A vow that the church had no right to extract from him. Would you say the same about a Hitler Youth member who gave his oath to die for Hitler and later decided it had been wrong to do? Luther, you know, came to believe that the church went against God's laws, the laws of nature, in denying marriage--and he was known to hold these beliefs years before he met his future wife, while he was still completely disinterested in marrying anyone himself.
WRONG! Nobody seems to understand that every chance to bug out is given to the candidate before tonsure or ordination, and it is a
VOLUNTARY thing. You don't call yourself to the priesthood, or to the monastic life, and if you have a problem with ANY of the rules, you can get out of "prison" free and clear. The Church does not, and never did extract a vow. I don't know of a single member of the clergy that was ordained at the point of a sword or with a gun in his back.
As far as believing that the Church has no right to deny marriage, yes, they do have the right. For instance, incest is still a sin. Marrying after divorce is just as forbidden as it was in Jesus time, when He spoke against it. True, you can get a no-fault divorce, and you can still continue in your life of grace. But the Church will not bless another marriage unless the first one has been annulled. And a bill of nullity is not an easy thing to get. There is an appearance before a board, usually headed by a priest, that gathers data. For instance, was there sexual intercourse between the couple? Are there any children? Has either partner committed adultery? You see, Jesus said, “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”
Marriage is another voluntary oath that two people make, to each other, and to God. This is why the Church will not bless a divorced person marrying another.
Yes, you can marry outside of church. Lots of people do every day, but that doesn't make it a Sacrament. And for all the time you are married, the Church MAY reserve the right to withhold any of the other Sacraments.
But even in a non-church wedding, two people are making vows to each other, AND TO GOD! If they break that vow, except for extreme reasons, supposedly they are stuck with it. In Malachi 2:16 (KJV) it says, “For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for
one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.” Putting away in other translations is DIVORCE.