Many scholars agree that the central premise of divorce law came from religious practice and belief, more than any type of governmental decrees.
Once nation-states began to recognize national religions that held specific views on the role of divorce laws, certain societal beliefs and mores towards the institution of marriage changed.
Many ancient civilizations allowed couples to split and divorce laws essentially did not exist.
After widespread conversion to Catholicism throughout much of the world, divorce laws preventing this practice became commonplace, eventually removing the idea of divorce altogether.
In this light, Western civilizations sparked the creation of many divorce laws and made the practice an abomination. The idea of divorce was replaced with church-initiated
As secular leaders began to pop up in many areas of Europe after medieval times and the Protestant Reformation, the intensity of divorce law decreased once again, allowing individuals to divorce.
The United Kingdom eventually became one of the first Western civilizations that created divorce laws permitting specific regulations and allowances.
Some of the first settlers in America rejected much of the new secular practice spreading across Europe and sought to reimburse themselves in old-fashioned practices.
Puritanism rejected any form of divorce under any banner and essentially formed the first American divorce laws. Contact a divorce lawyer for legal advice and assistance.
Modern divorce law did not come into practice until at least the 1950s and it was still viewed as an ill of society.
Divorce laws are commonly known to have descended from church doctrine more than an original perception on lifelong marriage.
The increase in divorce rates and weakening of divorce laws continued till modern-day, with divorce representing a more legal determination than a religious one.
Many continue to hold on to the religious importance of marriage and fight against the ease at which individuals can separate under current divorce law.
