Divorce

Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk entitled Divorce. In it, he said, “In one way or another, divorce touches most families in the Church.”  And I think we can add that it touches most families who aren’t members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well.  It may not touch you through an immediate family member, but most people have an aunt, uncle, or cousin (or really close friend) that has been divorced or is currently going through a divorce.  It is hard to see the pain that they endure.  I don’t believe that anyone (in their right mind) goes into a marriage believing that it will end in divorce.  What would be the point of getting married in the first place?  

In society today, divorce has become more and more prominent.  Spencer W. Kimball said in a General Conference address, “The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.”  Satan is working to attack families more than ever before because he knows that the family is central to Gods plan of happiness.  He works to distort the way we see things and blinds us to the consequences of our actions.  We have to be willing to stand up for what we believe in and be able to convey our thoughts to others when they have questions. 

According to The State of our Unions, while the national divorce rate may be fifty percent, for most people it is much lower.  There are several factors that have been found to decrease the chance for divorce.  They include having an annual income of more than $50,000, being affiliated with a religion, having parents that are still married, having a college degree and waiting an average of seven months after marriage to have children (p 74).  While some of these factors are out of our control, most of them are completely in our hands.  In my opinion, the most important factor in avoiding divorce is having a relationship with God.  When a husband and wife are both continually striving to draw closer to God, they will grow closer to each other as well.  I know that God will help strengthen marriages so long as husbands and wives are both trying their hardest to live righteously and strengthen their relationships with him and each other.