“In which you were living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God …” (Eph 2:2, BBE)
In the classic book Children’s letters to God the little Sylvia writes, “Dear God, are boys better than girls? I know you are one but try to be fair.” I suspect Sylvia’s innocent question articulates precisely what many women don’t have the guts to admit, that it would seem as if women in the Bible often have pretty much a raw deal.
Yet, in all the passages we have looked at where it at first seems as if God is discriminating against women, we found that this was not the case. The last passage which Paul writes about women and which often causes great uncertainty, is the section in 1 Cor 7 about divorce and re-marriage. Much has been written about it, and the particular passage is often used in a very strict manner in certain churches or faith movements. Many women live unhappily single lives after a divorce based on this interpretation of Scripture, thinking that this is what God expects of them, as this is what the Bible says.
We have not yet examined the notion of marriage as covenant in depth, as it does not fit into our current discussion. At a time where marriage has for the most part lost its status as an institution of God, and where it is easier to end a marriage than it is to end a cell phone contract, it doesn’t seem to be a problem for our contemporary society. And this goes for both Christians and non-Christians, as the divorce statistics between these two groups aren’t even marginally different.
Yet the Word of God is quite outspoken on the issue of divorce, but for some reason Christians within our postmodern age never consider it an issue of faith when they decide on divorcing. Practical and financial considerations, changed feelings within a relationship, all kinds of problems with adapting to one another, being bored with the status quo, etc, often weigh much heavier than what God has to say about the matter. By this we are not saying that people easily get to the decision to divorce – it obviously has major consequences in terms of trauma and emotional hurt, and few people are ever completely whole again after a divorce. But it is as if the zeitgeist of secular humanism, which has very strong roots in contemporary society, is greatly determining our social norms, and often has a stronger influence on us than the Word of God has.
Let us briefly make a few observations about the framework of thought of secular humanism. This worldview declares that man is inherently good, and thus something else needs to carry the blame for man’s destructive choices, and obviously it can then only be the traditional social institutions (such as marriage and the church) which can be responsible for man’s failures. David Noebel, in his book Understanding the times, states that, “Humanist sociologists are especially intolerant of the traditional, biblical family. In fact, Humanists often cite the institution of marriage as a prime example of the failure of Christian culture to provide freedom for the individual to grow. Marriage is considered too restrictive, inhibiting ‘vital inclinations’. Heterosexual monogamy, for the Humanist, epitomizes social slavery.”
Lawrence Casler, in an interview with Robert Rimmer in the magazine The Humanist, makes this harshly-worded statement – “marriage and family life have been largely responsible … for today’s prevailing neurotic climate, with its pervasive insecurity, and it precisely this climate that makes so difficult the acceptance of a different, healthier way of life”.
At the core of this way of thinking one obviously finds a particular theological and philosophical view, but one forgets that the foundations of this world view are nestled in a secular-humanist biological perspective, which can be explained as the Darwinian evolutionary view. It aims to show how humanity is in a process of continual evolution, and that the structures of society thus also need to change and adapt in man’s growth towards enlightenment, making possible his status as god. Everything is geared towards the individual’s self-actualisation and to satisfying his desires, rendering him as god. In this process marriage and the structure of family is cast in a suspicious light, and declared unnecessary. Shakti Gawain, in his book Living in the Light, presents the thesis that our attitude toward divorce needs to change in order to bring about a society which will more easily adapt in man’s evolution toward the god state. Marriage is merely a temporary satisfaction to evaluate yourself, and thus divorce, the argument goes, is actually a wonderful thing! In his controversial book Spirit communication: The Soul’s Path Kevin Ryerson notes that “Relationships and families as we’ve known them seem to be falling apart at a rapid rate. Many people are panicky about this; some try to re-establish the old traditions and value systems in order to cling to a feeling of order and stability in their lives. It’s useless to try to go backward, however, because our consciousness has already evolved beyond the level where we were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to live that way.”
Ponder the frightening implication of this view. It is then when one begins to understand that the kingdom of darkness is busy, on every level of reality, to wage war against the basic building blocks of God’s kingdom – marriage and the family (Gen 1:28; 2:18, 23-25). “Your decision to evolve consciously through responsible choice,” writes Gary Zukav in The Seat of the Soul, “contributes not only to your own evolution, but also to the evolution of all of those aspects of humanity in which you participate. It is not just you that is evolving through your decisions, but the entirety of humanity.”
This comprehensive sketching of context was necessary in order for us to realize that we are, on a wide cultural and religious front, indoctrinated to think about marriage and divorce in a certain manner. Readers should realize that the divorce statistics of Christians today are a clear reflection of the worldview of secular humanism which has found its way into our thinking about marriage. What the Bible has to say about the matter is negated as pre-scientific myth.
For born-again believers the Word of God should be the measuring stick which directs their lifestyle choices (Ps 19:8; 119:105; Prov 6:23). We thus need to ask, as Francis Schaeffer rightly does, (in the light of the Word): How shall we then live?
Following from the Christian doctrine that man has free will (Deut 30:9; Jos 24:15; Prov 1:29; Luke 10:24), it also follows that he needs to take responsibility for himself and his choices; obviously society is formed through the people which constitutes it. Within this group Christians, as the representatives of God on earth, are the blue print who bring God’s plan to fruition. But it firstly requires a correct understanding of what exactly God says about the matter. And marriage and divorce is one of the areas where Satan has so clearly infiltrated our way of thinking that we can no longer discern the truth in the midst of the confusion.
- Sela: Ask the Spirit of God to show you how secular humanism has gained a foothold in your life.
- Read:Deut4-9
- Examine how this has been fulfilled: Deut 6:4 (Tip: Mark 12:29; John 10:30; 17:11 & 21)
