Divorce Learning outcomes: 1.To consider why marriages might end in divorce. 2.To summarise the Christian attitudes to divorce. 3.To reflect on your own feelings about divorce.

Addiction (drink, gambling, spending etc.)

Infidelity (cheating on your husband or wife)

Lack of Communication

Financial Problems

Work (one partner working very long hours)

Unemployment

Physical/verbal abuse

Constant Arguments

Children (whether to have them, attitudes towards their upbringing)

Sexual Problems

Step-Parenting

Wanting different things out of life

Ready to share? Each pair are now going to list two ways that their word might affect a married couple. Anyone else can make a contribution about their word after they have spoken.

Discussion summary – learning outcome 1 revisited 1.“To consider why marriages might end in divorce”. Choose 5 of the words you have discussed in this lesson. List them down in the order that you think most contributes to the break up of a marriage. Can you add any other reason why marriages might end in divorce? Have you met LO1?

Change of colour – Change of direction LO2. To summarise Christian attitudes to divorce. "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man divide" (Mark 10:9).

Scripture – the word of the Bible Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Matthew 19:9-9 What does this teaching mean to Christians?

A history of Christian attitudes to divorce? Until the 16th century CE, the Church in England recognised the the Catholic Church and the Pope's authority. Henry VIII had no heir so he wanted to divorce his wife to give him the chance to marry someone else. The Pope refused! So Henry made his own church – the Church of England – and ‘persuaded’ the archbishop of Canterbury to allow him a divorce.

In Christian law, marriage is a sacred institution. However, a variety of denominations have different approaches to divorce. The Protestant Church accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in church. It’s up to the priest though…

Things the priest will consider… Does the couple understand that divorce is a breach of God's will for marriage? Do they have a determination for the new marriage to be a life-long faithful partnership? Has enough time passed since the divorce for everyone to have recovered Has either of the parties been divorced more than once? Was their relationship a direct cause of the breakdown of a previous marriage?

Charles and Camilla This last question was very important when Prince Charles married the divorcée Camilla Parker Bowles in Had their adultery contributed to the failure of Camilla's first marriage? To Prince Charles’? The Church thought so. The royal couple could NOT marry in church. They had to marry in a civil ceremony, although church rules allowed their marriage to be blessed in church afterwards.

The Catholic Church The Church considers the bond of marriage to be a sacred bond that cannot be broken. It reflects the words of Jesus; ´what God has joined together, no man can separate´. Marriage is both a legal bond on earth and spiritual bond which God has witnessed. The promises made before God cannot be broken.

But… Catholics can get an annulment… An annulment, is a declaration that the marriage was never valid in the first place. You need reasonable proof that: The person was psycholigically unstable at the time of marriage One of the partners has hidden information such as a previous marriage, impotence or infertility. Why is the second point so important?

Divorce Learning outcomes revisited: 1.To consider why marriages might end in divorce. 2.To summarise the Christian attitudes to divorce. 3.To reflect on your own feelings about divorce. 4.REFLECTION HOMEWORK: Living in the throw away society that we do – do you think that marriage has gone the same way?