For Better or For Worse in Newark New Jersey

The traditional, Christian, wedding, and ceremonial vows go something like this: “Do you take this person to be your husband or wife to live together after God’s ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him/her your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him/her as long as you both shall live?”

In our modern day, these traditional vows have been often modified to fit the nature and personalities of the participants, but in some conservative areas of our country, these vows are still a time honored tradition. The tradition grew out of a Judeo-Christian influence through Christian churches that hold to both Old and New Testament biblical teachings. That the words “God’s ordinance” are used in the traditional ceremony is not by accident. Most Christians view marriage as a Holy sacrament that is ordained by God himself.

An ordinance is a law, by definition, so, many Christian groups view this ordinance as a covenant or contract before God between two consenting adults. Since 84 percent of the United States population considers themselves to be affiliated with Christianity in some way, it is very probable you are familiar with this traditional concept on marriage, and you may even know someone who used similar vows in their wedding ceremony.

Our current laws on the legality of marriage has certainly been influenced by Judeo-Christian values throughout the United States. Fault divorce is what has come out of such a background. No-fault divorce in the United States did not come about until California passed their law on January 1, 1970.

No-fault divorce is the dissolution of a marriage requiring neither a showing of wrong-doing of either party nor any evidentiary proceedings at all. Since the first No-fault law passed in California, all the states except New York has passed some type of No-fault statute. Although a No-fault divorce is readily available in most states today, Fault divorces are still a common occurrence simply because the two parties cannot always agree on how their property and children are to be divided when the divorce is final.

When a Fault divorce occurs, the two opposing spouses are required to go to court before a judge or a jury. There are still eleven states that allow divorces to go to jury under certain circumstances. Only Texas, today, allows a jury to decide the fate of all the ramifications of divorce including the custody of children.

In places like Newark and in other cities around New Jersey, the reason for a Fault divorce has to be stated on the legal document entitled Complaint For Divorce, and then filed in the local court of jurisdiction. The only legal reasons allowed for a Fault divorce in New Jersey are: adultery; willful and continued desertion for the term of 12 or more months without cohabitation; extreme cruelty;  separation of at least 18 or more consecutive months; voluntarily induced addiction or habituation to any narcotic drug; Institutionalization for mental illness for a period of 24 or more consecutive months; imprisonment of the defendant for 18 or more consecutive months after marriage; and deviant sexual conduct voluntarily performed by the defendant without the consent of the plaintiff.

Before No-fault divorces were so common, our nation relied on our Judeo-Christian roots to understand what we considered to be acceptable reasons for divorce, but today, with so much diversity within our borders, marriage has become a battleground for the separation of church and state.

Our traditions have taught us that marriage is a covenant contract that should be legally binding, and our existing laws reflect what our roots have taught us. Therefore, we perceive the marriage ceremony, regardless of who officiates over it, as a legal binding contract between two consenting adults, and it takes a legal action to undo what has been legally done. Likewise, there should be no wonder why Fault divorce reasons in our laws also reflect our roots.

For instance, notice that the legal reasons for a Fault divorce in New Jersey reflect the traditional Christian vows for the wedding. You vow to be faithful to your spouse which certainly excludes adultery, you will not leave each other until death do you part and not even for 18 months, you will forsake all others which might imply forsaking deviant sexual behavior, and you promise to take care of each other in a loving manner which excludes extreme cruelty.

So, if any of these reasons occur in a marital relationship, the contract can be considered to be broken. Since the marital vow has always been a form of legal and binding contract, should we always take our spouses for better or for worse, or better yet, should we vow to do so without legal recourse?

Maybe you and your spouse have come to that place where you think things have gotten a lot worse than you could have possibly imagined, you think there is reason enough to divorce, and you cannot agree on how to go about ending your marriage in a friendly and No-fault way. If this is the case, you both are probably going to need legal advice. Contact us right now and we will help you find a divorce lawyer in your area that can provide you with the legal help you are seeking.