This is 2002, not 29 A.D. and society and society's laws are different.
We are told we must obey the law of the superior authorities. This HAS to mean that we accept the underlying philosophy upon which the law is based.
In today's society, marriage is viewed by the law and - more importantly - TREATED by the law as nothing more than a contract. And no contract can continue to be enforced if one of the parties thereto wishes to end it. Implicitly in this society, we know going in to marriage that we have quite a few ways of terminating that contract. As recently as the 1950s this was not true. Divorce was hard to get and people had to either stage an adultery, or travel to Reno, or Mexico, or somewhere to get one. Now, as society has evolved, divorce is easier to obtain.
The WTBTS, however, has a VESTED INTEREST in keeping divorce hard to obtain. If they can keep two people together even though they no longer want to be, the Society can keep its membership numbers up.
Finally, Jesus was expressing his idealistic opinion about marriage. Organized religion has nothing to do with marriage, except insofar as it has arrogated to itself a position in this civil contract.
Think for a moment. This contract says, in part, "what God has linked together, let no man put asunder." The very fact of divorce is proof, prima facie evidence that God had nothing whatever to do with the institution of marriage. If God DID have anything to do with linking together two personalities or even two objects, they would STAY thus linked until God himself separated them. Thus falls and fails the church's argument that it has ought to do with marriage.
Marriage is a simple agreement, contract, between two contracting parties that may be set aside by those two parties as they wish.
Adultery? Maybe if this was 29 A.D., but it isn't. You are no more an adulterer than I'm the Virgin Mary. Enjoy your family and the love of your new wife. And consider it no more. I have spoken.
(Just kidding. I thought it would be humorous to throw that in, so I did. Anything for a chuckle, I say.)
I also say you're not guilty of anything but loving another human being. Congratulations! I believe that's what God had in mind.
francois
Edited by - francois on 22 September 2002 14:10:40