marriage

[Ray]

Heck...staying together takes a lot of work and committment. I'm coming up on 29 years soon. There are explanations for the divorce rate which mostly boil down to: it is easier (financially for the wife) and more socially acceptable than it once was.

Families that have regular activities together do have an advantage over those that don't (as far as staying together).

Husbands and wives that cherish each other and subordinate their wants (fairly and when appropriate) to the needs of the relationship have a good chance of staying together.

 

[shesulsa]

I think unless each of the two people who form a couple are willing to lay all their cards on the table and discuss absolutely everything together in an honest, frank and safe fashion, there cannot be any hope of successful marriage. Not all failed marriages end in divorce or death - many dead marriages are still intact in the eyes of the law.

If one is not willing to bare one's soul - all of one's dirty little secrets and nasty laundry - in the interest of healing and helping, we cannot hope to be each other's soft place to fall.

With the convenience of divorce and technological advances today it is much easier to give up, whether that means giving up and leaving or giving up and not trying hard enough to keep someone in one's life. It's easy to get counseling - easier, though, to NOT get it.

 

[Ping898]

I'm wondering what all you thinkers think about this statement.

"the family that prays together, stays together"

Hmm...so my thoughts on this are coming kind of late, but thought I would throw them in anyways...

I don't think that praying together means always staying together staying together. But there are many different interpretations of this quote I have heard to that like the family that eats together stays together. Personally I think if you look at the broader point of the quote it makes sense. Seems to be a family that prays together spends time together. My family used to eat dinner as a family every night until my sister went off to college and I started karate, mom, sis and I went to church every Sunday together. We played games as a family, and other stuff too. I mean you need all the other skills of communication and compromise to stay together too. But I think that spending time together also plays a big part in keeping a family together, cause if you never together how can you learn to communicate or even really have the ability to. Just my thoughts....

 

[markulous]

That's one major problem with society. You are taught by your parents and teachers that one of your goals in life need to be getting married. If I met the right girl then I wouldn't hesitate to get married. But I have known people that get so depressed without someone that they find someone that treats them like crap and marries them because they don't want to be "lonely". Marriage is like having sprinkles or syrup(whatever your fancy) on ice cream. You don't need it and if it's crappy or rotten it will ruin ALL of your ice cream. But if you manage to find the perfect one that matches the flavor of your ice cream then why not use it?

And "the family that prays together stays together", I don't agree with. If all that means is being active in the church with each other then I have seen that fail many times. I have seen evil people go to church and act like they are actually upholding values. But when in reality that couldn't care less about anyone but themselves.

 

[The Prof]

There is some validity to that statement. (Only some) We pray together in our family every day at the dinner table. We also pray together in church.

I know many falilies that pray together and still have had divorce, adultry, abuse, etc. I know other famlies who rarely pray and they seem to be quite happy and well rounded.

My theory is that the more you do together as a family the better your chances are to survive as a family.

Praying together works for us.