Can I Divorce and Remarry?

My #36 was just an "at first glance" post. As shown there, I sometimes type "bump for later" meaning that I plan to come back later to read the article and comment more fully. The "God hates divorce" part was simply a thought that popped into my head upon reading the article's title because there had been a previous thread on which that was being discussed.

OK, perhaps there was a bit of over-reaction, it just came off wrong.

What bothers me is that a few folks seemed to automatically assume that my saying "God hates divorce" translated into "God hates people who divorce", or something similar. That is neither what I said nor what I meant.

That's why it's better to explain what you mean, rather than just drop a little "bomb" and leave. It's easy to misinterpret.

BTW, yes, I did return to read the article, and it's excellent. You may already know I'm pretty clearly on record on FR as being someone who believes divorce is an extremely bad thing which devastates people tremendously and should be avoided at all costs. I believe divorce is one of the main reasons why our society is suffering, largely because it severely hurts children.

One must be careful that one does not overstate, or ever-simplify statements and positions about what is clearly a very complex and multi-faceted subject. I myself have been through a divorce, one that I initiated on biblical grounds (adultery), and it is only now, 14 years later, that I am getting ready to marry again. I agree that the high rate of divorce has done damage to our society, and many children have been hurt by it. the personal devastation I suffered is hard to describe, because of its intensity. It was not a knee jerk reaction, but one contemplated over the course of 2 years, giving every opportunity to find a way to reconcile and to avoid divorce, but I reached a point where the right thing to do was to end the marriage, and I did. I have no regrets about it.

Note that I did not say there is no forgiveness for repentant people who have gone through unbiblical divorce. Note that I did not say God in His mercy cannot work in spite of such a thing to bring good into people's lives. I believe both can happen! I could add a lot more, but this'll do for now. Hope that clears things up for you

It does clear things up. If I over-reacted, I apologize. I do get tired of the scripture bombs and one-liners from people whose only contribution is to stir things up. Sorry if I cast you in that light.

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