Is it okay to divorce and remarry?

[AgnosticBoy]

Edit: I decided to revamp this topic to make it better.

In the title, I asked if divorce and remarriage is okay. The answer is an no if you ask the Catholic Church. They believe that divorce does not end a marriage, and this would also mean you can't remarry. Before moving on to the debate questions, I'll post some details on their position...

Here's some excerpts from a good article explaining the Catholic position:

That being said, the Church clearly teaches that divorce does not—indeed cannot—end sacramental marriage. “A ratified and consummated marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power or for any reason other than death” (Code of Canon Law 1141). Only death dissolves a sacramental marriage.
...
Even so, the Mosaic law allowed divorce and remarriage among the Israelites. The Israelites saw divorce as a way to dissolve a marriage and enable the spouses to remarry others. But, as we will see, Jesus taught that this is not what God intended.

Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matt. 19:3–8; cf. Mark 10:2–9; Luke 16:18)

Thus, Jesus re-established the permanence of marriage among his followers. Some Christians hold that Jesus made an exception to the rule of permanence of marriage when he said that “whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9, emphasis added; cf. Matt. 5:31–32.)

...but suffice it to say here that Jesus’ and Paul’s constant and forceful teaching about the permanence of sacramental marriage as recorded elsewhere in Scripture makes it clear that Jesus was not making an exception in the case of valid, sacramental marriages. The constant teaching of the Catholic Church attests to this as well.

Source: Did Jesus allow divorce? By Jim Blackburn

On Dissolution of marriages between non-believers:

Thus far our discussion of the permanence of marriage has concerned sacramental marriages—marriages between baptized Christians. What about marriages between two non-Christians or between a Christian and a non-Christian (also called “natural marriages”)?

Paul taught that divorce of a natural marriage is not desirable (1 Cor. 7:12–14), but he went on to teach that natural marriages may be dissolved in certain circumstances: “If the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace” (1 Cor. 7:15).

Accordingly, Church law provides for the dissolution of natural marriages in certain circumstances as well:
A marriage entered into by two non-baptized persons is dissolved by means of the Pauline privilege in favor of the faith of the party who has received baptism by the very fact that a new marriage is contracted by the same party, provided that the non-baptized party departs. (CIC 1143)

Source: Did Jesus allow divorce? By Jim Blackburn

On marriage annulments:

Annulments are sometimes mistakenly called “Catholic divorces.” In reality, annulments do not presume to end marriages at all but simply recognize and declare, after sufficient investigation, that a marriage never existed in the first place. If a marriage never really existed, then there is nothing to dissolve. Such situations can come about for one (or more) of three reasons: lack of sufficient capacity, failure to adequately consent, or violation of canonical form.

Source: Did Jesus allow divorce? By Jim Blackburn

Clarifications:
1. There is a difference between "dissolution" and "annulment" of marriages.

St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (7:12-15) establishes the principle that the Church calls the Pauline privilege. In such a case, a natural marital bond between two unbaptized persons is dissolved by the fact that one of the parties receives baptism and enters a new marriage. (Tab 8) The Pauline privilege is distinct from a declaration of nullity. Pauline privilege is a privilege of the faith that dissolves a valid natural marriage, while a declaration of nullity, if issued, states that a marriage was invalid from the beginning.

Source: https://www.catholichawaii.org/media/647071/how-to-handle-prior-marriages.pdf

2. You can remarry if your marriage is annulled since that means the marriage never existed in the first place. But, the Catholic position is that you can even remarry if your valid marriage was dissolved...

Can. 1143 §1. A marriage entered into by two non-baptized persons is dissolved by means of the pauline privilege in favor of the faith of the party who has received baptism by the very fact that a new marriage is contracted by the same party, provided that the non-baptized party departs.

Can. 1144 §1. For the baptized party to contract a new marriage validly, the non-baptized party must always be interrogated whether:

Source: https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-...-cann998-1165_en.html#DISSOLUTION_OF_THE_BOND

That last part sets conditions for remarriage indicating that remarriage is okay after marital dissolution.

For Debate
What are your thoughts on the views posted above?
Do you agree with divorce not being the end of a marriage?
Can someone remarry after a divorce?

The agnostic perspective is welcomed

 

[ewomack]

What are your thoughts on the views posted above?
I'm not sure that I find them relevant to my experience. They may be relevant to other people's. I have gone through one divorce and I've remarried. My second marriage has so far gone very well. My previous marriage, to a Catholic (though not a practicing one), is long over despite anything said above. We were both baptized in different faiths, but that doesn't seem to make any difference now.

Do you agree with divorce not being the end of a marriage?
For me, separation and divorce signal the end of a marriage. People who no longer want to live together, or have anything more to do with each other, have no marriage, despite any metaphysical concepts. I do have a pretty secular view of marriage, so that may explain my position. I haven't talked to seen or even heard rumors about my ex-wife in numerous years. To me, that's a dead marriage.

Can someone remarry after a divorce?
Yes. I have done so. Hopefully I won't do it again.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Do you agree with divorce not being the end of a marriage?

I will answer this point in relation to the Catholic position. I believe the Catholic position goes wrong or is unfounded (no biblical basis) when it adds a bunch of arbitrary/inconsistent standards to marriage and divorce. The Catholic Church holds that marriages can not end. But then it accepts the Pauline privilege which is an exception that involves ending marriages. Why would God not have required lifelong marriages for non-believers? If marriages between non-believers are considered a valid (even by Catholics), then why wouldn't the same rules apply?! I haven't been able to find any coherent logic that explains the inconsistency here.

My own personal position, which is more biblically founded, is that marriages between both non-believers and believers can end. Jesus said just as much when he talked about divorces that occur because of infidelity between one of the partners. The 4 Gospels don't all mention the 'exception clause', but then that's why we can not draw conclusions off of just one passage or book. I would think that developing theology or a teaching on marriage should involve considering all relevant data from all books because one source may go into more detail than others (may present exceptions, points of clarification, or just more details in general).

Can someone remarry after a divorce?

Jesus did not say that someone commits adultery if they remarry another after any or all divorces. There are valid divorces and there are also invalid divorces. Jesus only brought in the charge of adultery (which means remarriage was an immoral act) if there was an invalid marriage involved - one not involving adultery.