While the title of Simon William’s MARRIAGE AFTER DIVORCE MAY NOT BE ADULTERY: Even If It Feels Like the Death of You, You Part might seem to indicate that the book will focus upon offering a helpful hand towards navigating love and loss, this is actually not its aim. Instead, the tome provides exhaustive religious discourse upon often seemingly dogmatic perceptions regarding what the Bible and/or the Divine Creator him/herself has decreed about which types of marriage, marriage behavior, and marriage partners are correct and therefore should lawfully exist. The material on divorce and remarriage is presented by an individual who admits he is neither divorced nor remarried. Opinionated statements are also provided regarding circumcision, masturbation, fornication, harlots, committing adultery with one’s own wife, eunuchs, Israel, and the idea that among married people legal separation might be a worthwhile option a good Christian could choose. And while there may be ideas within this volume that certain types of Christians agree are Truth (specifically readers who are expressly concerned about the “stigma of divorce” and remarriage upon the status of their relationship with God), there is also much that is likely to come off as offensive to other readers, especially divorced or remarried individuals, a population the author readily acknowledges are folks who comprise a high percentage of the congregations attending church these days.
Additionally, some readers and Christians are likely to find certain sections of the text hopelessly, harmfully racist, sexist, misogynistic, and antediluvian. As someone who claims to have suffered through 43 years of difficult times within his own marriage, the author states that he hasn’t generally even approved of remarriage following the death of a spouse. While the question of why one out of two contemporary marriages fail would have provided interesting, fertile, and potentially useful ground to explore, that is not what’s delved into. Instead it is considered worthwhile and prudent to investigate whether divorced/remarried people exist in error and thus have managed to disqualify themselves for eternal life. After all, God did warn people many times not to wander or fornicate, and folks can be sure His views on such subjects hasn’t changed: “God considers any foreigner, stranger or commoner” disobedient to His commandments and therefore: a transgressor. And purity is important. “To allow holiness to co-exist with sin is a transgression” and therefore “when these situations continue, God is left with no alternative but to divorce His people.” So, it turns out, there are proper motivations for divorce, such as offenses against God including “serving a different god, eating pork or working on Saturday.”
MARRIAGE AFTER DIVORCE MAY NOT BE ADULTERY: Even If It Feels Like the Death of You, You Part by Simon William is the kind of book that quotes Old Testament stories in support of narrow-minded intolerance. Not recommended for any reader or Christian more interested in following Christ’s love-thy-neighbor example or inclusive Christian values.
~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader