Feb 2, 2010 by Jenny
Nat’l Marriage Week USA begins February 7
A national effort to celebrate and strengthen marriages kicks off this weekend. National Marriage Week USA (Feb. 7-14) is a collaborative effort to turn attention to the benefits of marriage with the ultimate goal of reducing the divorce rate and the number of children living in poverty.
Pastors and churches are specifically encouraged to be involved because research shows the health of church and family are intertwined.
In an article about the event, columnist Cheryl Wetzstein wrote,
W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, said that the “fortunes of the church basically rise and fall with the fortunes of married families in this country.” That’s because married couples with children are 62 percent more likely to attend church than childless singles, he explained. Strong families also socialize children into religious traditions and “orient adults to the moral, social and spiritual goods found in these traditions.”
Wetzstein also quotes author and researcher, Elizabeth Marquardt:
In research for her book “Between Two Worlds,” Mrs. Marquardt found that many children of divorce lost confidence in God and their faith. In a real sense, she said, divorce doesn’t just break up a family, it “drives children away from the church.”
See a list of events here.
All the more reason you ought to stop your nonsensical opposition to same-sex marriage. According to the quotes you provide, married gay and lesbian partners would be more likely to attend church and bring their children to church.
Josh,
Thanks for your comment. I wanted to let you know that I just posted a blog response that responds to your basic question–which others have also asked–about the reason why marriage research to date does not also apply to same-sex couples.
Thanks, again, for writing.
Jenny