Is divorce a sin?

JohnDB

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but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
Matt. 5:32


A "put away" wife is not the same as a divorced wife.
There also were various levels of marriage in the ANE. They didn't have "engaged" or "betrothed" in their language. Only married.

Once the contract made for the bride price and dowry was made they were married...
Of course they had to create the marriage contract called a ketubah which detailed out who was to do what including how many times per week a husband had to perform his husbandly duties. And also a customary clause in this contract was that the bride price had to be given to the wife upon divorce.

So men would basically kick the woman out while staying married to her. Clothing and food and housing were denied her except for the most minimal amounts...(food) not really enough for a whole day.

This treatment was reserved for adulterous women. (Joseph was going to do this to Mary when she became pregnant and he had yet to completely marry her yet)

Malachi talks about how putting away a wife was abuse and bloodshed.

These put away wives went elsewhere to find a new husband because they had no means to access the courts for a divorce. No Levite priest or Rabbi would give any woman anywhere at anytime a divorce if she requested it.

Polygamy for men was allowed...

And men suspecting that a woman was "put away" could and would abuse the situation. Adulterous women were regularly stoned.
 
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JohnDB

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Interesting idea. Please tells where do you get these ideas?
History and anthropology.

Even to this day there are "Marriage Parlors" in the Middle East where you can get married for an hour or so and then divorced.
If women were treated as one half step above property...these sorts of abuses are easily committed.
 
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pescador

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Depends if you were the one committing adultery. If your spouse committed adultery then no. I think the only excuse acceptable with God is unfaithfulness.

Why do you answer "Is divorce a sin?" with this reply? Divorce can happen without adultery ever happening.

Since when does unfaithfulness become an acceptable excuse with God??
 
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LoveGodsWord

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Why do you answer "Is divorce a sin?" with this reply? Divorce can happen without adultery ever happening.

Since when does unfaithfulness become an acceptable excuse with God??

MATTHEW 5:31-32 [31], It has been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce:[32], But I say to you, That whoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.
 
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pescador

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MATTHEW 5:31-32 [31], It has been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce:[32], But I say to you, That whoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.

In English, this passage says, "“It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

That's plain enough. Divorce in the US in these days is very often based on something besides adultery, for example, incompatibility. Also, divorce requires a lot more than simply "writing a document"; it requires a legal settlement concerning division of property, custody of children, visitation rights, etc. agreeable to both parties.

The culture that we live in is very different from the one in which Matthew and Jesus lived and requires different rules. If you don't agree with this, perhaps you should be bringing an animal to be sacrificed for your sins.
 
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LoveGodsWord

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In English, this passage says, "“It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

That's plain enough. Divorce in the US in these days is very often based on something besides adultery, for example, incompatibility. Also, divorce requires a lot more than simply "writing a document"; it requires a legal settlement concerning division of property, custody of children, visitation rights, etc. agreeable to both parties.

The culture that we live in is very different from the one in which Matthew and Jesus lived and requires different rules. If you don't agree with this, perhaps you should be bringing an animal to be sacrificed for your sins.

True the culture is differnt today dear friend. However I do not believe God's Word changes.
 
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