Lydia wrote:The Roman Catholic Church does not permit divorce.
The True Church allows for divorce and re-marriage.
So, for a true disciple of Christ, divorce is an option.
Lydia,
If that is the case, then what you now call the “Orthodox” Church, your “True Church”, is not for me.
So Jesus was saying to those Ιουδαιους [Judeans] who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32
NadirGP wrote:Lydia wrote:The Roman Catholic Church does not permit divorce.
The True Church allows for divorce and re-marriage.
So, for a true disciple of Christ, divorce is an option.Lydia,
If that is the case, then what you now call the “Orthodox” Church, your “True Church”, is not for me.
Nadir,
You must be aware that we are members of the laity, and that our educational experiences and spiritual teachings vary.
Would that Anastasios (he has earned his M.Div) or that Father Siluan had more time to post here and enlighten us!
If you know an Orthodox Priest, it would be best to ask him some of these questions.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.
NadirGP wrote:Lydia wrote:The Roman Catholic Church does not permit divorce.
The True Church allows for divorce and re-marriage.
So, for a true disciple of Christ, divorce is an option.Lydia,
If that is the case, then what you now call the “Orthodox” Church, your “True Church”, is not for me.
That saddens me, Nadir.
The Orthodox Church permits divorce.
Do you mean that, for this reason, you would not consider joining The Orthodox Church?
Lydia wrote:NadirGP wrote:Lydia wrote:The Roman Catholic Church does not permit divorce.
The True Church allows for divorce and re-marriage.
So, for a true disciple of Christ, divorce is an option.Lydia,
If that is the case, then what you now call the “Orthodox” Church, your “True Church”, is not for me.
That saddens me, Nadir.
The Orthodox Church permits divorce.
Do you mean that, for this reason, you would not consider joining The Orthodox Church?
The Orthodox Church is not liberal in granting blessings for second marriages. Furthermore, the Church does penance those whose marriages are failing in an attempt to help the couple realize the seriousness of their unloving attitude. To state that "The Orthodox Church permits divorce" is simply not true; she may tolerate a divorce, but she also actively discourages them.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.
A spiritual Father may (or may not) impose an epitimia on individuals whose marriage is failing. It all depends on the spiritual condition of the individuals.
Of course divorce is a grave matter. I never intended to suggest it wasn't. But to say that The Church permits divorce is simply true.
This is in contrast to the Catholic Church, which does not permit divorce, period.
I'm sure, as an ex-Catholic, you know at least one woman who, despite an intolerable married life, could not remedy the spiritually damaging situation except through annulment. This left her and her children in a very unpleasant place.
The Orthodox Church recognizes the fallen state and weakness of human beings and applies suitable remedies.
Lydia wrote:A spiritual Father may (or may not) impose an epitimia on individuals whose marriage is failing. It all depends on the spiritual condition of the individuals.
Of course divorce is a grave matter. I never intended to suggest it wasn't. But to say that The Church permits divorce is simply true.
This is in contrast to the Catholic Church, which does not permit divorce, period.
I'm sure, as an ex-Catholic, you know at least one woman who, despite an intolerable married life, could not remedy the spiritually damaging situation except through annulment. This left her and her children in a very unpleasant place.
The Orthodox Church recognizes the fallen state and weakness of human beings and applies suitable remedies.
Exactly, the Orthodox Church recognizes the reality of a broken marriage. However, it merely tolerates divorce because of our brokenness. Thus, to say that the Orthodox Church permits divorces is not quite correct. Those who are divorced, unless they are innocent victims, are penanced.
I also know several Catholics who applied for an annulment, and I know a priest who served on the Catholic Marriage Tribunal. Catholics who are applying for an annulment are required to obtain a divorce first. A Catholic who is being threatened by her ex-spouse, often must obtain a divorce and a restraining order. However, I suspect that an innocent party, who was deceived by her ex-spouse, would not be excommunicated if she were to obtain a divorce at the insistence of her attorney. Otherwise, it is true that divorced Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.
The amount of heavy heavy deception going on in the US these days and maybe Europe, too, Australia as well as
other parts of the Western-oriented world is a big problem.
Life isn't what it used to be.
People can get away with making up entire resumes and identities which are never checked because life
moves so fast. Hence there are MANY deceived women.
Of course, a few deceived men, too.
In a word, con-artists abound. Hence marriages are often made based on a deliberate fraud.
So I hope that sympathy is given to the aggrieved party here.
I mention this because the Orthodox and Catholic Churches both have to take account of this reality of
the dark time of history in which we have reached.
