Is divorce still considered a sin?

[TopazRaven]

[font="Georgia"]This is something I've been thinking a lot about latley, but I want to know what you all think. Here is my family's situation. Technically speaking, my mom and dad have been separeted for years. My parents can't stand each other anymore. My mom doesn't even like to be in the same room as my dad. I know someday they are probably going to get divorced. My mom says she's never going to get married again, maybe becuase this marriage failed? But, I can tell she's lonely and wants a boyfriend. Heck she's even said so herself. She was so depressed at one point she had to take pills. She hasn't had one so far, I think my dad might have a had a girlfriend before, I can't be sure so I won't say. My mom didn't even care though, because once again they are separted. My mom was a virgin before she got married, my dad wasn't though as I have two older half-sisters. My question is this, if my mom got a boyfriend and my dad got girlfriend, wither they are divorced or not, will this still be considered adultery? What about divorce to, isn't this a sin? I'm a grown woman and they've been romantically seperate since I was maybe 12, so if they get divorced I'll be ok. I'm just worried about my parents. Also, forgive my fail spelling. Public education has failed me.[/font]

[Peanut]

Generally, the stance I take is if there is adultery, then divorce is not a sin and, in your case, if your mother started dating after said divorce then that wouldn't be a sin either. With this being said I think its wiser to take the issue of divorce on a case by case basis. I would never encourage it for couples since I'm more of a fan for working things out through marital counseling instead of just ending things all together. This really isn't something I feel too strongly about so, if said couple wanted to get a divorce and refused counseling I would at least encourage them to really look at the whole situation before going down that road. Namely, I want them to look outside of their own interests so others (like kids) won't get hurt.

[ABlipinTime]

Jesus was asked this by the pharisees. He replied, "What God has joined together let no man put asunder." (King James version, I think) There's that clause of "marital unfaithfulness" as being a condition of divorce, but I never recommend it.

What your parents need is to spend more time with Jesus. God will work things out if we put it in His hands. Remember, after all, He did let us get ourselves into these kinds of situations. God doesn't want evil to befall us, but He lets it happen. Why? - Because there is always the potential for greater good to come out. Hence, you might point this out to your parents as being a time when they can use this experience to learn to focus on and trust God more. Granted, there's that other little condition we need to recognize... willingness of the heart to conform to God's will!

[Midori]

First, you have my condolences and prayers for your situation.

Now, there's a specific scripture about this:[quote="Matthew 19:1-12"] When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “]
What this means is that, yes, divorce is a sin, but not the ceremony of divorce. If a couple are getting a divorce, then something has already gone wrong with their relationship, because the commitment of marriage is one that should last until death. So, just as legal marriage recognizes the spiritual marriage--the love and commitment--so too the legal ceremony of divorce is merely a recognition of the spiritual divorce--the cessation of love and breach of commitment. The spiritual divorce is a sin. The legal divorce is not, and if a couple has already divorced in their hearts, they may as well be divorced legally.

[shooraijin]

I've considered this thread's possibilities and I'm going to close it, on this basis:

- Sinful or not, there are users here who have endured divorce as children within them (or sometimes the divorced themselves), and I don't think it helps their situation to be pointing fingers.

- Some of the questions you've asked have already been covered in your other, larger thread (obliquely or otherwise).

- I don't see much that can be drawn from a Biblical perspective that isn't already painfully plain.

While we're trying to be more accommodating of theological threads, we are only willing to do so up to a point, and I don't think this thread furthers that aim.