Maria Shriver unsure RE: Arnold because of "strong religious beliefs that do not include divorce"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

MARIA SHRIVER
Second Thoughts About Divorcing Arnold

http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/26/maria-shriver-unsure-divorce-arnold-schwarzenegger/#.TvjcTTVSSNQ



Maria Shriver is telling friends she's now unsure if she wants to divorce Arnold Schwarzenegger ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Maria is torn, partly because of her strong religious beliefs that do not include divorce.

Making matters even more complicated -- we're told Arnold still desperately wants Maria back, and has been "extremely sweet" to her and has made numerous gestures -- which include presents -- to win Maria back.

Maria filed for divorce on July 1, though she moved out months earlier. She's already bought a mansion in Brentwood, CA, which she's in the process of renovating.

[russspeakeasy]

1. Sounds like they deserve each other.

[demosincebirth]

11. Why do you say that?

[russspeakeasy]

24. Have you ever noticed that when people run out of practical reasons

they use god as their reason. ?

[demosincebirth]

31. Im Catholic and hang with many Church going people (not fundies) and we never blame God for the

troubles of this world. We blame humanity (us too) for the troubles this world has endured throughout the ages.

[closeupready]

17. Yeah, sadly. Both beholden to superstition.

Gotta either laugh or cry about it. I always liked her hugely. Him, not at all.

[elleng]

2. Too bad.

They can come to a separation agreement, imo. (just took me 3 years! )

[hlthe2b]

3. I think any brains Arnold had...

were shrunken by all those steroids long ago. Maria, I think is smarter than this, but I guess she needs her "bad boy." Bleah.

[demosincebirth]

33. She has guts and sticks to her beliefs about forgiveness. I wish her all the best.

[randome]

35. She's UNSURE if she has guts or not.

[demosincebirth]

42. I'm sure you know that. Right?

[Tikki]

4. Dude...

lousy person gives you gifts to keep your attention on him...
....this is straight out of Middle School...

Can you look into the face of a man who perverted justice
as a reward to a crony and then still call him husband!!!!


Tikki

[customerserviceguy]

5. Ah, Catholic guilt

Nice to see it's still alive and well. NOT.

[southernyankeebelle]

7. Well I admire her. She takes a vows seriously as a catholic. I am self don't believe in divorce.

[closeupready]

18. Well, believe it.

It does indeed happen.

[demosincebirth]

12. It kept me, more or less, on the straight and narrow.

[Warpy]

6. They do inlclude civil divorce. They just forbid remarriage

Shriver needs to read the fine print.

[southernyankeebelle]

8. But if you believe in communion as I am sure it is important part of her upbringing there is no

question.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

13. Not a block to Holy Communion

Civil divorce, in and of itself, is not an impediment to receiving Holy Communion, as the Church does not recognize civil divorce.

Remarriage (absent an anullment) or cohabitation would preclude receiving Holy Communion.

[southernyankeebelle]

19. But to practicing catholics like Maria she believes in communion. That would make her think twice.

You know when my mother and dad got married back in 45 in Italy they had a civil union first because it was required for legal reason and then the following saturday they had the church wedding.

[Warpy]

27. Listen to what two people have told you

Civil divorce is simply not recognized by the church.

Because of that, there is no impediment to communion.

The civil divorce allows her to live apart from him, oversees custody and support of children, and divides the property accrued during the marriage equitably. It has nothing to do with the church.

However, unless she tries to remarry, she can still receive communion. She'll be married to Arnold forever in the church unless she gets an annulment from the pope.

Get it? Civil divorce, fine. Never speak to him again as long as she lives, fine. She can receive communion every day of the week.

She'll just need to bribe the proper officials in Rome and get her children declared bastards via annulment if she wants to get married again.

[southernyankeebelle]

37. ok now shut up already.

[Warpy]

21. You can still get a civil divorce

You are considered as being tied to a husband by the church but the legal stuff is straightened out and you can go your merry way and still receive communion as long as you don't remarry.

My Irish granny, a true believer if there ever was one, divorced my grandfather in the early 1930s. While there was no way outside of petitioning Rome for an annulment and declaring my mother a bastard for her to remarry, she was allowed communion as a chaste married woman living apart from her husband.

The church considers you married until you die. The state considers you divorced.

[xchrom]

9. Misery becomes her? Nt

[Politicalboi]

10. So is she going to do

Her own housework?

[marmar]

14. So she'd rather stay miserable because of 'strong religious beliefs'?

Jesus, Maria y Josef.

[Raine]

15. I would bet she still loves him

and using religion is just an excuse for the public consumption to stay with him. If she still loves him and wants to stay with that's her business, she shouldn't have to make excuses.

[LeftyMom]

16. Considering his track record of infidelity, she should have an open and shut case for an anullment.

If he never intended to live up to his end of the marital vows, it's not a valid marriage in the eyes of the church.

[ParkieDem]

32. I was thinking along those lines.

Isn't adultery grounds for divorce (in fact, the only grounds) in the Catholic church?

[Capn Sunshine]

20. kinda painted herself into a corner didn't she?

plenty of Catholics get divorced.

[jwirr]

40. It is remarriage that is usually frowned on.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. Where's the shower?

[lunatica]

23. It's her choice to make

I'm divorced, and happily so, but that was my choice alone.

[polly7]

25. It is her choice, but what are the odds he's going to change?

I feel so bad for her.

[sabrina 1]

28. She's going to cover for him again, as she did before he became Governor. Without her he is

nothing, but if they get back together, he will probably get all his movie contracts back again.

I will never understand how she could love that man, he's a deceiver and totally untrustworthy, but that's their private business. What was not, was the people of California's business, and she helped him to get away with his reckless behavior with women and the lies he told about it, to take over this state.

Some of it is probably her religion, but as a couple, they are both more powerful and as soon as they are back together we will see them on every major talk show giving advice to other couples.

Why do democrats always feel the need to rescue Republicans after they have self-destructed?

[Warren DeMontague]

29. If she's dumb enough to buy into it, then I suppose she's stuck with it.

oddly enough, when *I* see this dude I don't think "unchallengeable moral authority on all matters of sexual morality", but her mileage may vary.

[HappyMe]

30. It's their lives. It's their decision to make.

Maybe they still love each other.

[Union Scribe]

34. +1, as well as the reasons that go into it. nt

[piratefish08]

36. anyone that stays unhappy because of what some old, white, hypocrites decree, is silly.

[musette_sf]

38. Dear Maria,

In the immortal acronym of Dan Savage,

DTMFA!

[jwirr]

39. Just a little advice Maria. If I had it to do over again I would not have gotten the divorce - just

refused to live with him. Of course what the divorce meant to me was living in poverty my entire life - that will not happen to you. What the divorce meant to him was freedom to continue his life and remarrying. I saw no benefit from divorce but he sure did. Of course I got to raise the three children (including a severely disabled child) and he did not have anything to do with them except pay $20 child support every month.

[etherealtruth]

41. I look at this as a personal decision ...

every aspect of her life has played out in the media ... this is a very private decision. I wish her peace