What is a covenant marriage?

Covenant marriage is an alternative to traditional marriage. It requires premarital counseling and that spouses take an oath making a lifelong commitment to marriage. Divorce is only allowed in limited circumstances, such as abuse, adultery, addiction, and felony imprisonment. Spouses must be separated for a specified period of time (e.g. two years in Louisiana) and undergo marital counseling before a divorce will be granted.

Source:  Kim Leon, Ph.D., Former Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia

Last update: Friday, September 14, 2007