I read that Catholics are less likely to divorce than Protestants. Any thoughts on why is that?

Question

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/03/AR2007060301240.html

Answer 1

Alot of it has to do with other factors. Many Protestant Churches such as Pentecostal, or Baptist Churches have many economically poor, and uneducated people in them. I am not saying that the RC's have none but if you did a study on economics and education levels you would likely find a correlation as to divorce (even between RC's and Pentecostals in those groups). (Presbyterians for example are generally wealthier, with a much higher level of education than that of the Pentecostal or Baptist Churches...and a lower rate of divorce).

I think as well, amongst the poor (yet actually practicing) RC's, they tend to have more children (no bc's)...hence more need to stay together to survive.

There are other factors, and Christian doctrine I am sure plays a part here...but it is not as plain as just that.

Answer 2

Could it be because the Catholic Church requires engaged couples to go through six-months of classes called Pre-Cana before they can be married in the Church? These classes cover topics like:

Marriage as Sacrament
Conflict resolution
Careers
Family of origin
Catholic understanding of sexuality and marriage
Communication
Children
Commitment and Church
Intimacy, sex and procreation
Natural Family Planning

It is through the classes and discussions that follow, that a couple can get a better understanding of what the marriage commitment is all about. Such scrutiny and reflection helps some couple realize that marriage might not be the best thing for them. And it helps other realize what an important step marriage is, and they decided that yes! they are willing to put in the hard work and sacrifice that's necessary for a successful marriage.

Answer 3

First, that would desire to entail reading greater advantageous than in basic terms the quoted area _and_ remembering it. In different words, they could might desire to make reading the Catechism as significant as, say, reading the Bible. I actually have a replica of the Catechism and mutually as i've got finished some finding in it, to be trustworthy, there are sections the place the translations are incredibly undesirable, as though the guy(s) doing the translating did no longer understand the English language. apart from, like the later creeds, i discover confusion and contradiction. To me, mutually as i discover the Catechism a helpful reference device, this is impossible _for me_ to study without needing pissed off. yet then, i'm no longer Catholic, the two. As on your question, this may well be a consumer-friendly tactic of critics everywhere: use sound bites (or to that end, remoted sentences) to denigrate those being quoted. this is a factor of scare-crow or straw-guy development that is going on each and all of the time. And this is a device of the commerce for people who declare to understand greater advantageous than people who actively stay their faith.

Answer 4

Chuckle, I suspect that started when Henry the 8th broke with the Catholic Church to get his divorce. I think religion does have something to do with compatibility in a marriage. I married a Christian woman the 1st time I got married... my second time I married an atheist & we've been married 35 yrs now. I'm an atheist & always resented the continued harrassment to join a church or contribute to the well being of said church.

Answer 5

The Catholic church as a whole is still against divorce.

The different denominations of Protestants hold differing ideas as to marriage.

If people are in a church that does not believe in divorce and re-marriage, they quite often change churches to accommodate that sin (I know of 2 people who have done that in the last couple years.)

Answer 6

If a divorce isn't sanctioned by the Catholic Church they don't count it. If a Catholic gets divorced without a proper reason and then gets remarried, the Church only recognizes the first marriage, not the divorce, and he is classified as living in adultery.

Answer 7

Because if Catholics divorce, they get kicked out of their church. However they can get their marriage "annulled" which is to say it never happened.

Answer 8

Because catholics have more rituals that they follow, and considering divorce is considered bad- they follow it and stick to their marriage.

Answer 9

because their church say marriage is forever and they are very afraid of the church.people who divorce are excommunicated from the church so they stay together no matter how bad the marriage is.some of them divorce but in general they play by the rules.

Answer 10

They live by the law. The Catholic law is no divorce.