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Time to Challenge No-Fault Divorce
First Things ^ | December 8, 2014 12:00 GMT | Thomas F. Farr and Hilary Towers

Posted on 12/17/2014 1:07:54 PM PST by Up Yours Marxists

High in the catalogue of social pathologies afflicting marriage and the family in America stands our system of family law, the central purpose of which is to enforce no-fault divorce. In a letter to the Holy Father and the recent Extraordinary Synod on the Family, almost fifty international scholars and religious leaders joined us in urging the Church to consider the effects of no-fault divorce, along with other barriers to faithful, lifelong marriage.

State laws on divorce began to be implemented in the late 1960s, but today have been absorbed into the legal and cultural mainstream nationwide. The logic of no-fault divorce is that spouses should not be trapped in marriages that make them unhappy, or forced into the expense and psychological trauma of proving “fault” in divorce court. If one spouse wants out, the judge’s mandate is to manage the breakup of the family and to protect the interests of the children.

Like the increase in abortions after Roe v. Wade, divorce rates increased significantly with the onset of the policy. As with Roe, there were other contributing factors, especially the sexual revolution, which multiplied the “liberating” effects of the new legal regime. The clear losers in both were children—aborted in ever increasing numbers after Roe, and wounded socially, economically, and spiritually in the wake of no-fault divorce.

(Excerpt) Read more at firstthings.com ...


TOPICS: Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: catholic; christian; divorce; nofault
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Time to not only challenge no-fault divorce but divorce in general. Too easy. Too lazy. Too selfish. Welcome to the lost generation of modern-day, feel-good "Christians".
1 posted on 12/17/2014 1:07:54 PM PST by Up Yours Marxists
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To: Up Yours Marxists

Law isn’t the problem.

Morality is.


2 posted on 12/17/2014 1:09:31 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Boner and McTurtle funded Amnesty and 0bamaCare)
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To: Uncle Miltie

Law IS a problem when it protects the immoral and punishes the moral.


3 posted on 12/17/2014 1:12:44 PM PST by Up Yours Marxists
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To: Up Yours Marxists

Issues of Marriage and divorce between adults (other than ourselves) is none of our business.

Nor should it be the business of the state. The concept of marriage licenses, tax implications, and everything in law regarding marriages should be abolished.

If consenting adults want to get married, they can contact someone of their choice to conduct the ceremony and do it. Why does it have to be the business of the state/government?


4 posted on 12/17/2014 1:16:51 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: Up Yours Marxists
Too easy. Too lazy. Too selfish.

Have you gone through one? I think you would be signing a different tune if you had.

5 posted on 12/17/2014 1:19:17 PM PST by Ghost of SVR4 (So many are so hopelessly dependent on the government that they will fight to protect it.)
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To: KoRn

The only legitimate business the State has in marriage is the enforcement of a contract.


6 posted on 12/17/2014 1:20:25 PM PST by Durus (You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. Ayn Rand)
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To: Up Yours Marxists

My sister, who was a special agent with the OSI found out her husband, a former special agent and now private detective, was writing long rambling, vaguely threatening letters to the President. She found this out when she headed the air-force security detachment for Roslyn Carter. The Secret Service gave her copies. Her husband had taken up drinking and developed a number of other problems she could not deal with. (According to him, all the problems were hers.) So, she divorced, at which point his elderly father flew up to have him involuntarily committed as he was so crazy he was now dangerous.

Not all divorce is evil. Not everybody can handle a crazy spouse. Nor, should they be expected to.


7 posted on 12/17/2014 1:20:27 PM PST by Gen.Blather
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To: KoRn
The concept of marriage licenses, tax implications, and everything in law regarding marriages should be abolished.

Couldn't agree more with this statement. It is neither the State's nor the Fed's business.

8 posted on 12/17/2014 1:20:37 PM PST by Ghost of SVR4 (So many are so hopelessly dependent on the government that they will fight to protect it.)
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To: Up Yours Marxists

Considering that 2/3rds to 90 percent of those who initiate divorce are women I would say it is time to do so!


9 posted on 12/17/2014 1:20:43 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: Up Yours Marxists

Are you and the authors of that article completely out of your minds. Not all divorces involve children, and not all marriages involve religion. Are you some kind of religious zealot wanting to dictate to others what your beliefs are. Sounds like what Islam is trying to do.


10 posted on 12/17/2014 1:23:18 PM PST by eastforker (Cruz for steam in 2016)
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To: Up Yours Marxists
If a husband seriously misbehaves....is abusive,is a drunk,is a jobless parasite,fools around,etc then it can surely be argued that the wife has good reason to be very unhappy.And of course there are ways that a wife can seriously misbehave as well which would give the husband good reason to be unhappy.

But if a husband simply decides that he wants to trade his wife in for a newer model...or a wife simply decides that she's "not fulfilled" by her husband that stinks to high heaven and such reasoning makes him/her "at fault".

11 posted on 12/17/2014 1:24:21 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Jimmy Carter;No Longer The Worst President In My Lifetime)
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To: Up Yours Marxists

If conservatives ever want to control the White House, it is time to get out of peoples bedrooms.

It is just the facts people.

Flame me, ban me, I don’t care. You all need to recognize that political fixes cannot fix moral issues.


12 posted on 12/17/2014 1:24:43 PM PST by hadaclueonce (Ethanol is stupid.)
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To: KoRn

“everything in law regarding marriages should be abolished.”

You are 100% correct.


13 posted on 12/17/2014 1:27:30 PM PST by privatedrive
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To: Gen.Blather
I asgree.
BUT a No-Fault Divorce relieves both of any blame, and FAILS TO WARN OTHERS, OR PUNISH THE GUILTY, of the one responsible for the failure of the marriage.
Divorce should be ONLY with CAUSE OR FAULT.
We must warn others of the dangers of marriage.

Someone once asked, "WHY does a Divorce cost so much ? "
The answer REALLY IS … BECAUSE IT'S WORTH IT !
14 posted on 12/17/2014 1:28:55 PM PST by Yosemitest (It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
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To: Up Yours Marxists

I think G-d will take care of the morality part.

I do not trust the government to make decisions on points of morality.


15 posted on 12/17/2014 1:32:13 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Boner and McTurtle funded Amnesty and 0bamaCare)
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To: Up Yours Marxists

Get govt completely out of the marriage business. the licensing, the taxing, the tax deducting, the determining what is and isn’t marriage, etc.

Man and a woman want to spend the rest of their lives together, perfect. They want to make financial arrangements for each other in case of death, honorable. Make arrangements for children, the right thing to do.

Family health insurance, commerce.
Opting out of a relationship, civil/business law.
visitation in a hospital, spelled out in the marriage agreement and administered by the present representative (none of the hospital’s damp business).

Less government in day to day life equals more life in day to day life.

KYPD


16 posted on 12/17/2014 1:34:23 PM PST by petro45acp (Grubbers "stupid" electorate is starting to look very much like Romney's 47%. Just sayin...)
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To: petro45acp

I agree and keep your powder dry.


17 posted on 12/17/2014 1:35:24 PM PST by eastforker (Cruz for steam in 2016)
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To: privatedrive

lol I was expecting to get ‘torched’ on here for my remarks. It may yet still happen, but I’m encouraged to see that others have the same point of view. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to agree with me regarding this.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE marriage. I’ve been married with the same person for 20 years. Hell, we were kids when we got married, and were probably stupid for doing it, but it worked. We’ve had lots of kids, and have a great family.

It’s ironic how all of my ‘friends’ back then all but called me an idiot for getting married so young, have all been married and divorced two or three times, and most of them are miserable.


18 posted on 12/17/2014 1:44:32 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: Up Yours Marxists

IMO the best interests of the child are served by justice between the parents.


19 posted on 12/17/2014 1:57:58 PM PST by chesley (Obama -- Muslim or dhimmi? And does it matter?)
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To: KoRn

Agree with you.


20 posted on 12/17/2014 2:02:29 PM PST by Lizavetta
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