Edwin wrote:Divorce is a pretty complicated action. It is more complicated for me because of my belief and standards. From early childhood we were taught that divorce was wrong. Jesus said that Moses granted the writing of divorcement because of the hardness of people' hearts. Any time there is a divorce one of the parties has a hard heart and unfeeling. I don't buy the idea that both people in a divorce are right to have a divorce. One might be right, and the other will be wrong. In our church organization we actually looked down on people who were divorced as a general rule. But some of our relatives were in that situation. My great aunt and great uncle were both divorced and remarried to each other, and they were the most godly people I have ever know. I think they were sorry for their past and God forgave them. They got married to each other each having a previous marriage before they were Christians, then they gave their hearts to the Lord and lived wonderful Christian lives, the rest of their lives. Our church organization took a strong stand against divorce. No one was allowed to hold church office, be a Sunday School teacher, or any other position in the church if they had been divorced. As a credentialed minister I was not allowed, in the early years, this changed later, to perform a wedding ceremony for any couple who had a previous wedding. Though the years I had a lot of people angry with me because the first question I asked them when they wanted me to perform a ceremony for them, "Have either of you been married before?" If the answer was yes, then I told them, "I am sorry but I can't perform your wedding ceremony." The organization changed their rules after a number of years, and then I could perform for them, and I did. I'm sure there are some credentialed ministers with this organization who still will not perform a ceremony for anyone having a previous marriage. In our organization a minister could still minister after having been divorced, but they were not allowed to remarry ever. There was another Pentecostal organization that allowed divorced and remarried people to minister, and we kind of looked down on them, as if their standards were lower. Well, now that has changed, and if a person was divorced no fault of their own, then they can be remarried and minister. For example if the wife committed adultery, divorce was allowed, and the man was allowed to remarry and still minister. IF the wife would say to her husband, "I am finished with you, good bye," then she would divorce him, he would be allowed to remarry, and continue to be a minister in our organization. Carol said that if any man ever hit her she would be gone, and I don't blame her for that attitude, and I don't think that God would blame her either. No one needs to be hit by someone claiming to love. If someone gets beaten until they might die, they should separate, and get divorced. Often the ones who stay, or the ones who keep returning to an abusive mate end up getting killed, and it happens over and over again. If someone beats you the first time, leave and don't look back.
Jane, I think there is always a chance. Just live according to God's will, seek the Lord, and see what happens.
Friend, I felt I am being abandoned by God and I don't know which way to tread now..