Is there such thing as an “innocent party” in a divorce?
Yes.
I struggled with this question when fighting to retain my minister’s license years ago. Psycho-babble is winning when we cannot identify or distinguish between the innocent party and the perpetrator.
Now, I understand those who say we all contribute to our marriage relationship. Those contributions are rarely–if ever–without sin.
Marital sin, in general, is not what this question is asking about.
Another way to ask the question is:
Is one party innocent of sin God considers marriage ending–e.g. adultery? If so, that individual is the “innocent party” in the divorce.
The faithful spouse is the “innocent party” in a divorce as they did not commit adultery. It matters not whether the faithful spouse files the paperwork.
They remain the “innocent party” as they remain innocent of sins God considers marriage ending matters.
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*A version of this post ran previously.
