Although functional atheists can value marriage, I find that (generally speaking) it is people who adhere to theistic faiths who are more likely to value marriage.

That is why I said "functional atheists".

We can only hope.

that's an incomplete assessment though

if its only taking into consideration a percentage of a population divorced, because you cant be divorced if you weren't married

for example , if 50 percent of a population has been married and 25 percent of that population has been divorced

and

30 percent of another population have been married but only 20 percent of the population were divorced


than the incidence would be 1/2 of marriage in the first population divorcing and 2/3 of marriages in the second population ending in divorce,,

there would actually be a higher tendency between those of the second population where 20 percent divorced, than between those of the first where 25 percent divorced


so are the numbers given a percent of those populations on the whole, or only a percent of those who marry? because it makes a difference

the problem again is comparing apples to oranges

it seems to use a rate that is based upon the whole population as opposed to the MARRIED or ONCE MARRIED population

in a population where marriage is more prevalent, we can expect a higher percentage to be divorced,, as it is hard to divorce if one never marries,,

well, 'adherence' is a hard trait to really define,, so who knows,,,

Stats are so misleading..I never believe them.

'many avoid marriage because they don't want to be 'forced' to share"

That is not a 'fact' -- I believe that is your personal opinion, which I disagree with. Sharing what? Material things? That's what prenuptial contracts are for, so not wanting to share or have your wealth taken from you because of a marriage and divorce can be remedied.

While marriage has some advantages, I have found that it has more disadvantages for a person who desires to be free and more independent in all aspects of their lives, including how they earn or spend money, how they think, how they eat, how they worship, what they believe, and how they like to spend their time.

Unless you find someone who accentuates, supports, agrees with, and accepts who you are and your chosen lifestyle, marriage can be one battle or problem after another.

But if what you want from marriage is to raise a family and marriage makes you feel more secure and legally protects each person then I don't see much of a reason for it other than the benefits granted to a married couple by the government.

So a marriage is a contract with each other AND THE GOVERNMENT enforces it.

Regarding the faith angle, people can drift away from the teachings of their faith when it comes to dating and marriage.

Also, I'd like to add the following statistic from the Barna Group:

"A representative from Barna also pointed out the atheists and agnostics have lower rates of marriage and a higher likelihood of cohabitation, a combination of behaviors that distort comparisons with other segments." (Quote Source)

From DivorceScience.org:

"There are numerous debates about whether there are different divorce rates among the various religions. Too often these discussions are based on data that has been collected on limited samples or by organizations that have a partisan orientation. In one of the recent US Census reports, based on the National Survey of Family Growth, there is the most reliable data to date about the probability of divorce among US citizens based on their religious background.

Those individuals that express no religion or religious preference have the highest likelihood of divorce, next is Protestant, followed by Catholics with other religions having the most least likelihood of divorce over the 20 year time period. Only 43% of the non-religious group is likely to be married for 20 years, while 65% of the "��other religious"�� group is likely to be married. Protestant (50%) and Catholics (53%) are in between. Although this information is interesting, it is much more important to ask questions about people'��s engagement and/or practice of their religious faith such as church attendance, participation in religious service and so forth. These activities are likely to be much more influential on marriage and family life than the mere "��religious affiliation"�� tag of "Protestant,"�� "��Catholic," etc."

Why is all the emphasis being put on getting married anyway? I could've got married years ago, but just didn't want to and I wasn't going to be pressurised into it either. Some of my mates got married young and some are happy and still together, some together and miserable with each other and some split up and with other people. That's life though. Maybe one day i'll change my mind and take the plunge, but i'm just of the mindset that if I do get married then I have to be sure that it's for the right reasons and not peer pressure!

Regarding those American divorce statistics, I'd like to know what percentage of Christians are divorced or separated because they were married to non-Christians.

Oh, for the record, divorce isn't an absolute wrong in the Christian faith. Jesus himself said that it was acceptable to God for a person to divorce a spouse who engaged in sexual immorality.