ABSTRACT
In the 1970s and 1980s, the divorce rate among Jews rose with the incidence being significantly greater among those who had a low level of “ritual observance” compared to those Jews who had a higher rate of religious observance. This chapter discusses the views on divorce of four Protestant denominations: the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Southern Baptist Church, and the Mennonites. The first two bodies represent the more liberal Protestant denominations, and the latter two are more conservative in their approach to family issues. The United Methodist Church is certainly not in favor of divorce, but it recognizes its inevitability in some cases. Remarriage is also acknowledged as not only unavoidable but acceptable. Mennonites were prohibited from divorcing except under the condition of adultery. One of the biggest concerns, and the ultimate form of punishment, for the practicing Catholic, was excommunication.
