Freethought & Rationalism Archive

hbk · 07-24-2004, 10:41 AM

I heard that bible says "once a woman gets divorced she can't ever get married again" Is it true?

Clivedurdle · 07-24-2004, 11:20 AM

Yes.

The Midge · 07-24-2004, 12:59 PM

This is what Jesus said:

Quote:

Mk 10:11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. Mk 10:12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.�?

So as far as he was concerned it cut both ways.

Pauls teaches this:

Quote:

1Co 7:10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 1Co 7:11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
1Co 7:12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 1Co 7:13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 1Co 7:14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1Co 7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 1Co 7:16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
1Co 7:17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

Again the same rule applies to men an women.

This article from NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible (Zondervan) may help:

Quote:

DIVORCE (Gr. apostasion). A means whereby a legal marriage is dissolved publicly and the participants are freed from further obligations of the matrimonial relationship. It is an ancient device that has varied procedurally over the centuries, but in the main it has been instituted on the initiative of the husband.
Although the Old Testament seems to permit divorce for rather general reasons (Deut. 24:1), it was usually either for adultery or childlessness. Because of the strength of the family unit, divorce was in actual fact not very common among the Hebrews. Nevertheless, in the postexilic period, in order for the purity of the Hebrew faith to be maintained, wholesale divorce was required by Ezra of those Jews who had married foreign wives in Babylonia (Ezra 9:2; 10:3, 16-17).
The NT forbids divorce. Jesus asserts that God had, under the Mosaic Law, allowed divorce as a concession to the hardness of the human heart (Matt. 19:8). Even the remarriage of widows was frowned upon by some in the apostolic period, though 1 Timothy 5:14 seems more lenient on this matter. Although in the early church the husband could not technically divorce an adulterous wife, he could separate from her or "put her away." Under such circumstances, neither party could marry without committing adultery. While a wife might emotionally reject a flagrantly unfaithful husband, she was nevertheless expected to show him an example of Christian love and stay with him if he wanted to continue the marriage. There were rare exceptions where a remarriage was permitted, but usually it was only for the pagan partner in a mixed Christian-pagan marriage. In any event the Christian partner was not permitted to remarry (1 Cor 7:10-15).

myndreach · 07-24-2004, 07:48 PM

yep, see above post with quotes. I was going to link to them, but no need now!

My uncle (in-law) is a devout christian. He's even one of the 3 elders in his church. He is married to my mother's sister, and she has had a divorce a few years before they married. Lol...he justifies it by saying "I prayed a long time about it", and "He was abusive to her, so he broke the marriage vows before she did"

I feel bad talking about him this way, as he really is an incredible man and a role model for me, but his religious beliefs are unfortunate.

http://atheistbiblestudy.com

hbk · 07-25-2004, 11:35 AM

thanks for the infos.

mrmoderate · 07-25-2004, 01:51 PM

One confusing passage on this subject is from Deuteronomy 24:1-4; If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, of if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.

Aside from being quite a run on sentence, this passage does show that a divorced woman was allowed to remarry at least in this culture at this time.

In Matthew 19 Jesus defends marriage and condemns divorce for both men and women stating that "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

So, in this passage, at this time and culture, Jesus is stating that a divorced man cannot remarry.

The OP may be thinking of Leviticus 21: 7 "They must not marry women defiled by prostitution of divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God."

This is a command for priests not to marry prostitutes or divorcees, not that they are not allowed to marry. I am not certain if in this culture at this time this means the same thing because the only way to be married may have been by a priest.

Leviticus 21:14 seems to hint that this may not be the case when it adresses who the high priest may marry; "He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people."

This seems to indicate that in some way prostitutes, divorcees, widows and other non-virgin women did have a way to be married other than by a priest.

07-24-2004, 10:41 AM	#1
hbk Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 15	Does bible say that? I heard that bible says "once a woman gets divorced she can't ever get married again" Is it true?

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

07-24-2004, 11:20 AM	#2
Clivedurdle Contributor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London UK Posts: 16,024	Yes.

07-24-2004, 07:48 PM	#4
myndreach Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: germany, usaf Posts: 84	yep, see above post with quotes. I was going to link to them, but no need now! My uncle (in-law) is a devout christian. He's even one of the 3 elders in his church. He is married to my mother's sister, and she has had a divorce a few years before they married. Lol...he justifies it by saying "I prayed a long time about it", and "He was abusive to her, so he broke the marriage vows before she did" I feel bad talking about him this way, as he really is an incredible man and a role model for me, but his religious beliefs are unfortunate. http://atheistbiblestudy.com

07-25-2004, 11:35 AM	#5
hbk Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 15	thanks for the infos.

07-25-2004, 01:51 PM	#6
mrmoderate Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Baltimore/DC area Posts: 1,306	One confusing passage on this subject is from Deuteronomy 24:1-4; If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, of if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. Aside from being quite a run on sentence, this passage does show that a divorced woman was allowed to remarry at least in this culture at this time. In Matthew 19 Jesus defends marriage and condemns divorce for both men and women stating that "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." So, in this passage, at this time and culture, Jesus is stating that a divorced man cannot remarry. The OP may be thinking of Leviticus 21: 7 "They must not marry women defiled by prostitution of divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God." This is a command for priests not to marry prostitutes or divorcees, not that they are not allowed to marry. I am not certain if in this culture at this time this means the same thing because the only way to be married may have been by a priest. Leviticus 21:14 seems to hint that this may not be the case when it adresses who the high priest may marry; "He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people." This seems to indicate that in some way prostitutes, divorcees, widows and other non-virgin women did have a way to be married other than by a priest.

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.