I thought it was very interesting that to end the semester of a marriage prep class the cirriculum had us talk about divorce in the final lecture. Divorce is something that has affected my life in more ways than one. I have felt the impact and pain associated with divorce as I've watched some people that I dearly love experience it in all of its ramifications. But I think it really touched home when our guest lecturer asked the class what we would answer an inquisitive friend as the Latter-day Saint Church's stand on divorce.
One thing I thought of right away was to describe to this friend what marriage means to those of our faith. Marriage is a sacred and lasting covenant between two loving people and our loving Father in Heaven. In the ideal, marriage is an eternal bond between husband and wife that helps all involved to endure through trials and tribulation and relish harmony and happiness. It is what connects us to each other presently, to our future children and grandchildren, and to our ancestors who've gone before us. It is the most sacred ordinance that can be entered into in this life. 
However, sometimes marriage does not match the ideal. At times, husband and wife can forget the reasons that once bound them in love and do and say things that hurt one another. There can be abuse of many kinds that are spiritually, emotionally, and/or physically destructive to one or both partners. It is hard to say when divorce is acceptable, since no one can ever really know what is going on intimately and internally between husband and wife. But in some cases divorce happens as a means of ending extreme sorrow.
I don't want to sit here, in my naive and unwedded state, and judge anyone who has been divorced, but another thing we talked about in class is how divorce is not a cure-all. The problems and hard feelings that exist between two people will not ever be completely dispanded with the dissolution of their marriage, especially where children are involved resulting in inevitable and constantly reoccuring encounters between divorcees. 
All I'm trying to say here, is what was said in my class: that divorce is like amputation. It may be necessary in extreme circumstances when unavoidable  for survival, but is not ideal in our view of how marriage should proceed. 

Tags: Divorce Marriage

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