GROUNDS OF DIVORCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1937, Page 20

GROUNDS OF DIVORCE

PRESBYTERIAN ATTITUDE

The Presbyterian Church's attitude to problems of divorce and remarriage was 7 discussed at a special conference of the Auckland Presbytery on Tuesday afternoon (states • the "New Zealand Herald"). It .was expected that decisions then ' reached would be adopted formally at the ordinary meeting of the Presbytery in the evening, but difficulties arose and part of the discussion was eventually deferred to a later date. The conference was considering proposals sent' on from the General Assembly.

On the motion, of the Rev. W. R. Milne it was agreed on the voices: "That the following suggested definition of the Church's attitude to the divorce law of New Zealand be adopted:—(l) Recognising divorce on the grounds of sexual vice, insanity, extreme cruelty, and habitual drunkenness- and. desertion be permissible on Christian principles; (2) declining to approve,divorce on the grounds of refusal to comply with an order for restitution of conjugal rights and on the ground of three years' separation. judicial or by agreement." Conflict then arose between a proposal by the Rev. W. B. Black to suggest the addition of a clause giving individual ministers liberty of conscience' iii' remarrying divorced persons, and a proposal by the Rev. J. A. Allan to' approve of the rules suggested by the assembly's committee for the-guidance of ministers provided that an additional rule was drafted to safeguard the rights of ministers who had conscientious scruples about applying the rules. Partly because the rules in question had not been discussed at the conference, it was decided to defer until next Presbytery meeting further A discussion between the two points of view.