A
"covenant marriage" is a type of marriage that involves a stronger commitment between partners. It typically has additional requirements and restrictions compared to a regular marriage, such as pre-marital counseling and limited reasons for divorce. The intention is to encourage spouses to work through difficulties and make their marriage last.
Full definition
The point
of covenant marriage is not to make divorce impossible (a couple can always travel to another state and do it there) but to make it harder.
Nonetheless, a divorce may still be granted for
covenant marriages after completion of counseling and a court - ordered separation.
Instead, He wants couples to view marriage as a lifelong commitment towards one another, referred to
as covenant marriages.
Louisiana's ordinary marriage law permits no - fault divorce after six months» separation;
covenant marriage requires either the proof of a fault ground to obtain a divorce or the couple's living apart for a substantial period of time.
It appears that
covenant marriage legislation is not popular with newlyweds and may not be the highly - hoped - for answer to high divorce rates.
As a nonbeliever, there was a bit of a struggle over
including covenant marriages — a type of marriage born out of the conservative evangelical movement that makes marriage harder to get into and out of — into The New I Do.
Arkansas, which has about 40,000 marriages a year, has one of the nation's highest divorce rate — 6.5 per 1,000 population — yet few are
embracing covenant marriage.
As of May 20, 2003, out of 11,037 marriage licenses issued in Arkansas, there were only 4
new covenant marriages and 5 conversions.
Services Offered: marriage counseling, Christian marriage counseling, step parenting help, premarital counseling, blended families, Louisiana
covenant marriage counseling, family counseling, behavioral therapy and substance abuse counseling.
According to William Bailey, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas, there has been a decline in the number of new marriages
choosing covenant marriage licenses.
Particularly useful are the provisions for pre - and postmarital counseling in the Louisiana and
Arizona covenant marriage laws.
In this framework, issues
like covenant marriage vows, home ownership, gun ownership, home birth, homeschooling, family business, family farming, hospitality, home - based healthcare and yes, even the debate over raw milk, can all be decided in the light of God's Word under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The state of Arizona officially
recognized covenant marriages after a Center for Arizona Policy (CAP)- supported bill was passed into law in 1998.
Louisiana in 1997 adopted a provision
for covenant marriage» that parties may select as an alternative to ordinary marriage.
Arizona's
covenant marriage law allows couples planning to wed in Arizona to voluntarily strengthen their marriage vows by opting for a covenant agreement requiring premarital counseling and a stronger commitment to the marriage relationship.
It appears that
covenant marriage legislation is not popular with newlyweds and may not be the highly - hoped - for answer to high divorce rates.
But it's clear, based on the tiny number
of covenant marriages, that very, very few people would chose to make it harder to get out of a marriage.
Arkansas, which has about 40,000 marriages a year, has one of the nation's highest divorce rate — 6.5 per 1,000 population — yet few are
embracing covenant marriage.
As of May 20, 2003, out of 11,037 marriage licenses issued in Arkansas, there were only 4
new covenant marriages and 5 conversions.
Arizona followed suit the next year by enacting
a covenant marriage alternative in which proof of one of the fault grounds or living apart for a period of time is required unless both parties agree to the divorce.
Something about
a covenant marriage.
In Arizona, just a fourth of one percent opt for
a covenant marriage, while in Louisiana, about 1 percent of the nearly 400,000 marriages a year are covenant.
Others think
the covenant marriage doesn't go far enough and have proposed stricter divorce laws.
In
a covenant marriage, a person can not refuse counselling to save the marriage; that would be in breach of the covenant.
In the past few months, many Arkansas churches have been urging their congregations to
covenant their marriages, with testimonials from couples who have already accepted the tighter bond.
The early leader in the state pro-marriage movement, Louisiana set off a national debate in August 1997 by enacting a law that permits «
covenant marriages, «26 whereby couples promise to stay married for life and renounce their legal right to a no - fault divorce.
«Serial monogamy, blended families, open marriages,
covenant marriages, commuter marriages — these variation - on - the - theme arrangements are already happening.»
The parties do not have
a covenant marriage.
In Arizona, just a fourth of one percent opt for
a covenant marriage, while in Louisiana, about 1 percent of the nearly 400,000 marriages a year are covenant.
But it's clear, based on the tiny number of
covenant marriages, that very, very few people would chose to make it harder to get out of a marriage.