The Bible is interpreted in many different ways by various denominations to determine appropriate grounds for divorce. The Catholic Church does not recognize divorce as a valid option but does perform annulments. Many evangelical Protestant denominations believe divorce and remarriage are acceptable only if one spouse has been unfaithful. Some conservative sects do not permit divorce (or separation) even in the event of severe physical abuse. More liberal denominations believe that this type of teaching is a misinterpretation of the Bible. Divorce is actually more common among conservative Christians than in the general population. A few Southern states (such as Louisiana) offer a form of marriage called a "covenant marriage". This type of marriage is designed to make it more difficult to obtain a divorce. The idea is to encourage couples to work out their differences by making divorce a lengthy process. This type of marriage is too recent for there to be any reliable statistics on whether or not it will lead to a decreased divorce rate.