We are continuously bombarded with talk
about marriage. Who should, who shouldn’t, who’s calling it quits, or
who is choosing to decouple. Is Marriage a thing of the past, like
beehives, poodle skirts, and black and white movies? Have we lost the
meaning and importance of marriage all together?
According to the President’s Marriage Agenda, for first time marriages the chances of divorce is between 40% and 50%. Which is twice the rate as that of the 1960’s. The divorce rate for remarriages is even higher. I feel like Elder Dallin H. Oaks when speaking about divorce he said, “This is a sensitive subject because it evokes such strong emotions from persons it has touched in different ways.”
I know too many families that have and are suffering from heartbreaking divorces. Mostly, I’ve watched as these powerful amazing mothers working tirelessly to shore up their children against the emotional and physical effects. Paul R. Amato a professor of sociology at Penn State University studied children that came from households with both biological parents compared to those with only one biological parent. He found children who lived with only one biological parent have a lower standard of living, receive less effective parenting, experience less cooperative co-parenting, have weaker emotional bonds with mothers and fathers, and are subject to more stressful events and circumstances.
Are these children lost? Will they never overcome the statistics listed above? Let me teach you something my mother taught me. When the odds are against you, or when the statistics are not in your favor, Jesus Christ is the hope! I learned an important lesson when I was encouraging one of my friends to not give up on her marriage. She looked me straight in the eyes and said, “He has to want it too.” I learned quickly that it takes two to make a marriage work, to strengthen a marriage, or to re-build a marriage. No, I am not an advocate for divorce. In fact, I am the opposite. I believe in marriage. I believe in happiness in family life. I believe in eternal marriage. I also believe whether you are divorced, contemplating divorce, or started down the long road of re-building a marriage, Jesus Christ is the hope!
Why has the rate of divorce nearly doubled from that of the 1960’s? Is the women’s rights movement to blame? Is it government policies that disincentives marriage? Is it lack of education, are fewer people seeking higher education? Is it the lack of God in marriage, and in daily life?
Is marriage a thing of the past? Have we lost the meaning and importance of marriage all together?
According to the President’s Marriage Agenda, for first time marriages the chances of divorce is between 40% and 50%. Which is twice the rate as that of the 1960’s. The divorce rate for remarriages is even higher. I feel like Elder Dallin H. Oaks when speaking about divorce he said, “This is a sensitive subject because it evokes such strong emotions from persons it has touched in different ways.”
I know too many families that have and are suffering from heartbreaking divorces. Mostly, I’ve watched as these powerful amazing mothers working tirelessly to shore up their children against the emotional and physical effects. Paul R. Amato a professor of sociology at Penn State University studied children that came from households with both biological parents compared to those with only one biological parent. He found children who lived with only one biological parent have a lower standard of living, receive less effective parenting, experience less cooperative co-parenting, have weaker emotional bonds with mothers and fathers, and are subject to more stressful events and circumstances.
Are these children lost? Will they never overcome the statistics listed above? Let me teach you something my mother taught me. When the odds are against you, or when the statistics are not in your favor, Jesus Christ is the hope! I learned an important lesson when I was encouraging one of my friends to not give up on her marriage. She looked me straight in the eyes and said, “He has to want it too.” I learned quickly that it takes two to make a marriage work, to strengthen a marriage, or to re-build a marriage. No, I am not an advocate for divorce. In fact, I am the opposite. I believe in marriage. I believe in happiness in family life. I believe in eternal marriage. I also believe whether you are divorced, contemplating divorce, or started down the long road of re-building a marriage, Jesus Christ is the hope!
Why has the rate of divorce nearly doubled from that of the 1960’s? Is the women’s rights movement to blame? Is it government policies that disincentives marriage? Is it lack of education, are fewer people seeking higher education? Is it the lack of God in marriage, and in daily life?
Is marriage a thing of the past? Have we lost the meaning and importance of marriage all together?
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