divorce and remarry. This is also what the early saints of the Church taught.

7. Catholic Christianss Non-Catholic Christians G.Christians are allowed forgiveness and a new chance if they are truly sorry: this should apply to divorce. H. Jesus taught that divorce is wrong in Mark and Matthew’s gospel, and Christians should follow this teaching. D. If Jesus allowed divorce in for adultery Matthew 19:9, then this must also apply for other serious reasons. C Divorce is wrong but it i s better to allow it than to live i n hatred and quarrel all the time. A. Not getting divorced might be the “greater evil”. Christians should always choose the lesser of two evils. B. The Church teaches marriage is indissoluble so religious divorce is impossible. F.Marriage is a covenant and a sacrament made with God, so cannot be broken by any human power. E. As there is no religious divorce, there can be no remarriage, or this would be bigamy & adultery. Only an annulment is possible.

8. Catholic Christianss Non-Catholic Christians G.Christians are allowed forgiveness and a new chance if they are truly sorry: this should apply to divorce. H. Jesus taught that divorce is wrong in Mark and Matthew’s gospel, and Christians should follow this teaching. D. If Jesus allowed divorce in for adultery Matthew 19:9, then this must also apply for other serious reasons. C Divorce is wrong, but it is better to allow it than to force the spouses to live i n hatred and quarrel all the time. A. Not getting divorced might be the “greater evil”. Christians should always choose the lesser of two evils. B. The Church teaches marriage is indissoluble so religious divorce is impossible. F.Marriage is a covenant and a sacrament made with God, so cannot be broken by any human power. E. As there is no religious divorce, there can be no remarriage, or this would be bigamy & adultery. Only an annulment is possible.

9. “No Christian should ever get divorced”. Do you agree? Give reasons. Give reasons why some may disagree (6marks). Explain why some Christians allow divorce and some do not. (8marks)

10. Is there any way out of going back on a RC marriage that is acceptable to the Church ?? It is possible to get an annulment: a statement that the marriage was never valid in the first place because: – Either party were forced into it – Didn’t understand the commitment involved – Did not intend to have children, and this was not made clear before marriage – The marriage has not been consummated. The process can take months or even years, and involves interviews and statements. An annulment is not always granted The annulment process is not a Catholic form of divorce

11. Write down 3 things you learnt today about divorce