Breaking up not so hard to do with DIY divorces

In October, a judge dismissed 28 divorce applications because they were identical.

Each divorcing spouse had given exactly the same reasons for wanting to end their marriage. They claimed their spouse had become “moody without justification and argumentative” towards them “on at least a couple of days every week”, which had made life “uncomfortable” for the petitioner.

It’s indicative of how easy divorce has already become when people believe that simply making someone feel awkward is reason enough to legally terminate what was publicly agreed as a lifelong commitment. Can any married couple honestly say they have never been “uncomfortable”, or that they have never argued or disagreed – or broken the cardinal rule of never going to bed angry?

But if such flimsy excuses have become commonplace, they weren’t accepted in these cases. Because they were all identical.

The online divorce company the petitioners had used had provided all of them with the same template of suggested reasons why they should be permitted to divorce. And in every one of the 28 cases the petitioners had failed to make any changes to the example text.

It’s reassuring that these people were caught out and that the cases received media attention. But how many other template-based divorce applications have slipped through? It seems that only the very lazy cannot easily divorce.

“Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.”

At creation, God spelled out the importance of marriage to mankind when, after Eve was formed, the Bible records: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

Marriage was created by God as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman for the good of all people, not just Christians. It brings two together as one flesh, to provide each partner with safety and security, and to become a solid foundation for the raising of children for those who have them. But the laws in our country have drastically weakened marriage. Rather than being a fortress designed to withstand the rigours of life, it risks becoming a house of cards.

Successive reforms of divorce law have fostered a rampant divorce culture. Online divorces have been around in the UK since 2018. They have sped up the process dramatically. In Matthew 19:8, Jesus told his followers: “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” The scriptures condemn those who break their marriage vows and divorce is permitted only in the narrowest of circumstances. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel is cited as allowing adultery to be a basis for divorce (Matthew 5:32, 19:9). Some Christians also believe that in 1 Corinthians 7:15 Paul allows for desertion as a ground of divorce. Even in these circumstances, divorce is not supposed to be an automatic response – where there is sin and brokenness, forgiveness and reconciliation should be the goal where possible.

I. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time.

II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and of the Church with an holy seed, and for preventing of uncleanness. Westminster Confession

For decades English law said divorce was only permissible when a couple could prove the ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of their marriage. But for years now, ‘irretrievable’ has become a forgotten word. Is a marriage really irretrievable because one spouse is periodically unhappy? Superstar singer Adele certainly thinks so.

Nevertheless, even the current weak legislation will soon be rendered obsolete by the Westminster Government’s Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act, which comes into force in February 2022. The ‘no-fault divorce’ law will remove all safeguards in relation to marriage and allow one spouse to divorce their partner in six months – and without having to give a reason. The justification for this, if certain activists and MPs are to be believed, is that the divorce process is too acrimonious, too difficult. They claim that simply requiring the divorcing party to give a reason to divorce is “harmful”.

Correctly filling out a form may have proven too taxing for those 28 petitioners (who were told they would have to start the application process again), but for the vast majority divorce is far too easy – and is set to get a whole lot easier.