Like a failing grade on a final exam or combining vinegar and water, religion and divorce don’t mix well together. A divorce can be a shocking period in ones life.
About 50 percent of all married couples in the United States will be seeking a divorce attorney, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau.
Mother of two, Kay McNeil believes it takes communication to make a marriage work in today’s society.
“You have to stay in tune with one another…you have to know what’s going on in the relationship because you can’t keep everything bottled up,” McNeil said.
McNeil has been married for 11 years now and has two young boys. The 31-year-old said some divorces she has witnessed result from couples tying the knot too quickly.
Shaquana Harper, 22, experienced a divorce in her family. She, like many others, believes that college students should wait until their older to jump the broom.
“Divorces happen as a result of many negative situations,” Harper said.
Studies are continually showing that the older the couple, the more successful the marriage.
“Marriage is good but getting married at an early age you may not be able to experience life fully,” McNeil said.
These experiences expressed by both these women attest that waiting is key to a successful marriage and getting married right out of college is not always a great idea.
Some Christians think the casual attitude of divorce in the secular world is spilling over into the church. TheBible makes it clear that marriage was first instituted by God in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:23-24 states: “This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; for this reason a man will leave his mother and father and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
Rev. Natalie Combs Jackson of New Mt. Zion A.M.E., believes two people should be secure, mature, selfless and self-sufficient before they get married.
“I believe that their relationship with God should be strong and they should be able to understand the expectation of being a spouse,” Jackson said.
“I waited until I was 33 to get married and it was the best thing for me, because I had lived on my own, taken care of myself and spent time on getting to know, love and respect me,” Jackson added.
Jackson doesn’t believe many younger people can fathom all of this, because in most cases they haven’t had a lot of varied life experiences. She advises to wait until God makes it plain.
“That might be 25, 33, 41 or even 50,” Jackson said. “Just don’t be pressured to get married because of age, because God does what he does in his own time.”
Ashlee Neely, a sophomore early education student from West Palm Beach, has the same beliefs when it comes to marriage, yet she believes marriage at a young age is possible.
“I don’t believe love has an age limit,” Neely said. “One of my friends got married at 16 and is still married to this day and has been for eight years. As long as it’s of God’s will, then its OK to get married.”
American author, Frank D. Cox once made the comment that the traditional part of the marriage ceremony might well be changed from “In sickness and in health, till death do us part.” to “In happiness and good health, till divorce do us part.”