The annulment process of the Roman Catholic Church is one area of real separation of church and state, at least in the U.S. and other contries where Catholicism is not the state religion. A church annulment has no legal standing in the U.S., but it a tool the Catholic Church uses to preserve the religious ideal of life-long marriage, while providing a realistic solution for those who have a marriage that fails. Still, I think the term "annulment" is unfortunate. It implies that a marriage didn't exist, that that's a hard concept to stomach when people have lived together for years and had children. The theological talkaround is that a sacramental marriage did not exist, but I think that's a trip into a lot of verbal gobbledy-gook. In practice, though, annulments can work as a pretty good tool for reconciliation.

There are those who argue against it, but I can't see any charitable advantage to refusing to grant annulments to those who request it. If this is a request for a second or third annulment within a short time, then I think we get into another question. But if a person has one failed marriage and wants to start over a second time, why should the church refuse? What good does it do to require divorced people to be celibate for the rest of their lives?

Most churches have healing and reconciliation as primary goals, but most churches have fundamentalists who have condemnation and exclusion as primary emphases. I think even atheists have their own variety of fundamentalist, people who just can't tolerate any difference of opinion, or any conduct that doesn't meet their standard of perfection.

I think it's appropriate for churches to strive for reduction in the numbers of divorces in this world, and to strive for reduction of abortion. However, if they really believe in these ideals, then they must provide workable alternatives. They must also provide opportunity for healing and reconciliation for those how have gone through divorce or abortion. I don't see how condemnation and exclusion does anybody any good.

-Joe Offer-