The impact of divorce on Christian and cultural value
Angel Cuffie
Liberty University
The impact of divorce on Christian and cultural value
Working Outline
I. Introduction
A. Thesis
i. Divorce not only contradicts God’s initial intention for marriage, but it also violates the marriage oath to which the Lord bears witness.
B. Statement of Problem
ii. The current lifestyle divorce rate is high where most marriages are breaking up because of the adoption of modern technology. Most of the partners use social media accounts and online dating, which affects the relationship negatively. The paper addresses how divorce impacts Christian and cultural beliefs, considering that marriage are considered a holy union.
II. Historical Position
A. Biblical Perspective of Divorce
i. Even though it seems to have a biblical warrant because of the legal provisions found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Jesus rejected divorce as contrary to the will of God.” According to Jesus, God had joined the couple together; and God is therefore the Lord of the marriage. Furthermore, “according to the prophet Malachi, divorce is not only a violation of God’s original plan for marriage, it violates the marriage covenant to which the Lord is a witness” (Eyo, 2018).
B. Traditional Perspective of Divorce
ii. In the context of African tradition, in the days of yore, in traditional African communities, marriage was sacred and revered. Divorce was unheard of and when it occurred, it was considered a bad omen and rituals were conducted to send away the evil spirits believed to have caused it. Furthermore, other versions of the world’s tradition the family’s traditional values regard marriage to be sacred, and the union between a man and a woman should be permanent. (Laney et al., 1990) “This view is developed through an analysis of the concepts of covenant, infidelity and adultery, as well as a comparison of civil, contractual marriage and the Christian sacrament and covenant of marriage” (Olshewsky, 1979).
III. Current Conflict
A. Why Christian Divorce Does not meet Traditional Values
i. The family’s traditional values regard marriage to be sacred, and the union between a man and a woman should be permanent. “This view is developed through an analysis of the concepts of covenant, infidelity and adultery, as well as a comparison of civil, contractual marriage and the Christian sacrament and covenant of marriage” (Olshewsky, 1979). But the problem of divorce does not meet the traditional values of the family because it leaves the family separated, which affects the unity of the family where children are confused on what side to support.
B. Traditional Values of the Family Contained in Divorce
i. So, the conflict is narrowly underscored by what the society has construed about marriage and divorce, including the policies and laws. The traditional values framed in the problem include the companionship requirement through peace and harmony for those in marriage to ensure that marriage is a permanent union between the two partners. Despite the fact that onlookers at times attempt to partition the people into conventional preservationists and postmodern nonconformists, those marks are erroneous, with the exception of maybe at the limits” (Wang & Schofer, 2018). Another place of the end that is important is his recommendation about marriage: Slow down to begin another relationship and have kids with another live-in partner. The need for public strategies ought to be to give stable families to kids and not request that ladies wed in light of the fact that most of these connections are probably going to end. An approach to hinder the interaction is offering monetary help to single guardians, in spite of the fact that there are numerous political hindrances to giving money help (Wang & Schofer, 2018). Another way that he doesn’t underline, however that follows a similar line of contention, is to improve the authorization of youths support guidelines, so an ex-accomplice would keep on aiding the kid monetarily.
IV. Findings and Recommendations
A. Findings
i. Participation in Christian divorce support groups positively influences forgiveness levels and health outcomes in Black Christians” (Saunders, 2013)
B. Recommendation
ii. The focus must be on the application of faith and tradition in marriages by explaining how divorce within families is impacting Christian and traditional values so that the problem of divorce can be controlled. Data on family breakups and challenges that divorced families go through so that divorce’s impact on cultural and Christian beliefs can be identified.
V. Conclusion
iii. In summary, indeed divorce is not only a violation of God’s original plan for marriage, it violates the marriage covenant to which the Lord is a witness. The Bible through the voice of Jesus is very succinct on this issue of divorce. In fact, according to the Scripture, Adultery, Abuse, Abandonment are Biblical are the only Grounds for Divorce. Jesus explicitly permitted divorce for disloyalty: Matthew 19:9 (ESV) And I say to you: whoever separates from his better half, with the exception of extramarital perversion, and weds another, submits infidelity. Note that Jesus doesn’t say this is the solitary justification separate. We discover different explanations behind separate in Scripture. The New American Bible interprets this section as: But I say to you, whoever separates from his better half (except if the. marriage is unlawful) makes her submit infidelity, and whoever weds a separated from lady submits infidelity.
VI. References
i. Eyo, U. E. (2018). Divorce: Causes and effects on children.
ii. Laney, J. C., Heth, W. A., Edgar, T. R., & Richards, L. (1990). Divorce and remarriage: Four Christian views. InterVarsity Press.
iii. Olshewsky, T. M. (1979). A Christian understanding of divorce. The Journal of Religious Ethics, 118-138.
iv. Saunders, M. M., Curtis, D. C., Alexander, J. L., & Williams, E. L. (2013). Can christian divorce support groups influence forgiveness and health outcomes in black divorcees? A phenomenological investigation. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54(7), 550-575.
v. Wang, C. T. L., & Schofer, E. (2018). Coming out of the penumbras: World culture and cross-national variation in divorce rates. Social Forces, 97(2), 675-704.
