[TheRealThing]

would you agree or disagree that offering a certificate of marriage to someone that is divorced would also be turning their back on the Lord?

You may recall from your Bible studies, the account of the days of Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the city wall. God has never been in favor of His chosen people marrying outside of the Jewish race. The reason was because their spouses would inevitably turn them toward idol worship which was rampant among the nations at that time.

Ezra, high Priest of the line of Aaron, had led the Jews in Jerusalem to a great revival, for the people were repentant (major among their sin was the act of marrying outside their race) as according to the Biblical account in Ezra 10:1 (KJV) "for the people wept sore." According to Ezra 10:19 Jews who had transgressed God's law by taking for themselves wives from among the nations, all divorced them. V19 "And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass."

So, in answering your question directly, no, "offering a certificate of marriage to someone that is divorced would NOT be turning their back on the Lord." Obviously the Jews of Nehemiah's day had to get divorced to please God.

Divorce has always been a problem on this earth. The Bible is loaded with discussions and accounts of those who have gotten divorced. Sometimes divorce is sanctioned but never, is it okay with the Lord when men get a divorce. And I would offer this, most people who get divorced and remarry don't have the first clue that it is all that bad a thing to do. The reason,? --- they've never been properly taught.

However, and this is something that you just don't seem to get, the sin of homosexuality is on a whole nother plane from divorce. God never erased a city by burning it off the face of the earth for the sin of divorce. But He certainly did for the sin of homosexuality. Homosexuality is inherently evil, and the practice of same carries with it the automatic and inescapable penalty of banishment to Hell for having done it. Not so with divorce, though, loss of reward and hard times while in this life are often part and parcel to having gotten a divorce.

Further, God has not stated or indicated anywhere in the Scripture that He will turn the divorce offender over to a reprobate mind. Now, for the homosexual, being turned over by God Himself is a forgone conclusion and is clearly set forth in Scripture.