If You Are Married, Don't Move To Belgium ...

Move To Lybia or Mongolia ...

Belgium has the highest divorce rate in the world while Lybia and Mongolia have the lowest. But, then, those countries may also have higher crime, rape or murder rates. So maybe you had better stay where you are and become an active, Conservative Christian to avoid divorce. The "equal" Christian/Non-Christian divorce rate "poll" is a skewed, false, distortion.

I read of a secular marriage counselor who concluded, to a men's group, "In these days of hi-tech, low morals, high stress, low down social media, fake news, political correctness, Women's Lib, Masculine Suppression and easy divorce, it is almost impossible to avoid a break-up ... without sometimes lying to your spouse ... unless you or she is married to an angel." Like a grain of sand in your shoe, there is a grain of truth in what he says, but lying is still wrong ... So just bite your tongue and go back into your den. 

Here are the top 10 countries with the highest divorce rate in the world according to Trendrr, a leading analyzer of world trends... Their study shows Belgium at a 71% divorce rate and the U.S. at 53%.

10. United States of America-divorce rate 53%

• 9. France-divorce rate 55%
• 8. Cuba-divorce rate 56%
• 7. Estonia-divorce rate 58%
• 6. Luxembourg-divorce rate 60%
• 5. Spain-divorce rate 63%
• 4. Czech Republic-divorce rate 66%
• 3. Hungary-divorce rate 67%
• 2. Portugal-divorce rate 68%
• 1. Belgium-divorce rate 71%

Of course these statistics may be skewed a bit by differing divorce laws in each nation and differing percentages of families whose mother and father were never married, need no divorce, just leave.
But the primary skewing element in U.S. studies of divorce, among "Christians", is the fact that America began as a Christian nation and is still carrying that deeply embedded identity though not so true any more. The result is that 75% of U.S. Americans claim to be "Christian" when they don't even know what a "Biblical Christian" is. Prostitutes, drug dealers, criminals and Mafioso wearing golden crosses around their necks does not make them "Christians". But that is the answer they give to poll takers. It's impossible to know, but I would guess that "Biblical Christians" make up less than half of "professing Christians".

As concerning Christian married couples, the so called study that found Christian divorce rates as being the same as non-Christian rates... new, more legitimate studies say otherwise. Here is another, more recent one, with a truer finding. So the question is ....

The following is from "Got Questions" site at: https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-divorce-rate.html

Is the divorce rate among Christians truly the same as among non-Christians?

Answer: We’ve all heard the claim: “Christians are just as likely to divorce as non-Christians.” This statement is often attributed to a 2008 study by the Barna Research Group that indicated that those who identified as Christian were just as likely as non-Christians to be divorced. This study was also broken down into subcategories by religious denomination, showing Baptists and non-denominational Protestants leading the way in divorce. The claim that the divorce rate among Christians equals that of non-Christians builds upon the common assumption that 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. But, according to the latest research, those statements about the divorce rate, among Christians in particular, are untrue. 

Partnering with George Barna, Feldhahn reexamined the data pertaining to the divorce rate among Christians and found that the numbers were based on survey-takers who identified as “Christian” rather than some other. Under that broad classification, respondents were as likely as anyone else to have been divorced. The “Christian” category included people who profess a belief system but do not live a committed lifestyle. However, for those who were active in their church, the divorce rate was 27 to 50 percent lower than for non-churchgoers. Nominal Christians—those who simply call themselves “Christians” but do not actively engage with the faith—are actually 20 percent more likely than the general population to get divorced.

Dr. Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project, states that “‘active conservative protestants’ who attend church regularly are actually 35% less likely to divorce than those who have no religious preferences” (quoted by Stetzer, Ed. “The Exchange.” Christianity Today. “Marriage, Divorce, and the Church: What do the stats say, and can marriage be happy?” Feb. 14, 2014. WEB. Oct. 26, 2015). In her studies, Feldhahn found that 72 percent of all married people were still married to their first spouse. And of those marriages, four out of five are happy.

Putting it all together, what these findings tell us is that religion itself cannot insulate us from the stresses that pull at the fabric of our marriages. But there’s definite good news regarding divorce rates and Christians: contrary to what’s been reported for years, the divorce rate is not 50 percent; it’s more like 30 percent. And then we find that people who keep God at the center of their home and family stay married at far greater rates, and even thrive within those marriages. One of the reasons for this is that those whose first commitment is to the lordship of Jesus put fewer expectations upon their spouses to meet emotional needs that only God can meet. The lessening of unrealistic expectations gives marriages a stronger foundation upon which to withstand difficult times.

Although 1 Peter 2:7 is speaking of the church in general, the words also echo the truths revealed in the statistics on Christian marriages: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” When Jesus is the cornerstone of our homes and marriages, we can weather the storms (see Matthew 7:24).

Divorce Rate Among Christians

From The Gospel Coalition

Note: FactChecker is a monthly series in which Glenn T. Stanton examines claims, myths, and misunderstandings frequently heard in evangelical circles.

“Christians divorce at roughly the same rate as the world!”

It’s one of the most quoted stats by Christian leaders today. And it’s perhaps one of the most inaccurate.

 At bottom, it is used to explain that Christians are not doing well in living out their faith. But it could also be taken as a statement that redemption by and real discipleship under Jesus makes no real difference when it comes to marriage.  But mainstream sociologists would tell us that taking one’s faith very seriously—in word and deed—does indeed make a marked positive difference in the health and longevity of marriage. Based on the best data available, the divorce rate among Christians is significantly lower than the general population.

Here’s the truth…

People who seriously practice a traditional religious faith—whether Christian or other—have a divorce rate markedly lower than the general population. The factor making the most difference is religious commitment and practice.

What appears intuitive is true. Couples who regularly practice any combination of serious religious behaviors and attitudes—attend church nearly every week, read their bibles and spiritual materials regularly; pray privately and together; generally take their faith seriously, living not as perfect disciples, but serious disciples—enjoy significantly lower divorce rates than mere church members, the general public, and unbelievers.

Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, explains from his analysis of people who identify as Christians but rarely attend church, that 60 percent of these have been divorced. Of those who attend church regularly, 38 percent have been divorced.[1]

Other data from additional sociologists of family and religion suggest a substantial marital stability divide between those who take their faith seriously and those who do not.

W. Bradford Wilcox, a leading sociologist at the University of Virginia and director of the National Marriage Project, finds from his own analysis that “active conservative Protestants” who regularly attend church are 35 percent less likely to divorce compared to those who have no affiliation. Nominally attending conservative Protestants are 20 percent more likely to divorce, compared to secular Americans.

The following chart shows the relative risk of divorce by religious affiliation among Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish adherents. (Wilcox controlled for other socio-economic factors that impact marital health, thus providing a clearer, cleaner measure of the actual religious dynamic on marriage.)

[Editor’s note: In reading the table, the numbers represent the likelihood of divorce compared to those with no religious affiliations. So 20% would mean that group is 20% more likely to divorce than Americans with no religious affiliations while -97% means the group is 97% less likely to divorce than the non-religious.]

% Divorce Likelihood Reduction Faith Affiliation

Protestant – Nominal
20
Protestant -Conservative
-10
Protestant – Active Conservative
-35
Catholic
-18
Catholic (nominal)
-5
Catholic – Active
-31
Jewish
39
Jewish (nominal)
53
Jewish – Active
-97

Professor Scott Stanley from the University of Denver, working with an absolute all-star team of leading sociologists in the Oklahoma Marriage Study, explains that couples with a vibrant religious faith had higher and more levels of the qualities couples need to avoid divorce.

“Whether young or old, male or female, low-income or not, those who said that they were more religious reported higher average levels of commitment to their partners, higher levels of marital satisfaction, less thinking and talking about divorce and lower levels of negative interaction. These patterns held true when controlling for such important variables as income, education, and age at first marriage.”

These positive factors translated into actual lowered risk of divorce among active believers.

“Those who say they are more religious are less likely, not more, to have already experienced divorce. Likewise, those who report more frequent attendance at religious services were significantly less likely to have been divorced.”[3]

The Take-Away

These data indicate that the divorce rate among serious believers is not something to crow about. It is still higher than most of us are comfortable with.  But there is no reliable, mainstream social-science data that has this rate higher than the general population. Faith and discipleship do make a difference in our lives, but it doesn’t make all our problems go away.