Not sure what you mean when you say you “agree fully on the compromise with modern Christianity on divorce/re-marriage”…I’m assuming you agree with the Catholic position, at least somewhat.
I mean that I agree completely that artificial contraception is sin. That said, I believe unnecessary/excessive use of natural family planning–i.e. for reasons other than healthy spacing/health of the mother and future children–is also a sin, not only because it betrays a contraceptive mindset, but also because it violates the Scriptural (and obvious) principle that spouses should not unnecessarily abstain (e.g. 1 Corinthians 7:5)).
The acceptance in the past century by most Protestants and Eastern Orthodox of contraception is an unfortunate matter. Also, while the RC Church must be commended for officially condemning the practice, it appears from statistics that the % of RCs who avoid contraception is no greater than the % of Protestants who avoid it. I know my wife and I certainly feel like the minority on contraception both among Protestants and RCs.
It’s without dispute that God hates divorce, but the current practice of “annulment” is (90+% of the time) hardly an improvement over the practice of divorce and remarriage in Bible believing Protestant churches. Calling it divorce is a far more honest assessment in virtually every case.
If that is the case, then please know the position on marriage is not a modern one from Protestantism. This was at the heart of the Reformation in England and it was also sanctioned by Luther and Melanchthon (Luther’s co-founder of Lutheranism). Luther advised Henry VIII to take on a second wife while still being married to Catherine…and privately he did. He married Anne Bolyne in Jan. 1533 and didn’t divorce Catherine until May 1533. Then in Dec. 1539 Philip of Hesse asked Luther if he could take on a second wife while retaining the first. Luther’s written response? He said a second marriage was NOT contrary to the law of God, but then he demanded that the marriage and the written opinion be kept secret…so as not to create scandal. This written document was delivered to Philip and had six other Protestant ministers signatures on it. Then in March of 1540 in the presence of witnesses including Melanchthon, Philip married again while retaining his “first” wife. Right at it’s root Protestantism is a system which has re-defined marriage. Divorce and re-marriage was permitted in Protestantism right from it’s inception. Polygamy was both proposed and permitted to some degree by the founders of Protestantism.
You are aware that notable Roman Catholic theologians including the Pope himself had advocated polygamy as a lesser evil than divorce in the case of Henry VIII. It was likewise on the “lesser of two evils” ground that Melancthon and Luther had approved polygamy in the case of the unfaithful Henry and Philip.
Despite the opinions of the Pope and Luther on this matter, Polygamy has from that time to the present been roundly condemned by Roman Catholics and Protestants alike.
On the other hand, the question of the absolute indissolubility of marriage has been an open question since the earliest days of the Church (with many Church Fathers and the Eastern Churches coming to a different conclusion than the ultimate position of the Roman Catholic Church). Some Bible believing Protestants hold a position similar to the current position of the RC on the indissolubility of marriage, while others take the position that while divorce and remarriage should be strongly discouraged no matter how grim the adulterous, etc. behavior (e.g. Hosea’s wife), yet divorce/remarriage is permitted in certain very limited contexts (i.e. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as explained by Christ in Matthew 5:31,32;19:3-12). There are strong arguments from Scripture and Tradition for both positions.
However, the Protestants who take a loose view as to the grounds for divorce and remarriage (and RC who take a loose view as to annulment) are blatantly outside the bounds of Scripture and Church history, no matter how much they may claim to be following the Bible or Tradition.
It may be a week or more before I have time to follow up. Have a good Labor’s Day Weekend.
