Marriage & Divorce in the Bible Belt
Angel S. George
Ridge View High School
November 22, 2016
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to analyze what may have contributed to the rise in divorce rates, especially in the southern region known as the Bible Belt. For this proposal, I will be assessing peer-reviewed articles and other scholarly articles to examine the impact of divorce on others, especially on any children involved in the marriage. I will also be looking at the Bible as a reference to address the Christian views on marriage, how secular culture may have influenced Christians to deviate from those beliefs.
Keywords: Bible Belt, South, Marriage, Divorce, Rates, Impact, Children
Marriage and Divorce in the Bible Belt
Christians view marriage as a lifelong union, and while some Christians believe that there is nothing wrong with divorce, others disagree, saying that second-marriages are wrong. At the same time, the rest of the population demoralizes Christians and mocks their view on marriage, looking upon marriage as an unsacred, but lifelong commitment, excluding Christ as the center of the marriage, often leading to divorces. From where did these differences arise among christians and non-christians when marriage was viewed similarly to that of the Christian views in earlier generations? Why are there divisions in views among Christians themselves? Having been born and brought up in a Pentecostal family, I always practiced the strictest forms of Christian beliefs. So, I would like to mention early that I follow and practice the apostolic doctrine of marriage and divorce. Views on marriage and divorce has changed over time, and Christians have veered away from the Biblical views on such institutions with cultural progression.
Literature Review
Apostolic Doctrine on Marriage
The Bible explicitly states how marriage is between a man and a woman. The first marriage in the Bible was constituted by God Himself. God created a partner for Adam, Eve, not another Adam, showing that a perfect relationship requires a certain level of differences as well as similarity. When God created Eve, He did not separate Eve, but she was the part of Adam. Adam says, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (King James Version (KJV), Gen. 2.23-24). In the New Testament, Jesus affirms this: “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” (KJV, Matt. 19.4-5). The Bible clearly does not support homosexuality, and this is not new either. God warns His people through the example of Sodom and Gomorrah: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha [mentioned in Genesis 19], and the cities about them in like manner [about five cities were destroyed], giving themselves over to fornicatin, and going after strange flesh [homosexuality], are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (KJV, Jude 1.7). The same can be seen in 2 Peter 2:6: “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly” (KJV). The Bible holds those who approve of such things just as guilty and accountable as those who practice them: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness . . . For this cause God have them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet . . . Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (KJV, Rom. 1.18, 26-27, 32). Earthly marriage is a shadow of our heavenly marriage with Jesus Christ, our bridegroom, wherein we are united by His love through the Holy Spirit, which is inseparable (KJV, Rom. 8.35). Therefore, the love between a man and a woman after marriage should be one that is inseparable, a true love. Also, the Bible does not permit one to divorce and remarry unless the circumstances clearly legitimizes the divorce such as in a case where one is unfaithful in the marriage. Jesus Himself says in Matthew: “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (KJV, Matt. 19.9). Therefore, a certificate of divorce may only be given in such a case where a partner has been unfaithful in the marriage or prevents his or her significant other from leading life in the faith.
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Views on Marriage & Divorce Over Time in the United States
According to The Evolution of Divorce, there was a rise in divorce rates in the 1980s, and it has been steadily increasing since then. If one looks at the culture of America, early 1900s American culture closely reflects Biblical values. Before 1970s-80s, people looked at marriage and family as duty, obligation, sacrifice, etc. During the 1970s, though, there was a psychological revolution. People's primary obligation was not to one's family, but to one's self. Rather than seeking happiness in marriage and in the family as a whole, Americans began seeking emotional relationship with his or her spouse (this was more of a personal thing). This gave rise to the "soul-mate model" of marriage, which lead to more divorce in court because now people who felt they were in unfulfilling marriages, felt obligated to divorce in order to honor this new idea of "individualism” (Wilcox, 2009). For example, in the 1960s, about half of American women agreed with the idea that "when there are children in the family parents should stay together even if they don't get along" (Wilcox, 2009). By 1977, only 20% of American women held this view (Wilcox, 2009). So, from this point, based on research it is evident that Americans began to prioritize the emotional welfare of adults, giving moral permission to divorce for virtually any reason.
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Marriage & Divorce in the Bible Belt
The national divorce rate is about 9.2 divorces per 1,000 men and 9.7 divorces per 1,000 women (Wilcox, 2009). Based on statistics, these rates are actually higher in the Southern region known as the "Bible belt" than in the Northeastern part of the United States. The Bible Belt comprises of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas (Robinson, 2000). An article done on the effects or relationship between the proportion of fundamentalists on gender attitudes, explores conservative gender attitudes (secular influence) on religion. It argues that states with more fundamentalists hold more conservative gender attitudes (Moore & Vanneman, 2003). This is true about the Bible Belt region. Yet, divorce is also more prevalent in this area.
In an article on what is fueling Bible Belt divorces, Katia Hetter provides several reasons that may contribute to higher divorce rates, especially higher divorce rates in the Bible Belt. For this research, the hypothesis is that it may be caused by the influence of secular culture. Hetter backs this hypothesis in her article. Of the reasons that may contribute to higher divorce rates are marrying at an early age, marrying with less education, and she [Hetter] also states that there is “a moral crisis in red states that's produced by higher divorce rates” and this is due to the “enormous tension between moral values and actual practices” (2011). Another study on U.S. divorce rates done by B.A. Robinson, mentions some of the factors that contribute to a higher divorce rate in the Bible Belt and this list also includes couples entering their marriages at a younger age, lower household incomes and also suggests that a factor maybe that there is a lower percentage of Roman Catholics, a denomination that does not recognize divorce in the Bible Belt (2000). In the year 2009, southern men and women had a higher rate of divorce than its counterparts with “10.2 per 1,000 for men and 11.1 per 1,000 women” (Hetter, 2011). Marriage as an institution exerts less power over individual’s lives than it did before. Now, because of no-fault divorces, the value of marriage is so diluted. Also, because of no-fault divorces, people feel less locked in and so they go in with the mindset that they can get a divorce easily if ever needed (Alesina & Giuliano, 2007). If one looks at the evolution of marriage as a whole, “Even people who are completely committed to ‘traditional’ family life and communities that have laws and values to penalize departures from older norms have been caught up in these marital changes” [marital changes such as divorce] (Coontz, 2005). As a result of these changes, our work practices, interpersonal ethics and our very cherished emotional assumptions about marriage, is challenged.
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Impact of Divorce on Children
In some cases, divorce maybe better for those involved. But nowadays, couples seek divorce for just about any reason. They fail to consider what their children might be going through, the emotional impact it may be having on their children. Just as the Lerners state, “Divorce, the act of legally ending a marriage, is a common occurrence in modern America” (2006). In fact, over one million children are part of a marriage ending in divorce every year in the US. An article done on the impact of divorce on children, focuses on nontraditional families such as single-parent families. It addresses the relationship between divorce, a family’s composition, to a child’s well-being. It analyzes impact on a child’s personal adjustment such as self-control, leadership, responsibility, cognitive functioning, interpersonal relationships and social behavior. According to this finding, “Children reared in households where the two biological parents are not present will exhibit lower levels of well-being than their counterparts in intact nuclear families, The adverse effects on youthful well-being will be especially acute when the cause of parental absence is marital separation, divorce, or desertion” (Acock & Demo, 1988). By involving children in the divorce process, separated or divorced parents may degrade one another or turning the child against the other parent. These are things that cause a child to feel alienated. Children who experience these are, according to research, more likely to internalize the insults toward their parent and believe they are not loved and that the divorce is actually their fault.
In The Times (United Kingdom), an article was published recently. It asks a child what he or she feels when his or her parents divorce. It describes divorce through the eyes of the children, a rare point of view one looks at. In the article, a child was quoted: “Every time someone asks me to describe my immediate family, I give an inward sigh. There are no fewer than seven divorces shared between my parents, step-parents, former step-parents and parent's partners, and explaining this to an outsider — least of all one who grew up with the basic two-parent package — can be long-winded” (Rachel, 2016). In an another article, Barbara Kantrowitz, reports on a psychologist’s look into the long-term effects of divorce on children. In it, a psychologist named, Judith Wallerstein, explores with children whose parents had recently split up. Wallerstein concluded that the effects of divorce were “lifelong and traumatic for children” (Kantrowitz, 2000). Kantrowitz stated that, “while their parents might feel liberated by getting out of an unhappy marriage, the kids were bereft” (2000). In the interviews done by Wallerstein, many expressed “a profound pessimism about their future” (Kantrowitz, 2000).
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References
Alesina, A., & Giuliano, P. (2007, April). Divorce, fertility and the value of marriage. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/alesina/files/divorce-0407.pdf
Coontz, S. (2005, December 22). The Evolution of matrimony: The changing social
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Demo, D. H., & Acock, A. C. (1988). The impact of divorce on children. Journal of
Marriage and the Family, 619-648. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from
http://ohiofamilyrights.com/Reports/Special-Reports-Page-4/The-Impact-of-Divorce-on-Children.pdf
Hetter, K. (2011, August 25). What's fueling Bible Belt divorces. Retrieved October
18, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/08/25/divorce.bible.belt/
Kantrowitz, B. (2000, September 4). Echoes of the Breakup: In her latest book, a
psychologist takes another look at the long-term effects of divorce on children. Newsweek, 48. Retrieved November 22, 2016, from Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Moore, L. M., & Vanneman, R. (2003, September). Context Matters: Effects of the
Proportion of Fundamentalists on Gender Attitudes. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.vanneman.umd.edu/papers/moorev03.pdf
Rachel, C. (2016). How does it feel when your parents divorce? Children speak out.
Times, The (United Kingdom), 4,5.
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Robinson, B. A. (2000, April). U.S. divorce rates for various faith groups, age
groups, & geographic areas. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://academic.laverne.edu/~ear/te/TEMain/News/DivorceRatesUS.pdf
Why Divorce Is Bad. (2006). In K. L. Lerner, B. W. Lerner, & A. W. Lerner (Eds.), Family
in Society: Essential Primary Sources (pp. 49-52). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved November 22, 2016, from Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Wilcox, W. (2009). The Evolution of Divorce. National Affairs. Retrieved November 18,
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