website
Skip to content

Apologetics

Expert Answer Forum

by Catherine Frakas 17 May 2002

Divorce QUESTION from Sue May 17, 1999 I have a friend getting married this summer. They are both Lutherans. She has been divorced once and her guy friend has been married twice. I was wondering what the churches teaching are on attending this wedding. Would it be a grave sin to attend such a ceremony? I want to do the right thing!
God's Blessing ! ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius on May 19, 1999 Dear Miss Sue:
Thank you for your question. This is a question that a lot of people wonder about. People want to be sure they do the right thing, which is laudable.
From what you are saying your friends are BOTH Lutheran and are getting married in a Lutheran Church.
That being the case, the couple are NOT bound by the marriage laws of the Catholic Church, nor are they culpable for moral truth of which they are invincibly ignorant.
God will judge them, as He does us all, according to what we know and does not hold against us what we do not know.
This truth of invincible ignorance is why Protestants can still be saved yet not be a card-carrying member of the Catholic Church. It is dogma that one MUST be in the Church to be saved. But those, who through no fault of their own have not yet been convinced of their need to be in communion with the Catholic Church, are not culpable and may be saved by God's mercy.
But I digress.
Since your friends are getting married according the marriage laws of their own Church, there is no scandal for you to attend their marriage ceremony as their friend. You cannot expect them, as Lutherans, to believe in what we believe about marriage.
I assume that the couple believes that they are getting married with genuine and honest intent and are, as best as they know, honoring God.
Thus, I don't believe there is any problem with your attendence.
God Bless.
Back to Index Page

930 x 520px

SPRING SUMMER LOOKBOOK

Sample Block Quote

Praesent vestibulum congue tellus at fringilla. Curabitur vitae semper sem, eu convallis est. Cras felis nunc commodo eu convallis vitae interdum non nisl. Maecenas ac est sit amet augue pharetra convallis.

Sample Paragraph Text

Praesent vestibulum congue tellus at fringilla. Curabitur vitae semper sem, eu convallis est. Cras felis nunc commodo eu convallis vitae interdum non nisl. Maecenas ac est sit amet augue pharetra convallis nec danos dui. Cras suscipit quam et turpis eleifend vitae malesuada magna congue. Damus id ullamcorper neque. Sed vitae mi a mi pretium aliquet ac sed elitos. Pellentesque nulla eros accumsan quis justo at tincidunt lobortis deli denimes, suspendisse vestibulum lectus in lectus volutpate.
Prev Post
Next Post
Someone recently bought a
[time] minutes ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Shopping Cart
0 items