Friday, April 29, 2011

Will the Royal Marriage Survive?

Could there have been a better way to showcase marriage than today’s Royal Wedding?

(Three major Filipino networks covered the Royal Wedding in the Philippines).

A colleague wrote an excellent piece on the Royal wedding for National Review Online and today’s BreakPoint commentary from Chuck Colson is based on the article.

“Can this marriage be saved?” writer Anne Morse asked. For the answer, she asked several marriage experts about William and Kate’s chances, based on such factors as their family background, age, faith commitment, life choices, and royal expectations.

For instance, when William’s mother, Lady Diana Spencer, married Prince Charles, virginity was considered all-important in a royal bride. Not anymore. William and Kate lived together before the wedding. This is a bad idea, says Mike McManus, founder of Marriage Savers: He notes that “Couples who are sexually active before marriage are about two-thirds more likely to divorce than those who marry as virgins.”

The reason? Couples who abstain are more likely to develop a strong emotional and intellectual relationship; they don’t just get pushed into it because of physical intimacy. In addition, abstainers are practicing the self-restraint they will need after the wedding, when they are tempted by others.

More bad news: The history of divorce and adultery in the groom’s family. According to Jennifer Roback Morse, author of Smart Sex: Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-Up World, “No question about it: divorce is a condition that can be inherited.” And the fact that both of William’s parents committed adultery “is also a big red flag” Roback Morse says.

Marriage expert Patrick Fagan at the Family Research Council says William and Kate “will need to inoculate themselves against this example, which leaves deep imprinting.” They will need to “grapple with the meaning of fidelity, the suffering and sacrifice involved in that, and the cost they are prepared to pay.”

But according to the marriage experts, William and Kate do have a few things going for them: They are marrying in their late twenties and have known each other for eight years. They also share a university education, and will have no financial worries.

But if they want to improve their chances for a lasting marriage even more, they should consider becoming active members of a church. As Roback Morse observes, “Regular religious practice, at least in U.S. data, is a protective factor against divorce.”

So much are ahead for the Royal newlyweds and how they carry their marriage is guaranteed public spectacle. We ought to pray for the marital happiness of Prince William and his bride Kate; both for their sakes, and for the example they will set for the millions watching them tie the knot.

Adapted from:
A Royal Wedding by Chuck Colson
Can This Marriage Be Saved? by Anne Morse

3 comments:

  1. This part is what I love the most too when the newly minted royal couple, William and Kate, shared a kiss before millions of besotted onlookers in London and around the world after a pitch-perfect wedding ceremony.

    For the past eight years the nation has been kept on tenterhooks as just how serious Prince William was in his relationship with Kate Middleton. But today it has finally been confirmed that she is the love of his life.

    It has been such a long time coming, that poor Miss Middleton, 28, has earned the nickname 'Waity Katie', and her regular presence on his arm at the weddings of friends drew criticism that she has been hanging on for a proposal. A lot of people are hopeful that their relationship would work out forever.

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  2. This blog is very interesting! Well, I do agree with this statement “Couples who are sexually active before marriage are about two-thirds more likely to divorce than those who marry as virgins.” however, it's still depend on the married couple how they will handle the tough obstacles which will come to their lives.

    For the meantime, we can't deny the fact that nowadays lovers are really sexually active before they decide to get married. Some of it will only get married if the girl is already pregnant.

    For Kate and William's issue it's up for them on how they will sustain their love until the end and face the toughest obstacles of their lives. I know they can do it and they will never end up divorcing because I do believe in their love and faith for each other.

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