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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Marriage, Reconcilliation and Hope

By Obed Bazikian, Intern

Andrea Mrozek of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada wrote an article about strengthening marriage by addressing the issue of divorce. Mrozek advocates for reform to the no-fault divorce law in Canada, which not only allows couples to divorce without providing any legitimate reason, but a spouse can divorce their mate even if the other wants to work out their relationship. To be clear, this law has and does benefit those who are mistreated or in abusive relationships, which was the intention behind establishing no-fault divorce. However, since its establishment in Canada and like laws in other Western countries, divorce has become all too common.

 Mrozek references some interesting findings from The Institute for American Values. One study states that of couples who have filed for divorce, 40% of one or both of them have a desire to be reconciled. Among Minnesota’s divorced population, 66 percent wished that they would have tried harder to reconcile with their former spouse. An astonishing final study states that “two out of three unhappily married adults who avoided divorce or separation were happily married five years later.”

If the partners would make every effort to work out their differences, as the last study references, over 60 percent of potential divorces could be reconciled successfully and result in a happy marriage. That is exciting news. Marriage is hard work and requires a new level of self-sacrifice that most are not used to prior to their “I do’s.” But, if you stick it out, there are benefits on so many levels. The Marriage and Religion Research Institute’s 162 Reasons to Marry provides a detailed window into these different areas a committed marriage can profit not only yourself, but society. So if divorce is on your mind, seek a counselor and get help! There is hope for you and your marriage!

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