Where else would I be satisfied with 50% odds?

Like every other little girl, I used to dream of my prince coming for me. A man so perfect for me he must have been created for me.

As I have grown, my image has changed. The shining armor of my knight has dulled somewhat. He would be mostly right for me. He would be romantic until he had trapped me in marriage.

Once we were married, he would probably be faithful, if I made enough of an effort to stay fit, and fulfilled all my wifely duties to the best of my abilities.

Ideally, we would grow old together.

But even that modified picture of my childhood dream is only 50 percent probable right now. In the US, less than 50 percent of all marriages last. Families break apart as frequently as they are made, and they crumble at the first sign of difficulty.

In a perfect world, there would never be divorce. Unfortunately, in a less than perfect world, it is all too common.

In Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus says, “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”

There are several things in this passage that seem clear. Firstly, divorce seems to be acceptable in the case of marital unfaithfulness. Secondly, that appears to be the only case where that is unacceptable.

With this in mind, the most difficult issue to address is: What exactly is marital unfaithfulness? Is that only when a person has sexual relations with someone outside of the marriage relationship? Or does that include emotional affairs as well? What about actions that clearly violate the bounds of marriage: physical or emotional abuse?

Sexual and emotional affairs most certainly would be marital unfaithfulness. As far as I understand it, I also believe that physical and emotional abuse would constitute grounds for divorce.

I do know that “irreconcilable differences” are not ever a reason for divorce. Nor is, “we just don’t have that spark any more.”

The third thing that is apparent from the passage in Matthew is that, anyone who remarries after any divorce is committing adultery. But that’s another subject for debate for another day.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a tarnished knight to find.