To grasp why observers immediately linked the breakup to religion, one must examine the official marital framework established by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Jehovah's Witnesses view marriage as a permanent, three-fold cord binding a man, a woman, and God. Under official church literature, irreconcilable differences, emotional abuse, or growing apart are not legitimate grounds for ending a union.
The faith adheres to a literal, rigid interpretation of Matthew 19:9. The verse states that whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery. In the administrative reality of a local congregation, this scriptural divorce ground requires evidence of porneia, defined broadly as illicit sexual activity outside the marriage. Without verified infidelity, both spouses remain bound spiritually in the eyes of the congregation, regardless of what a secular court decrees.
If a member pursues a civil divorce without scriptural proof of a spouse's sexual transgression, they are barred from dating or remarrying. Entering a new relationship while "unscripturally divorced" is categorized as ongoing adultery, an offense that triggers disciplinary action.
