Why Do Protestants Have the Highest Divorce Rate? March 9, 2008
Posted by reformedville in : culture, Theology , 2commentsLast week I got an email with what I thought was a “re-hashing” of a much criticized Barna Poll, so I didn’t pay much heed to it. But before I deleted it, I went back and checked the link .
Christians are known for being critical of others, but yet “nodding and winking” at each others faults. The thing many don’t understand, is everyone sees the “nod and wink” and it overpowers the message they have been commissioned to give. Here is what Barna found and Amy Kregers questions:
“Christians, especially conservative, evangelical Christians have a higher divorce rate than atheists and agnostics.
The rates by percentage for religious groups was found to be:
Non-Denominational 34%
Mainline Protestants 25%
Atheists/Agnostics 21%
This poll is several years old, however, no change in the trend seems to be occurring. This is especially bothersome to me because I would fall into the “Non-Denominational” category. Perhaps it is ignorance on my part, but I have sort of deemed my marriage to be bullet-proof because my theology dictates that divorce is not a viable option. As a general principle, most evangelical Christians I know have a very strict view of divorce; It is only permissible under cases of abuse or adultery. Why, then, should Christians have a higher divorce rate than atheists?
Several reasons were suggested by the Barna Poll, including:
1. Christians are generally younger when they marry the first time.
2. Christians are less likely to have pre-marital counseling than non-Christians.
3. Christians tend to view their faith as protecting their marriage from divorce.
4. Christians are more likely to be ignorant about the problems that can develop within a marriage.
Sadly, I have to agree that many of these reasons might be accurate. I find it upsetting for several reasons:
1. Christians are supposed to be witnesses to the lost with their lifestyle. A loving, healthy marriage is an excellent way of showing Christ to people. If this union fails, so does the opportunity to use your marriage for the furtherance of the gospel. Satan must also work over-time to make Christian marriages fail because it is such a poor picture of what the Christian life should be like.
2. The Church is supposed to be God’s medium through which married couples can grow in their faith and walk together. If a couple is faithfully attending church and still their marriage falls apart, I have to wonder if the church is doing its job.
3. I wonder if Christians are too likely to rest on the forgiveness of God? Could they possibly thinking, “Since God is loving and forgiving, it is OK if my marriage fails.”?
4. Ultimately, the man and woman in a marriage are the ones responsible for its success. If they fail, the fault must ultimately rest with them. A divorce in a Christian family not only damages the faith of the couple, i.e. “Why did God let our marriage fall apart?” but also has an overwhelmingly negative impact on the children involved.
Christians being known for having the highest divorce rate in mainstream America is completely unacceptable and is a blight on the face of Christ’s church. We must take care to guard our marriages against the attacks of the devil and our culture.”
I researched a bit further and found that a newer Pew Poll found similar results.
Marital Status Among Religious Traditions
Q: Are you currently married, living with a partner, divorced, separated, widowed, or have you never been married?
| U.S. Religious Traditions | Married | Living with partner | Divorced or separated | Widowed | Never married | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members of Evangelical Protestant Churches | 59% | 5% | 13% | 9% | 14% | 9419 |
| Members of Mainline Protestant Churches | 57% | 5% | 12% | 11% | 15% | 7421 |
| Members of Historically Black Protestant Churches | 33% | 6% | 16% | 11% | 34% | 1982 |
| Catholics | 58% | 7% | 10% | 8% | 17% | 8013 |
| Mormons | 71% | 3% | 9% | 5% | 12% | 576 |
| Orthodox | 58% | 3% | 9% | 7% | 22% | 360 |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | 53% | 1% | 14% | 11% | 20% | 213 |
| Other Christians | 49% | 10% | 19% | 6% | 15% | 129 |
| Jews | 57% | 6% | 9% | 8% | 19% | 676 |
| Muslims | 60% | N/A | 9% | 3% | 28% | 1029 |
| Buddhists | 45% | 8% | 12% | 4% | 31% | 410 |
| Hindus | 79% | 0% | 5% | 2% | 14% | 256 |
| Other Faiths | 44% | 9% | 15% | 5% | 26% | 447 |
| Unaffiliated | 46% | 10% | 12% | 4% | 28% | 5005 |
Download PDF of This Comparison
Note the question asks their current status, so some may fall into multiple categories. What strikes hardest is again among non-denominational churches , is the “living with partner” figure, being much higher than than national average. Even mainline and evangelicals churches are almost at the national average in co-habitation.
Again, our non-denominational churches are much higher on number of people divorced and lower than the national average on number currently married. Viewed as actuary data, the average person in America has a more stable marriage than someone in a non-denominational church and about as stable a marriage/respect for the institution of marriage itself , as a person who attends a mainline or evangelical Protestant Church. Catholics appear to be currently living with a person at a higher rate than the national average, yet their current divorced rate is lower than either the national average or evangelicals protestants.
While the moral majorities are out trying to make sure our particular legislation or legislator~candidate gets elected this fall, perhaps it is time we start realizing that the Kingdom of God takes a bottom up approach.
What factors in the church today do you feel contribute to these results?