Lesson video

Hello there, my young scholars of religion.

My name is Ms. Marks and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

Today we're going to be doing about divergent Christian views on divorce and marriage.

And for this, we're gonna think about how come there's different views within Christianity on this topic? And so to understand that, we're gonna go right back to the Bible and some of the words that Jesus said.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of the lesson today, you'll be able to explain Christian teachings and Christian views on divorce, remarriage, and ethical arguments relating to them.

So let's start with our key terms. Annulment: a formal declaration that a marriage was not valid.

Civil: non-religious, secular, e.

g.

civil marriage.

Divorce: the legal ending of a marriage.

Remarriage: another marriage after a previous marriage has ended following a divorce or widowhood.

And sanctity: something that's holy or sacred.

So look out for those in today's lesson.

So our lesson today will have two sections: Christian teachings on divorce and remarriage and Christian views on divorce and remarriage.

So let's start with our first section, Christian teachings on divorce and remarriage.

So within Christianity, we have different branches, often known as denominations, different groups within Christianity.

And here you can see how they've kind of branched off and are connected to one another on our denominations tree.

And between those different denominations, there are different views on divorce and remarriage.

Different Christians are going to use different sources to help them make that decision about divorce and remarriage.

So, for example, they might use Bible teachings, what Jesus taught, church leaders, and their conscience.

There are other sources of authority too which could influence a Christian's view about divorce and bring marriage.

So we can look at these different sources, but know that different Christians might interpret them or place different authority on them to one another.

So Christians may look to the Bible for guidance, first of all, as the Holy Book in Christianity, and this story from Matthew 19, so this is in the Gospels and it's about Jesus, is in the New Testament and includes Jesus talking about divorce and remarriage.

So obviously that's gonna be important for Christians to read and understand and it might inform what they think about divorce and remarriage.

And this is what it says.

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went to the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan.

Large crowds followed Him and He healed them there.

Some Pharisees came to test him.

They asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?' 'Haven't you read,' He replied, 'at the beginning, the creator made them male and female and said, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and the two will become one flesh." So they're no longer two but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together let no one separate.

' 'Why then,' they asked, 'did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?' Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard, but it's not this way from the beginning.

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.

' The disciples said to Him, 'If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it's better not to marry.

'" So thinking about that passage we just read, according to Matthew 19, did Moses allow divorce? Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

It is true, isn't it? But why? Because it said in the Bible there, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard." So, yes, Moses did allow divorce, but I guess we can think about what Jesus goes on to say after this.

So, yes, Moses did permit divorce, as Jesus has said here in this passage in Matthew.

So Jesus was using Moses as an example of the old law.

However, what he says afterwards is important.

Jesus replied, "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." This quotation can be interpreted in different ways.

So we've got this phrase here, "Except for sexual immorality." How could someone interpret, "Except for sexual immorality," then? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, some people believe this means Jesus was saying divorce is allowed for sexual immorality, so if it's adultery.

So if you're with someone and they've committed adultery, then it is allowed, it's permissible for you to divorce from that person because of their action.

But others say it's maybe been mistranslated and it doesn't mean sexual immorality because obviously Jesus wasn't speaking in English and the people who wrote the Bible didn't write in English; they wrote in other languages and it's been translated.

And so it depends on how it's been translated.

A different translation says, "I say to you, whoever divorces his wife unless the marriage is unlawful and marries another commits adultery," which implies that the marriage wasn't valid or legal in the first place.

So rather than it being for committing adultery, it's because the marriage wasn't valid.

So different Christian denominations focus on these different interpretations as well as different translations.

So this can lead to differences in teachings on divorce.

So if the text that's being read is translated differently and then interpreted differently, it can lead to these different views.

So church leaders might emphasise which interpretation they believe to be true as well as which translation they believe to be true.

And in the Gospel of Mark, what we just read was in Matthew, so that was Matthew's account of what happened, you can also see the same story being told in the Gospel of Mark, has the same story but it's told slightly differently.

I wonder if you can spot any differences.

In Mark, it says, "But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.

For this reason, a man will leave his mother and father and be united with his wife.

So they will become one flesh.

They are no longer two but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together let no one separate." So this is Jesus speaking in Mark's account.

What could this quotation suggest about divorce, particularly the bit in purple there? "What God has joined together let no one separate." How could that relate to the idea of divorce? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, it could be interpreted to mean that if God has joined a couple in a marriage, then nothing should separate them and therefore divorce isn't acceptable.

And this part is actually often said in many Christian marriage vows and ceremonies.

So it's quite an important passage that's used when people get married.

It's taking on this being joined together in the eyes of God and with the Christian community, so therefore it cannot be separated.

So you could see how this could be used to say that divorce should not be allowed.

The Gospel of Mark continues with this.

"He then said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.

' So even if they're divorced and they remarry, they're then committing adultery to the first person that they married.

So this is Jesus speaking in Mark.

So how could this be interpreted with reference to divorce and remarriage? Pause the video and have a reread, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, it seems to suggest that divorce and remarriage leads to adultery and adultery goes against God's commandments.

You've got, "Shall not commit adultery," in the Ten Commandments.

So it could imply then that divorce and remarriage is a sin because someone's going to be committing the sin of adultery.

Some people say that this text and the one we had earlier from Matthew are records of the same speech by Jesus.

So Jesus was sort of saying this and it was remembered by those who were there and this was the same thing that was recorded down by Mark and Matthew.

How does it differ to the text we had earlier from Matthew and why might it differ? Pause the video and have a think and have a reread, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, in Matthew 19, Jesus was only speaking about men and their wives.

He talks about men divorcing their wives and remarrying, committing adultery.

Whereas this passage, Jesus is talking about men with their wives and women with their husbands.

So therefore it's talking about both men and women being able to divorce and remarry.

One argument is that the authors wrote their account for a different audience.

So Matthew was writing it for one group of people.

Mark was writing it for another.

And so they've emphasised different aspects of Jesus's teachings to each of them.

So it's the same speech, but they're emphasising it for the people they were writing it to, which is always very important whenever we're looking at a text.

So who is it being written for? What's the context of when it's being written? And who was the intended audience that's reading it? Let's do a quick check.

For which ground does some Bible translations say that Jesus allowed divorce for? What was it he said that someone could get a divorce for as some translations and interpretations go? Is it sexual immorality, abuse, unreasonable behaviour, or irretrievable breakdown? Which of these did some Bible translations say Jesus allowed divorce for.

Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done, it was sexual immorality that some of the translations said that Jesus allowed divorce for.

Well done.

Well, along with the Bible and teachings of Jesus, different church groups and individuals and churches have other authorities they can look to that can help give guidance around issues like divorce and remarriage.

And within the Roman Catholic Church, you've got the Catechism and this says, "Divorce is a grave offence against the natural law.

It claims to break the contract to which the spouses freely consented to live with each other until death.

Divorce does injury to the covenant of salvation, of which the sacramental marriage is a sign.

Contracting a new union, even if it's recognised by civil law, adds to the gravity of the rupture.

The remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery." So this is quite strong here against the idea of divorce and remarriage, isn't it? This is clearly against divorce, but which part of the marriage vows does it reference divorce as breaking? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with a moment.

Well, this vow to live with each other till death.

So the idea that somebody, when they're marrying, freely consenting, they're freely consenting to marriage, and that is an agreement that's made until death.

So the vow is a promise to not break until death and they freely promise this, so they can't break it once they've made that vow in a Christian marriage according to the Catechism.

What does contracting a new union mean? What does that phrase mean in this passage? And what does the teaching suggest this leads to? Pause the video and have a think.

You can have a reread and talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, contracting a new union, so joining into a new contractual union, is remarriage because you are joining with a new person and this is saying that, well, then you are committing adultery.

It creates more division with that original marriage that you made.

It's like you've broken apart with a divorce and it's making it even more apart and you're committing adultery, which is a sin, by remarrying, according to the Roman Catholic Catechism.

However, the Catholic Church does have alternatives to divorce.

So, okay, divorce absolutely cannot happen.

We've just seen there with the teaching from Jesus as interpreted by the Roman Catholic Church in the Catechism.

But what's an alternative then? Well, here it goes on to say, "The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law.

If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offence." So Danielle's gonna explain this to us.

"This shows that separation is allowed in some cases.

It also means that civil divorce is acceptable in some cases.

However, none of this means that a couple are divorced according to the Catholic Church.

So when people marry, it's not just a religious ceremony that happens.

It's also a legal contract that people are entering into, which is why some people can have a marriage that's not religious at all.

So that side of it, the sort of state side or the civil side, could be broken, and in the eyes of the law in this country, those are no longer a married couple.

But this teaching is saying that they would still be kind of married in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the church.

And the teachings of the Catholic Church also allow for a declaration of nullity, also known as annulment.

If you've ever heard someone say null, it means not or void or none.

So an annulment.

A marriage can be annulled if after a thorough investigation by the church tribunal, it examines evidence and testimonies and it was never valid in the eyes of the church.

So it wasn't seen as actually a proper and valid marriage.

So therefore it's not something that's going to be divorced from.

It's just viewed as not valid in the first place.

It could be through a lack of consent.

So if you remember the Catechism earlier said, "Freely consented." If someone was forced to or felt it was against their will in any way or there was any kind of deceit about significant aspects of the person or the marriage, maybe promises were made that weren't kept, maybe the person lied about who they were in order to marry that person, so therefore it wasn't a proper marriage because there was deceit or a lack of consent there.

If an annulment is granted, both parties are free to marry again because they're not seen as married.

This is aside from needing to have that civil divorce.

This is within the eyes of the Catholic Church, they are annulled.

It wasn't seen as a valid marriage in the first place.

Let's do a quick check.

The Catholic Church allows a couple to divorce for adultery.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

It's false, isn't it? Because divorce is not allowed for any reason in the Catholic Church.

Well done.

Well, we can see on our denominations tree here that we've got different groups of Christians here and they have got different stances or different views around divorce and remarriage in their churches.

So let's have a look at some of the things that they've published.

The Methodist church, which is on the Protestant branch of Christianity, is generally willing to marry people who've been divorced while their previous spouse is still alive as long as there are no major obvious reasons why it would be inappropriate to do so.

There are very few ministers who will never marry someone who's been divorced, but such a minister will refer the couple to someone who is willing to marry divorced people.

So it does allow some personal choice for those ministers who don't feel comfortable doing it, but they will always help a couple to find someone who's willing to do it if need be.

Then we have the Church of England or the Anglican Church.

This teaches that marriage is for life, but it also recognises that some marriages sadly do fail, and if this should happen, it seeks to be available for all involved.

The church accepts that in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in a church during the lifetime of a former spouse.

And that's from the Church of England.

So let's do a practise task to see what we've learned.

Here is a full evaluation question using a statement about divorce.

The statement is, "Religious people should accept divorce in some cases." And if this was the full answer, you would discuss the statement showing you considered more than one point of view referring to religion and belief in your answer.

But you're going to write a paragraph to support a different point of view using religious arguments.

The statement is, "Religious people should accept divorce in some cases." So you're going to write one paragraph for a different view.

Why some religious people would not accept divorces in any cases.

So make sure you refer to your religious arguments in Christianity and that.

Pause the video, have a go, and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

Some great thinking there.

I asked you to write a paragraph for a different point of view to this statement, "Religious people should accept divorce in some cases," and your answer might include, "Catholic Christians may disagree with the statement with regards to religious divorce because of the teachings in the Catholic Church.

Divorce goes against the marriage vow, 'till death to us part,' so breaks the promises of the sacrament made in front of God.

They might say that Jesus didn't allow divorce and claims that He did are due to mistranslation and misinterpretation of the text.

The Catechism is clear that divorce is not allowed and if someone remarries, its classed as adultery, which is a sin.

However, they may accept separation and a civil divorce in certain circumstances." Well done.

So onto our second section then, Christian views on divorce and remarriage.

So Christians might use different sources of authority, as we've seen already, to help decide whether they think divorce and remarriage is permitted or not within their religion.

So Sofia asks, "As Christians, when considering divorce and remarriage, which source or sources of authority do you use?" David, who's Anglican, Church of England, he says, "I use Bible teachings and what my church leaders say." And Danielle, who's Roman Catholic, says, "I follow the Catholic Catechism as it's based on tradition." Charlie is a Baptist and he says, "I use Bible teachings and consider how they work together overall as one message from God." And Tamara, who's a Quaker, says, "I look in the 'Quaker Faith and Practise' book for guidance." So there's a kind of a range of things that Christians could use in order to think about divorce and remarriage and what their view on that would be.

Let's do a quick check before we move on.

All Christians use the same source of authority when considering divorce and remarriage.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

It is false, isn't it? But why? Well Christians use different sources of authority.

For example, some will only use the Bible.

Others will use sources of authority such as the Catechism for the Catholic Church.

Well done.

So Sofia's asking, "What do you think about the ethical argument that divorce might be the compassionate thing to do?" So when something's compassionate, it's kind of caring and you're really thinking about the pain and the suffering that person is going through.

So what about divorce being compassionate then rather than it being right or wrong? And Danielle, who's a Catholic Christian, says, "I understand that people have their problems with marriage, they need compassion, but I do not believe that it means they should divorce.

The church community and local priest should support them and help them try to resolve the issues.

Marriage vows include, 'For better, for worse,' which means even if things are bad, the couple should work to stay together.

It's not easy, but it's part of the commitment of marriage." Thank you, Danielle.

And Sofia asks, "What else do you believe about divorce and remarriage?" And Danielle says, "My church doesn't allow divorce but does allow for annulments.

However, these are regulated and they've got to be decided by a Catholic tribunal.

Of course, someone may get a civil divorce, but I believe in the eyes of God, they're still married.

This means if they remarry, they'll be committing adultery, which is a sin.

Remarriage before the death of a spouse therefore isn't acceptable as I believe no one should divorce." Thank you, Danielle.

"What do you think about the ethical argument that divorce might be the compassionate thing to do?" Sofia's asking David, who's an Anglican Christian.

Let's see if his view is different to Danielle.

And David says, "In a marriage ceremony, a couple are saying their vows with God as part of the union.

They're sacred and are making promises until death.

This is a huge undertaking, which is why we should try and help those having marriage problems. But sometimes things don't work out and we need to be compassionate, just as Jesus did in difficult times.

No one wants unhappiness, so divorce may be a last resort." So David doesn't think divorce should be an aim or we should be trying to get divorced, but it could be a last resort if needed because Jesus was compassionate with people going through difficult times.

Let's do a quick check before we move on.

All Christians agree that divorce is the compassionate thing to do.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go.

We'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

It's false, isn't it? And again, we've got that clue.

"All Christians" can help you see that that's probably gonna be false, isn't it? Why? Because compassion can be interpreted differently and it might not be the most compassionate thing to divorce.

So now Sofia's asking, "What do you think about the ethical argument that divorce might be the most loving thing to do in a situation?" So this is situation ethics.

Is it the most loving thing to allow someone to have a divorce? And Tamara, who's a Quaker, says, "There will always be things that happen in a marriage that the couple could never have predicted or wanted to happen.

'Quaker Faith and Practise' says, 'Good grounds for divorce do exist.

' It acknowledges that things cannot always be resolved and so I think there are times when divorce might be the most loving thing to do." Thank you, Tamara.

"What do you think about the ethical argument that divorce might be the most loving thing to do in a situation, situation ethics?" Sofia's asking Charlie, who's a Baptist Christian.

Charlie says, "When a couple make their wedding vows, they're making a commitment to each other.

The words, 'For better, for worse, until death do us part,' cannot be taken lightly.

The most loving thing might not actually be a divorce.

It can cause more hurt, and if there are children involved, it can have a negative impact on them.

I interpret situation ethics to mean we should also consider the fallout from divorce.

So it might not be very loving." So really situation ethics isn't about making a blanket decision; it's always okay or not okay.

It's what is the most loving thing in that situation? Thank you, Charlie.

"And what do you think about the ethical argument that divorce might go against the sanctity of marriage vows then?" Charlie, who's a Baptist, says, "Divorce goes against the sanctity of marriage vows.

They were said as lifelong promises, so I think divorce isn't ideal." And Tamara says, who's a Quaker, "I believe marriage vows are important and they shouldn't be said lightly.

However, there are times when we say things we mean at the time, but circumstances change, and so might what we feel." So we have two Christians here with slightly different views about whether divorce goes against the sanctity of the marriage vows.

Let's do another practise task.

Jacob has been asked to write an answer to evaluate the statement, "Divorce is the most loving thing to do." He's started his sentences, but he needs help completing them.

Complete his answers by developing his points and using evidence and examples to support them.

So here are his points.

Some Christians may agree it is loving because.

Jesus taught.

Catholic Christians may disagree because.

The Catechism teaches.

So how could you finish his sentences with development using evidence and examples? So you're going to finish Jacob's sentences using evidence and examples to support his points as well as including the terms compassionate and sanctity of marriage vows.

So pause the video and have a go.

We'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some great thinking there.

So the statement that we are writing about is, "Divorce is the most loving thing to do." And Jacob had started this and you were finishing his sentences.

And so your answer might include, "Some Christians may agree that it is loving because there are situations in which it is the compassionate thing to do.

Jesus was compassionate to those in difficult situations.

Jesus taught divorce is allowed for sexual immorality, so if a person has committed adultery, it might be the most loving thing for the other spouse to get divorced as the sanctity of the marriage vows have been broken.

Catholic Christians may disagree because Jesus didn't allow divorce.

He meant if the marriage was unlawful, it wasn't valid in the first place.

The Catechism teaches divorce is not allowed as it breaks the sanctity of the marriage vows, which are a contract made in front of God.

It's a grave offence.

So the most loving thing is to help couples to resolve the issues in their marriage.

If this fails, then separation may be the most loving thing to do." Well done.

So let's summarise everything we've learned today then.

Divergent Christian views on divorce and marriage.

Christian churches have different views on divorce and remarriage, emphasising different sources.

This includes interpreting the Bible and what Jesus said and did differently.

The Catholic Church does not allow divorce or remarriage as they break the sanctity of the marriage vows and the Catechism says it's a grave offence.

Other churches may allow divorce in certain situations because Jesus taught this and it may be the most compassionate thing to do.

The Catholic Catechism does allow for separation and civil divorce in certain situations.

The Catholic Church allows for an annulment of marriage in some cases.

So well done for your hard work today and I hope to see you soon.

Bye-bye.