Wedding Vows and Divorce - Essay Example

Verbally, this commitment is expressed in form of wedding vows. The common phrases include, ‘…in sickness and good health’, ‘for better or for worse’ and ‘till death do us part’ among others (Keller, 37). Immediately after a wedding, couples would show substantial commitment towards these vows. However, circumstances may change along the journey of marriage. One partner may develop negative habits and even abusive behavior toward the other partner. In addition, one partner may experience deteriorating health; hence dimming the hope of married couples. Today, such worsening situations often call for divorce, which in this case constitutes the breaking of the wedding vows.

I believe that divorce is not necessary. Wedding vows are synonymous with oaths of duty. Soldiers swear to protect their nation even if protection calls for the sacrifice of one’s life. Similarly, marriage vows, especially the one saying, ‘for better or for worse’ should possess their traditional meaning throughout the relationship. The willingness to commit oneself to a marriage should not depend on prevailing circumstances. I believe each of the committed partners is cognizant of the fact that the world is not perfect. Individuals have strengths and weaknesses. Also; love, companionship, and forgiveness are the essential pillars of marriage, which are explicitly expressed in form of wedding vows (Keller, 32). In this regard, I think that marriage relationships should be permanent.

Since I discredit divorce in marriages, I believe that crossing certain boundaries necessitates separation between couples. Morally, most societies and religions regard marriage as a sacred covenant. A married couple must remain loyal and faithful to one another. However, these moral platforms assert that a lack of faithfulness cannot be tolerated. Nowadays, couples dissolve their marriages for slights reasons like financial insecurity, psychological dissatisfaction, and for the selfish pursuit of self-centered pleasures (Keller, 34). Such slight reasons are not justifiable. Persons basing their divorce on reasons like financial insecurity only wish to escape the responsibilities that come with marriage. However, grave reasons like infidelity inevitably necessitate the dissolution of a marriage. Sexual infidelity is the epitome of mistakes possible within a marriage institution. Consequently, such a grave mistake is not forgivable.

Often, the vow, ‘until death separates us’ changes to ‘until sickness does us part’. At the beginning of marriage, most partners are young and have sound health. With time, sickness and bad health dawn on a marriage. A partner may suffer from acute or severe mental illness, and even worse, get diagnosed with cancer. Admittedly, both mental and physical illnesses cause distress in a family. A once economically productive person may be rendered dependent by illness. However, the illness must not break a family. Typically, any human being eventually gets ill. Ill persons need close attention and committed care (Keller, 28). As mentioned earlier, marriage vows are oaths. They should not be broken whenever circumstances worsen. In the presence of loyalty and faithfulness, married partners must stay together permanently, of course until death intervenes. Therefore, sickness should not be a deal breaker. Read More