For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
vitaly van de Dronker
What about both are christans and wife is at several occasions running away to her children and now wants only a separation not a divorce ???
Danny Hickman
This is a good question. When both 'parties' claim the "Christian" name tag, what then?
I believe the last part of you statement vitaly van de Dronker, is very informative. There are a lot of people who after "trying marriage," discover that they can live without it. Marriage is experienced and it ain't for them. Those are the people who will settle for "a separation." They don't need a divorce because they have absolutely NO PLAN to ever try marriage again. They're done with the marriage game!
Others who believe they married a horrible person and still longs for marital companionship with a better fit, won't settle for "a separation." What is startling to me, is the number of people who think they are skirting the biblical prohibition of divorce by calling it by a different name; they think referring to their broken relationship as "a separation" by not getting a divorce decree helps them to remain on the right side of the law. IT DOESN'T!!
There's a good reason for a person to not want to divorce a person who they can't bear to live with: they don't want to be seen as a law breaker. THEY ARE LAW BREAKERS!! But they don't want to admit to it! So they claim a lesser offense: separation. They aren't interested in marrying anyone else so it's a win-win!
Why does God have a problem with divorce? Because He has a problem with our reluctance to embrace His image, the image in which we were created. He will ever leave us! Although we have been unfaithful since DAY ONE!!