Go Figure

We all hear statistics and numbers thrown around and usually don't think anything about them. We quote them without truly understanding the full implications or background, or sometimes even the means from which the stats are compiled. That hit me really hard a few minutes ago. I have heard for years that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Kind of sobering...troubling and disheartening. Some even use that to enbolden a desire to "get rid of the wife or husband" and find someone new. They will say things like, "well you know, 50% of marriages end in divorce".

That is not necessarily true. According to Focus on the Family, "that figure is derived, not from long-term analysis, but from the fact that the raw number of new divorces each year is roughly 50 percent of the raw number of new marriages. These numbers are distorted by the fact that people with successful marriages usually marry only once, while people with failed marriages have often married and divorced multiple times.

Fortunately, new data from pollster George Barna included a more meaningful statistic. Of all Americans who have ever married, only one-third have ever been divorced. This two-to-one ratio of marital success should encourage young people who may actually fear the "50-50" marriage myth.

Another misconception is that a person's religion and values have nothing to do with marital success. Barna found that the percentage of people who have been divorced after marrying is lower among Catholics, evangelicals and conservatives than it is among non-Christians and liberals. That's not to mention the fact that more born-again Christians (84%) have been married in the first place than atheists and agnostics (65%).

For those just embarking on the adventure of marriage, be encouraged — your chances of making it "until death do you part" may be better than you've been told.

Go figure!