According to an article published in the Huffington Post (05-18-13), entitled Why Religious People Marry Despite the Cost, David Briggs cites a study by Brian Hollar in which he found that marriage rates of highly devoted religious people in Europe and North America are declining much more slowly than the general trend away from marriage. Hollar reports devoutly religious men more likely to be married by nearly 10% than non-religious men and devout women more likely to be married by more than four percent. Along with these findings rates of divorce among devoutly religious couples was significantly lower than the general population during the past 40 years.
The article quotes Emyr Williams, Leslie Francis and Andrew Village in the Journal of Mental Health, Religion and Culture as saying that these and other findings, “… provide support for Durkheim’s classic thesis linking the two institutions of marriage and religion with human flourishing,” Other research in recent years has shown that married life produces several significant benefits, including the tendency for married people to live longer, the fact that marriage partners experience a higher degree of personal happiness, better mental health and reduced chance of suffering from chronic illnesses and disabilities.
The link between married life and religious commitment can be seen in the fact that religious groups tend to endorse marriage very highly and give the institution a sense of sanctity and eternal significance. Religion offers tools for helping struggling marriages in the form of prayer and support networks of caring and experienced people. If you would like to read the article directly, here is the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-briggs/why-religious-people-stay-married-despite-cost_b_3266261.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
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