There is a mental problem called BIID -- Body Integrity Identity Disorder. It's rare, but it happens. It goes something like this. Someone becomes convinced that a particular body part is not "me," so they seek to have the limb amputated. They do not believe the body part in question is theirs, so they want it removed. Now, I know, that sounds a lot like transgender stuff. In fact, it is. But I'm not going there ... today.
Scripture tells us that God's original design in marriage was, "A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen 2:24). It wasn't a mere "Old Testament" concept. Jesus repeated it (Matt 19:5). Paul, too (Eph 5:31). It is an integral part of the standard, biblical (read "God-ordained") definition of marriage. We hear and understand "two become one" and we're fine with it.
So it baffles me when a Christian tells me, "We're getting a divorce." It baffles me from the perspective that God hates divorce (Mal 2:16). Now, I don't know about you, but it seems me that choosing to do something God hates and saying "I love God" is rather contradictory. Just as bad is this concept of "one flesh." We 21st century Americans (and so many others) appear to suffer in large part from BIID. We fail to recognize that this spouse is not a separate person, but is "bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh" (Gen 2:23) and we seek to simply hack it off. We think it will be better for us. We think we can do it without any pain. We think it's a simple legal procedure and we'll be happier ... by cutting off body parts. That's crazy!
Americans have begun to think of "til death do us part" as a triviality. Promises, they tell us, are made to be broken. If only it was that trivial. Christians are buying it as well. While the statistics are skewed, it is still disturbing how many Christian couples are getting divorces. We are "Christ-followers" ignoring the instructions about loving one another, dying to self, the image of Christ and the Church (Eph 5:32), commands to husbands and commands to wives, and all the while inviting unbelievers to blaspheme God. To me, it is tragic that so many people -- self-identified followers of Christ -- are rending themselves apart and thinking it's in their best interest. It isn't any better than BIID. It's much the same. But too many of us are behind it all the way.
4 comments:
It blows my mind how accepting and even encouraging Christians are of divorce for even reasons not given in Scripture.
I agree. They're certainly happy to fudge a little to find some that appear somewhat close, but they seem equally content to make them up out of whole cloth, so to speak. I can only conclude they don't understand marriage and can't grasp the lie that they're perpetrating when they cut off parts and call it "good".
Agreed, the notion that Christians would be encouraged to treat divorce is such a cavalier manner is discouraging. It seems like one more example of taking the very few exceptions, and stretching them to remake the rule.
I married a divorced woman. (I even went to he wedding, thus I've been to two of hers and she's only been to one of mine) Her ex cheated on her and refused to reconcile. So she cut that limb off. She replaced it with a better one.
It concerned me back then, but I married her anyway and we've been as one ever since. I've always held that once I marry, it would be only once and until death parts us. I've tried to impress upon the daughters how choosing a hubby is no small thing. So far, so good for the first two. The third (mine) will be taking the vows come September. She seems more conservative and more Christian than I am, so the I expect a lasting union...God willing.
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