by Rod D. Martin
November 7, 2013
A fact checker report finds that the divorce rate among practicing Christians is more than 33% lower than you think it is. And that’s both a blessing and a big, big problem.
Mark Twain’s list of the three kinds of lies applies: “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Millions — including a lot of gullible pastors — believe that Christians have the same divorce rate (or higher!) than the world at large. Well, that turns out to be true…but only if you include people who self-identify as “Christian” without ever going to church or in any other way actually being one. Turns out that actual practicing Christians have a radically lower divorce rate. Hmmm….
The gullible pastors in question will protest that even if our divorce rate is just 38% instead of 60%, well, that’s still way too high. And it is. My suggestion: if you guys wouldn’t spread worldly, easily disprovable lies about how prevalent divorce is in the church, maybe divorce would be less socially acceptable to your flock and that 38% would shrink. Oh, and maybe in a world where marriage is under assault, even unbelievers would correctly see that Christianity has something very different and important to offer.
Just a thought. You know, from one of the people who faithfully pays for you to do your jobs better than you are.
(Thanks to Nicholas Stehle for the link.)