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The Truth of Marriage
Ball and chain…Tied down…Taking the plunge…
Marriage is so much more.
Myths about marriage hurt relationships and discredit the good marriage does for our society. But the truth shows just how vital a healthy marriage culture is to a thriving society.
Marriage
Myth
Most married couples are unhappy and miserable.
VS.
Truth
Social science shows that married people are happier and healthier, and have better relationships than couples of any other status.
"Married people have been found to have the best mental and physical health, followed by the single (never-married) and then the previously married. Generally, the health advantage of the married has been found to persist even when controlling for age, health behaviours, material resources acquired through marriage, and other relevant socio-demographic, health behaviour and health status factors."
Focus on Families – 2007 Summary Report
Sex
Myth
Sex with one person for the rest of your life is boring.
VS.
Truth
Studies show that married people are actually happier with their sex lives.
"[B]ased on data from the 1992 National Health and Social Life Survey[,] … levels of emotional and physical satisfaction with sex are highest for married people and lowest for noncohabiting singles, with cohabitors falling in between."
Waite & Lehrer, The Benefits from Marriage and Religion in the United States: A Comparative Analysis, Popul Dev. Rev. 29 (June 2003)
Divorce
Myth
We've grown apart. We'll be happier if we move on.
VS.
Truth
86% of unhappily married people who stick it out find that, 5 years later, their marriages are happier. In fact, three-fifths say their marriages are now very happy or quite happy.
Pornography
Myth
Pornography doesn't hurt anyone, and it won't impact my marriage.
VS.
Truth
Pornography destroys married sex lives, and studies show watching it increases support for adultery.
Adultery
Myth
Affairs are exciting, and they give you what you aren't getting from your marriage.
VS.
Truth
Adultery will crush you, your spouse, and your children. Any supposed thrill associated with it will be dwarfed by adultery's impact on your family. The aftermath is devastating.
Read More
Dig Deeper
Tim Keller, "Marriage in Gospel Focus."
"Devastation: Why Divorce Must Decline for America to Prosper"
- Family Research Council
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