Free Research Paper On The Good News About Marriage

Abstract

The paper provides an insight about one of the famous works of Shaunti Feldhahn, “The Good News about Marriage.” It provides details about the existing marriage system of the United States and gives an account of statistics related to the rate of divorce. The paper argues about the divorce rates of different categories of marriages, such as first marriages and remarriages. It gives a broad view of the changes that one needs to implement in life in order to live a happy married life. The paper gives an account of the Christian thought of marriage and divorce and the statistics related to those who attend the church and those who do not attend any kind of worship services. It provides all the ways and means required to halt a marriage from transforming into a divorce. The paper explains the faults associated with the misleading statistics, which discourage the youth from committing a relationship to marriage. The paper suggests how a pastor or a marriage counselor can guide the individuals and encourage them towards a long married life. Finally, the paper concludes by saying that one should not rely upon statistics and take hasty decisions of divorce, instead make small changes in life and live in a prosperous way.
Marriages survive by hope. If a couple believes that their relationship can improve in a better way, there are high chances that the relationship excels. The couple might need to travel on the difficult path for certain time, but gradually, the path becomes smoother enough that the couple arrives at their destination to lead a pleasant life together. “The good news about marriage” is one of the most famous works, which plays an important role in bringing changes in the marital lives of individuals. The author of the book, Shaunti Feldhahn took great care to make the book as practical and fact-based as possible. The book is an attempt to put a halt to a number of divorces going on in the recent times through simple changes and a little knowledge about marriage .
Feldhahn has all the reasons, which prove that her numbers have a better representation. The facts provided by Feldhahn differ from the reality of the society to a great extent. The statistics that exist in the context of marriages and divorces are so prevalent that they destroy the hope of living a happy married life. In the first chapter called “Surprising News about Marriage,” the author states about the divorce rates in the country. While over 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce, the rate of divorce for remarriages is over 70 percent . The author gives a detailed description of regular attendees of the church and those who are specific about remarriages. The author provided the required research and statistics necessary to give an account of the myths of higher divorce rates.
Though Christians speak much about marriage and family, they have the same opinion about the reality of dissatisfaction and divorce in the married life . Finally, working out a marriage requires huge changes than those, which a majority of couples are willing to make. The most important concern about the statistics is that they mislead the couple by assuming that marriages are meant to end in divorce. The author argues plenty of positive aspects about marriage. She specifies that a large number of marriages last forever. The current rate of divorces has never approached 50 percent and it is around 25 percent in the case of first marriages and 31 percent for all sorts of marriages .
Moreover, the rate of divorce has been declining year after year. She also reminds about the percentage of happy marriages, which are over 80 percent. A vast majority of individuals are glad about their spouse and willing to commit a long married life. The rates of divorce among the church attendees is 50 percent lesser than those who do not attend any worship service. The individuals who engage in one or the other form of worship and those who give a greater priority to faith are happier and content with their married lives. The thoughts and perceptions of a leader dealing with the policy development of marriage and divorce greatly influence the public in regards to marriage. Feldhahn explains about the longevity of remarriages.
In the second chapter titled “Till Death Do Us Apart,” Feldhahn mentions about educated couples staying together for five years have a divorce rate of only 5 to 10 percent. In the third chapter that says, “Happily Ever After,” Feldhahn argues that minor changes prove useful in overcoming the struggles that prevail in the married life to make a big difference . The author realizes that it is not an easy task to obtain good statistics about marriages as different studies pose different questions, wherein the sample is not representative. Moreover, in most of the cases, the data differs in direction and most of the scholars do not easily arrive at conclusions. However, Feldhahn took a great care to provide appropriate cases for conclusion with the help of some of the best experts and best studies in the field of marriage.
With the help of numbers and quoted explanations, Feldhahn argues why the statistics are false when compared to the new ones. In the fourth chapter, “We Gather Together,” the arguments provided by the author help the couples to get rid of discouragement in their lives. It is a common scenario that individuals mostly discuss about the negative aspects of marriage whenever they come across someone who is facing a deep trouble in their married life. The chapter debunks the inaccurate information and plays the role of an optimistic tool for rectifying struggling marriages and persuades them in leading a better life .
In the fifth chapter, “Second Chance Satisfaction,” Feldhahn gives an account of the success of remarriages. She states that over 65 percent of women married for the second time stay committed to their spouses, while the rest are widows rather divorcees. The stunning facts presented by the author force the individuals to take a second thought before arriving at a blunt conclusion. The book is an inspiring message for the couples and encourages in strengthening a committed married life. It is of great use to pastors and marriage counselors, who shape the individuals with their thought process.
In the seventh chapter titled “The Power of Hope,” the author gives a major reason for the discouragement of the individuals in preserving and fighting for their right of marriage as inaccurate statistics. Marriage is a stronger and happier bond between the couples rather than the myth that it is a depressive relation. The book is a best recommendation to those who wish to live a happy married life by making simple changes in order to hold the prosperous relationship of marriage for a lifetime.

References

Feldhahn, S. (2014). The Good News About Marriage: Debunking Discouraging Myths about Marriage and Divorce. Colorado Springs, CO: Doubleday Religious Publishing Group.
Feldhahn, S. (2015, 02 02). Wives, Be Your Husband’s Best Cheerleader – Especially When He Gets Hit! Retrieved 02 06, 2015, from Christian Post: http://blogs.christianpost.com/marriage-mondays-with-shaunti-feldhahn/wives-be-your-husbands-best-cheerleader-especially-when-he-gets-hit-24846/