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The often-quoted slogan, “The family that prays together, stays together,” is not necessarily true, according to the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California. A recent study by the organization throws doubt on claims that the divorce rate among Christians is substantially lower than other groups.
The Barna study found that divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups, and much higher than for atheists and agnostics.
Divorce Rates Found Shocking
“While it may be alarming to discover than born-again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time,” said George Barna, founder of Barna Research Group. “Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce, many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing.”
Barna said the research also raises questions on the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. “The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife,” said Barna, “but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages.”
Study Faces Criticism
Barna’s conclusions have come under some criticism. David Popenoe, co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, claims the study doesn’t make sense, basing this on his assessment that Christians follow biblical models of the family “that the secular world doesn’t have.”
Another view is expressed by Tom Ellis of the Southern Baptist Convention. He said the Barna study is inaccurate because the people polled may have called themselves born-again Christians without having previously made a real commitment to God. “Just saying you are (a born-again) Christian is not going to guarantee that your marriage is going to stay together,” said Ellis.
(Source: Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance)
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