From the darkest pits of marriage hell…

Focus on the Family, it would seem, has an “institute of higher learning”, called the Focus Leadership Institute. The FLI’s mission statement?

Focus Leadership Institute™, commissioned by Focus on the Family®, exists to provide a unique Christian educational community that sharpens passionate and persuasive leaders who are committed to Jesus Christ, equipping them to promote healthy families, vibrant churches and a civil society.

You must be 26 or younger, and you must be single (not sure why).

Part of the application is a core statement for FLI; you must agree and sign this statement in order to apply. Part of this core statement is a section on divorce and remarriage. Here are the FLI’s “acceptable” reasons for divorce:

1. When the first marriage and divorce occurred prior to salvation. God’s promise in 2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB—”If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come”—applies to divorce as well as all other sins committed in the believer’s past.
2. When one’s mate is guilty of sexual immorality and is unwilling to repent and live faithfully with the marriage partner. However, we must be careful not to make Jesus’ statement to this effect (Matthew 19:9) into a broad, sweeping, simplistic formula. Instead, we must evaluate each case independently, bearing in mind that “immorality” here refers to persistent, unrepentant behavior, and that divorce and remarriage is only an option for the faithful partner—not a command.
3. When an unbelieving mate willfully and permanently deserts a believing partner. This does not refer to a temporary departure, but to a permanent abandonment, where there is little or no hope of reviving former commitments and salvaging the relationship.

It would appear that you can’t get a divorce if your spouse puts you into the hospital with a broken jaw or fractured skull. Nor does it count if the couple cannot stand each other, or if one provides no emotional or financial support for the marriage.

However, if neither of you were “saved” prior to divorce, that’s cool. And if your spouse isn’t “saved” and takes off, that’s okey-dokey as well.

There are also scripture-based rants about homosexuality and how it will cause the End Times. Or raise the Beast. Or something like that.

“Ditch the bitch”

That’s the advice Pat Robertson gives the friend of a letter-writer:

So, if your spouse has Alzheimer’s, it’s okay with god (you know Pat’s got a personal relationship with the almighty, so it’s cool) to divorce your sick spouse and nail someone else.

Is that heavenly compassion, or just a guy anxious to get his rocks off?