Divorce

12/16/2010

Podcast Script:

Taylor - "Hello my name is Taylor Stump and with me today is Mike Andrusisin. We will be discussing how world religions view divorce." Taylor - "So, Mike do you have any questions pertaining to divorce in Judaism?" Mike - "Well can you even get a divorce if you are Jewish?" Taylor - "Yes, It is possible to get a divorce. But, within Judaism the different sects they have different requirements for granting divorce." Mike - "What do you mean by that?" Taylor - “Mike if you were a reformed Jew you would be able get a regular divorce in your local court. However, if you were an Orthodox or a Conservative Jew, this would not be acceptable. You would have to get a traditional Jewish divorce."   Mike - "What is a traditional Jewish divorce?"    Taylor - "Well, You need to give your wife a “get" so that she can get remarried." Mike - "What is a "get?"   Taylor - "A "get" is a Jewish bill of divorce."    Mike - "What can you tell me about Christianity's beliefs on divorce?"    Taylor - "The Christians believe that divorce is only valid if one's mate has committed adultery."    Mike - "Is that the only way to divorce?"    Taylor - "No, if there is an abusive spouse or if the spouse leaves forever they can be divorced."    Mike - "Wow, what do Muslims believe about divorce?"    Taylor - “They feel that the marriage contract should not be breached, but they also believe divorce can be necessary." Mike - "Really, when can divorce be necessary?" Taylor - "If there is no love in the relationship, they would rather the spouses divorce instead of living together in disharmony." Mike - "That is interesting, what does Hinduism say about divorce?" Taylor - “According to the ancient laws of Hinduism, marriage was sacred and there was no place for divorce. But, today it is possible to get a divorce for non-selfish grounds. These are just the grounds for the husband to seek a divorce."   Mike - "Can you tell me when a wife is able to seek a divorce if she can?"    Taylor - "Yes she can, There a four grounds for a wife to get a divorce they are: bigamy, rape, sodomy, and non- support (not taken care of)."    Mike - "That was informative. Now, can you tell me anything about getting a divorce in the Buddhist religion?. Taylor - "Of course although divorce is not common, it is not prohibited." Mike - “What do you mean "not prohibited"?"   Taylor - "I mean that there are specific grounds for divorce. For instance, if either spouses making it difficult for the other to reach enlightenment, the marriage can end."   Mike - "So, it seems like this enlightenment thing is a pretty big deal."    Taylor - "It's a very big deal!"    Mike - "Moving right along. What can you tell me about the position of Taoism and Confucianism on divorce?"   Taylor - “The Chinese philosophies don't really say too much about divorce. Confucius’s are more concerned about getting married and not about what comes afterward. The Taoists don't really talk about it as well." Mike - "Thank you for the information you provided on divorce and how the world religions view it." Taylor - "Mike, what did you learn about divorce and what the world religions view on it that you did not know before?" Mike - “One thing that surprised me was how unimportant divorce seems to be within the Eastern religions."   Taylor - “Yes. That is true." Mike - "But, in the Western religions divorce is much more complicated." Taylor - “That is a major difference between them."   Taylor - "Thank you Mike, for your participation today. Also, thanks to all of you for listening. This concludes a Stump productions podcast.

12/6/2010 9.BIG PICTURE: MAIN RULES AND CONSEQUENCES. Describe the main teachings of **The Chinese Philosophies: Confucianism and Taoism** pertinent to your issue. What are the consequences (legal, social, spiritual) when the teachings are not followed? In other words, I'm asking you to investigate whether your ethical issue is considered a public matter, with public, legal, and social consequences, or is it considered a spiritual or personal matter, with more private consequences affecting personal relationships and spiritual matters.

Confucius, the founder of Confucianism was married and had divorced his wife. Because of this account I thought divorce was ok in Confucianism. They seem to be more concerned about getting married not what comes after. The official standing on divorce according to Confucianism, the married couples are free to separate at any time. In Taoism, they hold no real stance on divorce. They focus more on nature than on injunctions. I searched and tired really hard to find more information on their beliefs, but I did not succeed. I only found that they do not really lean one way or the other.

[] [] [] 11/22/10 8.BIG PICTURE: MAIN RULES AND CONSEQUENCES. Describe the main teachings of **Buddhism** pertinent to your issue. What are the consequences (legal, social, spiritual) when the teachings are not followed? In other words, I'm asking you to investigate whether your ethical issue is considered a public matter, with public, legal, and social consequences, or is it considered a spiritual or personal matter, with more private consequences affecting personal relationships and spiritual matters.

Marriage is considered to be a personal matter not a spiritual one. There are no religious laws governing marriage and priests do not perform the marriage ceremony. Therefore, divorce is not an issue for the Buddhist religion because it is not a Buddhist sacrament. In this religion, although divorce is an uncommon occurrence, it is not prohibited. They believe that if you follow the teachings of Buddha, divorce would not happen. Buddhism says that a separation is better than a divorce; it does not keep you from growing in achieving enlightenment. Therefore, if problems in a marriage cause either husband or wife to stumble in their quest for enlightenment. The obstacle of marriage should be removed.

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11/15/10

7.BIG PICTURE: MAIN RULES AND CONSEQUENCES. Describe the main teachings of **Hinduism** pertinent to your issue. What are the consequences (legal, social, spiritual) when the teachings are not followed? In other words, I'm asking you to investigate whether your ethical issue is considered a public matter, with public, legal, and social consequences, or is it considered a spiritual or personal matter, with more private consequences affecting personal relationships and spiritual matters.

Hindu Civil Code permits divorce in some cases. They believe that marriage is a sacred bond and should not be broken up. According to the ancient laws of Hinduism, there was no place for divorce. "According to the tenets of Hinduism, marriage is sacred relationship, a divine covenant and a sacrament that can not be dissolved through divorce on some personal of or selfish grounds." There are four grounds only available to the wife they are: Bigamy, rape, sodomy, and non payment of maintenance decreed to the wife. This came about from the marriage act of 1955. By doing this the government made divorce easier.

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11/8/2010

6.BIG PICTURE: MAIN RULES AND CONSEQUENCES. Describe the main teachings of **Islam** pertinent to your issue. What are the consequences (legal, social, spiritual) when the teachings are not followed? In other words, I'm asking you to investigate whether your ethical issue is considered a public matter, with public, legal, and social consequences, or is it considered a spiritual or personal matter, with more private consequences affecting personal relationships and spiritual matters.

Islam insists that the marriage contract should not be breached. However, if divorce becomes necessary it can be done by the decree of a court of law or by the act of the parties themselves. According to the prophet, among the things permitted by law, divorce is the worst. It is seen as evil and to be avoided. But, if the husband and wife cannot live together in an affectionate and loving relationship, divorce is better than making them live together in an atmosphere of hatred and disaffection. Divorce in Islamic law is based on the inability of spouses to live together not on guilt or fault of one of the parties. According to Islamic law, there are two types of divorce: 1. Extra judicial divorce - by husband By wife By mutual agreement 2. Judicial divorce

This was all that I could find on my subject I hope you found it informative.

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10/18/2010

5.FINE PRINT: DIVERSITY AND NUANCE. Are there different rules for different people/sects within **Christianity** regarding your ethical issue? What about differences in the way consequences are applied? **This week, concentrate on the similarities and differences between Catholics and Protestants on your topic.**

There are a variety of Bible-based views regarding divorce. Conservative Protestants, Liberal Protestants, and Romans Catholics have different beliefs about what the Bible says about divorce. The Catholic church believes marriage is a sacrament that can not be dissolved. They think that a marriage only ends when a spouse dies. "The Catholic Church does not grant divorce decrees nor does it recognize divorces issued by other religions or institutions." However, a marriage can be annulled if there is enough proof that the marriage wasn't valid to begin with.Examples of grounds for annulment are: 1.Being forced to marry someone 2.Lack of information about the person before marriage(abuser, convicted rapist, ect) 3.Not consummated The main positions from the Protestant point of view are: 1. Two conservative Protestant points of view are that neither divorce or remarriage is permitted and that divorce is okay but remarriage is forbidden. 2. A less conservative point of view allows for divorce and remarriage but only in cases of adultery or desertion. 3. More liberal Protestant views allow for divorce and remarriage for many reasons. These were the differences and the similarity's between these Christian sects.

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10/4/2010

4. BIG PICTURE: MAIN RULES AND CONSEQUENCES. Describe the main teachings of **Christianity** pertinent to your issue. What are the consequences (legal, social, spiritual) when the teachings are not followed? In other words, I'm asking you to investigate whether your ethical issue is considered a public matter, with public, legal, and social consequences, or is it considered a spiritual or personal matter, with more private consequences affecting personal relationships and spiritual matters.

The Bible teaches us that couples should not divorce. In Matthew 5:32, Jesus teaches the following: 1) that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful; causes her to commit adultery. He also taught that if a man marries a divorced woman, he commits adultery. 2) God does not recognize a court approved divorce. God still considers the couple to be married, so, if either person remarries, That person is committing adultery. 3) Divorce is allowed if one's mate has committed adultery. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In I Corinthians 7:10-16, the Bible states that if a non - Christian leaves the marriage, the Christian may divorce. Many people believe this scripture allows spouses to get out of an abusive relationship. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Generally, Christians tend to accept one of these four positions on the issue of divorce: Position 1: No divorce- No remarriage, marriage is a covenant meant for life. Position 2: Divorce - but no remarriage, divorce is permitted as a last resort but no remarriage. Position 3: Divorce - Remarriage, All divorced persons who have repented, should be forgiven and allowed to remarry.

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9/27/2010

3**.FINE PRINT: DIVERSITY AND NUANCE. Are there different rules for different people/sects within Judaism regarding your ethical issue? What about differences in the way consequences are applied?**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Reformed Jews view civil divorce as both necessary and sufficient; however some Reformed rabbis encourage the couple to go through a Jewish divorce procedure. Reformed Jews do not require a get when a divorce is granted by civil decree. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Conservative and Orthodox Jews do not recognize civil law as being above religious law, so they do not view a civil divorce as sufficient .They see a Jewish divorce as a necessary action. In both Conservative and Orthodox communities there are efforts to help women obtain a Jewish divorce if her husband refuses to give her one. However; if her husband is missing, she is considered an agunah or "an anchored woman. They only differ in belief's in this way, they both feel that divorce is a necessary but unfortunate. This means they are permitted but they will not treat it lightly. Jewish law states this and most Jews follow this.

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9/20/2010

2.**BIG PICTURE: MAIN RULES AND CONSEQUENCES. Describe the main teachings of Judaism pertinent to your issue. What are the consequences (legal, social, spiritual) when the teachings are not followed? In other words, I'm asking you to investigate whether your ethical issue is considered a public matter, with public, legal, and social consequences, or is it considered a spiritual or personal matter, with more private consequences affecting personal relationships and spiritual matters.**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This ethical issue is a legal and a personal matter because it affects people with more private consequences. In the Jewish religion they say that divorce is a unfortunate necessity. Jewish law states that a man can divorce a women for any reason or no reason, but rabbinical law requires the woman's consent. Divorce is accepted in Judaism; however, many aspects of Jewish law discourage divorce. I also found out that Judaism has always accepted divorce as a fact of life. A Jewish woman must receive a get (bill of divorce) to be free to remarry in the future. If she fails to receive the get and remarries, her children will be illegitimate. In the Torah," the prophet Malachi declared, "I hate divorce, says Adonai, the God of Israel." This confuses me because they say that they are ok with divorce, yet they say this in the Torah. I may not understand because I did not grow up in the Jewish religion. These were my findings on how the Jewish religion feels about divorce and what the main ideas and rules are.

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9/13/2010

1**. Define and describe your topic as an ethical issue and identify the controversies and dilemmas within the issue. Seek to do general background reading to understand the main issues inherent in your topic.Identify at least two opposing positions often taken on your ethical issue, and explain two to three main arguments for each side.**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ethical issue I choose was divorce. Divorce is the legal action that ends a marriage. Divorce can emotionally scar children, and can make them feel lost. The kids of these adults become withdrawn and feel like there parents heat them, and they think it is 'their' fault. This is one of the biggest controversies that surround divorce today. In American society today divorce is becoming more and more morally acceptable. I think that divorce is hard on the kids, but it is a better solution in the long run. There are many different positions on divorce, and it is hard to say whether it is good or bad. In some churches you are not aloud to be part of the congregation any more, but in certain cases with no kids it is ok just as long as you do not remarry. Then in other churches it is common, but it is still not good to do. I think that you should find someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with, and never divorce.

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