I hate divorce” says the Lord God of Israel (Kings James Bible, 1996)
Divorce is the legal severing of marital bonds and is on the rise in North America. In 2011, divorce in Blacks or African Americans is at an all-time high. Divorce has many implications for a society. If current trends continue, researches postulated that if African American children were not born outside of wedlock, the African American population would fail to reproduce itself and would rapidly die off. Blacks who are married live longer, are wealthier, happier, and choose healthy behaviors compared to Blacks who are divorced. Many Blacks living in the South or the “Bible Belt” of America profess faith in Christ or other spiritual connections, are often frequent church attendees, and would be more apt to participate in Christian Divorce support groups that recommend forgiveness.
Forgiveness has received much attention in recent years and is associated with improve physical and mental health. Hurst (2011, para. 4) suggests that “forgiveness can not only heals peo-ple, relationships, and families, it can unite nations”. Many major religions including Christianity have under¬stood and recommended the spiritual healing power of forgiveness for years. Forgiveness in divorce is critical for personal and societal recovery, but can be a long, slow, and painful process. Research into divorce continues to grow paint a contrary picture in a community that prides itself on its spiritual roots and support for families. This article will review the role of faith and forgiveness on the health of Southern Blacks and document the role of Christian divorce support groups.
Key words: Divorce, Blacks, Faith, Spirituality, Divorce Support Groups, and Diseases.
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The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (2007). Marriage and African Americans. Retrieved from http://www.jointcenter.org/DB/factsheet/marital.htm
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Divorce is sweeping across the nation in Christian homes as well as homes that are secular. The majority of these divorce cases occur due to infidelity that has taken place or is taking place in the marriage. Doctor James Dobson takes a look at why divorce rate is so high and offers solutions to those who are on the brink of a divorce. He firmly believes that any marriage is worth saving and every effort should be put forth to stop a divorce from taking place even if one of the spouses has admitted to being unfaithful.
Marriage is the foundation of modern society and has historically been present in most civilizations. Marriage is associated with many positive health outcomes and is encouraged across most racial/ethnic groups. According to Sbarra, Law, and Portley (2011), the social institution of marriage has changed much since the 19th century especially in the way it can be terminated. Married African American or Black men are happier, make more money, are less likely to face poverty, and choose healthier behaviors than their counterparts that are divorced (Bachman, Clayton, Glenn, Malone-Colon, & Roberts, 2005). The converse is true for Black women who seem to be the only sub-group not to achieve the universal health and other benefits gained from marriage (Bachman, et al., 2005). This paradox in marital benefits have many implications including lower martial satisfaction and divorce.
In the book, Black families at the crossroads, virtually every measurable aspect of the quality of life for Black Americans is declining. Poverty, crime, drug addiction, disease, and educational problems continue to plague a growing segment of the Black population. An enriched understanding of the Black family - an institution seen as both the cause and victim of many of these problems - is an essential step toward stemming the decline of the quality of life in Black America. This book offers a comprehensive examination of the diverse and complex issues surrounding the Black family unit as it has evolved from preslavery to contemporary society. Robert Staples and Leanor Boulin Johnson draw on more than fifty years of combined experience studying
Bumpass LL, Sweet JA, Cherlin A. 1991. The role of cohabitation in declining rates of marriage. Demography 53:913 27
Marriage, as an institution, has evolved in the last few decades. As society progresses, the ideas and attitudes about marriage have shifted. Today, individuals are able to choose their partners and are more likely marry for love than convenience. While individuals are guaranteed the right to marry and the freedom to choose their own partners, it has not always been this way. Starting from colonial times up until the late 1960’s, the law in several states prohibited interracial marriages and unions. Fortunately, in 1967, a landmark case deemed such laws as unconstitutional. Currently, as society progresses, racism and social prejudice have decreased and interracial marriages have become, not only legal, but also widely accepted.
Marriage is the legal or formally recognized union of a man and a woman, or two people or the same sex as partners in a relationship. Marriage rates in the United States have changed drastically since the last 90’s and early 2000 years (Cherlin 2004). Marital decline perspective and marital resilience perspective are the two primary perspectives and which we believe are the results from the decline. The marital decline perspective is the view that the American culture has become increasingly individualistic and preoccupied with personal happiness (Amato, 2004). The change in attitudes has changed the meaning of marriage as a whole, from a formal institution
Divorce is prevalent in many parts of the developed world, it has been estimated that roughly 50% of marriages in America up until the 1980’s ended in divorce (Rutter). Divorce is arguably a personal hardship for both partners and their children, in that the stress of the divorce places both men and women at varying risks of psychological and physical health problems (Hetherington, Stanley-Hagan and Anderson 1989). However, using C. Wright mills’ definition of the “Sociological Imagination” we begin to view divorce as not just a personal problem of a particular man or woman, but as a societal concern that affects a wider category of people at a personal level. Therefore this essay will examine the societal structures which contribute to divorce
Marriage is a commitment that seems to be getting harder to keep. The social standards placed on an individual by society and influenced by the media inevitably lead some to consider divorce as a “quick-fix” option. “Have it your way” has become a motto in the United States. It has become a country without any consideration of the psychological effects of marriage and divorce. The overwhelmingly high divorce rate is caused by a lack of moral beliefs and marital expectations.
First of all, America has the highest divorce rate among western nations. Divorce rate increased after every major war, and decreased during the Post-World War II economic boom. The divorce rate has more than doubled since 1940, when there were two divorces for every 1,000 persons. Now for the same number of people, there are over five divorces. Studies indicate that there is more divorce among persons with low incomes and limited education and those who marry at a very young age. Teenage marriages are much more likely to end in divorce than are all other marriages. And women who marry when they are over age 30 are the least likely to become divorced. There has been a decline in divorce in the number of couples who have children under 18. Almost 45 p...
Stephanie Coontz, author of The Evolution of Matrimony: The Changing Social Context of Marriage, writes that there has been more changes in marriage in the past 30 years then there was in the 3,000 years earlier. With these changes there are no religious or cultural exclusions. Coontz claims, “Right here is America’s Bible belt exist some of the highest rates of divorce and unwed motherhood in the country, and born again Christians d...
Every year approximately 2.4 million marriages occur.Out of those,2.1 millionwill file for divorce in the United States. These marriage and divorce rates have significantly increased since the years past(Coltrane and Adams, 364).According to Schoen, in the 1950’s, 15 out of 1,000 marriages ended in divorce.In the 1970’s, the rates of divorcedoubled,increasing to 40 per 1,000 marriages. Currently, the rate of marriages resulting in divorce remains the same. Most marriages are ending within seven years ofthemarriage for multiple different reasons. Sociologists haveestablisheddivorce as a social problem from the rise in divorcerates due to the early year of marriages (2006).
Wimberly, E.P. (1997). Counseling African American marriages and families [Electronic Version]. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
One tough thing about today's American family is divorce. In 1816, one marriage out of one hundred ended in divorce. Then between the years 1869-1888, divorce increased up to one hundred and fifty percent. And the worse, between the years 1960-1980, the divorce rate increased up to two hundred and fifty percent. Divorce rates peaked in 1981 and then started to decline a little during the mid 1980's. However, divorce rates now are as high as they have ever been. Now fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. There are five reasons for the increase in divorce. The first reason is in modern societies; individual happiness is regarded to be important so when people are unhappy with their marriage, they break-up and split. The second reason is it is easier to get divorced financially. The third reason is that women's economic independence has contributed. The fourth reason is the stigma of divorce has lessened so people are not
Robson, Ruthann. "The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History: Marriage." Houghton Mifflin Study Center. 19 Nov. 2005. http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/women/html/wh_022200_marriage.htm.
Since the creation of mankind, humans all over the world have fallen in love and believe that they have found “the one.” People get married and realize that it is not always “happily ever after.” A large percentage of couples are unable to maintain their relationship, because of this, they choose divorce. Many spouses, believe that this is the best solution to deal with problems between each other. However, many people think carefully before getting entangled into marriage. Nevertheless, divorce rates still continue to increase to this very day. It certainly looks as if divorces occur more now than they did 20 years ago. There are three causes of divorce: changing of a woman’s household status, financial situations, and lack of communication.