Iscool:
You do not understand the annulment so why, rather than comment, don’t you investigate what it is. The Catholic Church does not recognize a civil marriage as a “Sacrament of Holy Matrimony”. In other words, a Catholic, and I can speak to this myself, to be married “sacramentally” needs to have the marriage ceremony celebrated in connection with the Church, which as Scripture says is the “Body and Bride of Christ”. My wife and I had to also have a wedding license recognized by the “State” for legal reasons [property, taxes, power of attorney, etc, etc]. Those are related but distinct. So had I gotten married by the local judge or justice of the peace, while I would be legally married in the eyes of the state, I would not be married in the context of the “Sacrament of Holy Matrimony”
So when a Catholic gets a “Legal divorce”, the Catholic Church, as the Body of Christ, does not let the “secular State” break up a marriage and thus the Church does not turn around and say, well because the “State says you are no longer Legally wed, you are also no longer sacramentally wed”
I find it interesting that someone like you who strives to maintain biblical standards would allow the “Secular State” dictate what is and what is not a “Christian Marriage” . Let Caesar render to Caesar and render to God what is God.
I have my wedding license with the State because of the legal requirements and tax laws require it and I am a citizen that should follow “lawful rules of society” at the same time, as a Catholic, m wedding took place inside a Catholic Church with a Catholic Priest as the Official of the Wedding, not some “State secular judge or Justice of the Peace”
In this context, an Annulment is a process that investigates whether a “True Sacrament took place” and realize under Catholic Theology, the ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony are the Man and Woman, so if one of the parties did not when they entered into marriage, was freely deciding to enter into a union and never had the intent to truly remain faithful to their spouse, it is therefore possible that the Sacrament was null and void. A man can’t say, I promise to remain faithful to his bride to be as long as she stays thin and keeps a figure that he is attracted to. So if said man sort of let his buddies know that was his true intent, and lets say after a few kids, his wife put on 15 or 20 extra pounds, and he leaves her for the young secretary, it is possible that the sacrament was null and void.
However, the kids born of that union are not bastards as that is a legal term from English Common law that gave legitimate rights of inheritance to those born in the context of the marriage.
The kids of a man, born in marriage or out of wedlock are still his kids and moral responsibility period. Annulment or not.
That's because I find no biblical mandate whatsoever that a church has any binding or authority in a marriage...The only evidence in the New Testament in the church age of a marriage taking place is the consummation of the marriage...
There's nothing magical about your religion that makes a marriage valid or not valid...If there was, it would mean the marriage was ordained Spiritually and there would be no room for a Spiritual mistake, ergo, anulment...