Really?? Mormon Temple Marriages have only 6% Divorce Rate ?

http://graceforgrace.com/2008/08/30/mormon-temple-marriages-have-only-6-divorce-rate/

Mormons divorce as often as non-Mormons.

"Brigham Young University professor Daniel K. Judd computed in the year 2000 that only 6% of those Mormons who marry in a temple ceremony subsequently go through a temple divorce. This is a small fraction of the rate in the general American population. 3 Unfortunately, the value may not be accurate:

"Most Mormons who have their marriage sealed in a temple ceremony and who subsequently divorce do so in a civil ceremony. This avoids the rather complex temple "cancellation of sealing" (divorce) procedures. Thus, their divorce is not counted in the above figure.

"Some Mormons marry in a temple ceremony, divorce in a civil procedure and subsequently remarry in a second temple ceremony. This would count as two temple marriages and zero temple divorces -- thus reducing the apparent divorce rate.

"Overall, the Mormon divorce rate appears to be no different from the average American divorce rate. A 1999 study by Barna Research of nearly 4,000 U.S. adults showed that 24% of Mormon marriages end in divorce -- a number statistically equal to the divorce rate among all Americans."

http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_divo.htm

That Judd study, the root of those claims, is not methodologically sound. I can't remember the specifics but I'm looking for the source material right now.

I think one of the problems was that he didn't take into account the fact that Mormon temple marriages and civil marriages are separable-- a Mormon couple and get divorced without cancelling a sealing. He also has a natural problem with gathering a representative sample.

http://www.fairblog.org/2008/09/12/temple-mariage-and-civil-divorce/

If this FAIR analysis is accurate, there are some problems with the study:

Basically, using church records they gathered a "random" sample of adults who were married in the temple. They had an 81% response rate. That means that for 19% of the sample they started with, we have no idea whether they are still married to the same partner, or divorced, and we're not entitled to make any assumptions.

Also, 15% of the 81% weren't self-reported. Those numbers came from cooperating bishops who were working from what they knew with the aid of church records. From my visiting teaching experience, and the long list of sisters I contacted over the years, I can safely say that church records aren't the most reliable.

So we have no data at all for 19% of the original sample and guesstimation for 15% of the sample.

Assuming everything else is on the up and up, instead of having a picture of how temple marriages fare divorce-wise, overall, we have a picture of how 66% of a sample of Mormons self-reported, plus 15% of what bishops gathered from church records.

So, really, assuming the sample was indeed random and sufficiently large, what we get is that there's a 6% divorce rate among the 81% of Mormons who responded to the study (included information provided by bishops). If people left the church, went inactive and divorced, even if it was a temple marriage to begin with, those cases were automatically excluded from the data set by their nature.

This means we have a problem with self-selection bias.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2011 11:33AM by angsty.

this was not a measure of temple divorces, but civil divorces among those who had been married in the temple to begin with.

That right there is a serious problem with the data. Things have changed a LOT-- especially in the church where social changes that make divorce more likely (women being able to support themselves) lagged behind average.

not LEGAL divorces (which occur at the same rate as for non-Mormons, as Rebeckah indicates.)

They also neglect to mention that they seldom grant temple divorces unless the legally divorced spouse wants to re-marry (and not always then.) The "6%" temple divorce rate would be MUCH higher if such divorces were routinely granted when requested!

Surprising? No. "Lying for the lord" is automatic for church leaders.

...meaning the sealing was cancelled by church HQs

MOST LDS temple-married couples who divorce don't get a temple divorce. My parents divorced thirty years ago and are still sealed in the temple. Even as a TBM that was no comfort to me. If anything it was a mockery. I just rationalized that the Lord didn't have a more synchronized sealing system because divorces weren't supposed to happen.
Actually I think the low temple divorce rate is an indictment that few LDS divorcees remarry in a temple.

The 6% temple divorce rate is an indictment of the church itself. It's proof of their iron fisted totalitarianism. How many stories have we seen posted here about the church sending letters to former spouses asking for their input on the remarriage of their ex? How many women are horrified at the thought of being stuck with an abusive ex for eternity because the church refuses to grant a temple divorce?

This number is nothing to celebrate. It's another embarrassment for the church in my opinion.

Stunted



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2011 11:21AM by Stunted.

Even if it were true, it would not be a good thing, necessarily. I'm not in favor of divorce but a lot of Mormons stay in miserable marriages because of the emphasis Mormons put on eternal families and their role in salvation. A lot of Mormons get into marriages that go bad because they married for hormonal reasons or to fulfill a life goal...not because they found someone they couldn't live without. I personally know a sad number of Mormons who are just enduring to the end rather than actively working to make a happy marriage and satisfying companionship. They put up all kinds of crap from their TBM spouses because of the pressure in Mormonism to appear the perfect family.

My DH makes me crazy sometimes but he is my BEST friend. And I admit, I married for all the wrong reasons. I was an RM and worried I was getting old. DH was a cute RM who was so good with his little nephews. I figured he would do. Now I realize how profoundly lucky I was we ended up being good friends and how much worse it could be. But if it were worse, many of my Mormon friends would just "endure" and put on a happy face. The lower divorce rate in temple marriages may not be a good thing. It may just be a result of the church strong-arming it's members into staying in bad relationships that really should be brought to an end for the best interests of all involved.

6% is an awfully small number. You can count my parents among those

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/52448024-183/1000-among-culture-data.html.csp?page=1

there are some real divorce stats from the state of Utah, actually a touch higher than other places but then again so is the number of marriages.

Well, I live in Utah, I have also lived in six other states. I was active for much of my life, I married in the temple and have kids.

Divorce among Mormons certainly occurs, but I have not observed anywhere that it is like a 50% number, which I believe is the divorce rate for first marriages nationwide. I THINK, the divorce rate among active Mormons is about 20%, maybe one in five. Just a guess, actually based on counting people I know who are divorced in my current ward. That number seems about right based on other areas (wards) I've lived in.

Now I absolutely agree with the other posters on the thought that many Mormons stay married, but they are NOT happy marriages. I can say, again a guess, that only about 1 in 4 or 5 long term Mormon marriages are "happy ones". Nationwide this number may be about 1 in 3. So Mormons, though not divorcing at the high nationwide rate, have the same problems as other people in about the same proportions, it's just that their culture, their upbringing, does not sanction divorce. Also, many Mormon families have many more children than the nationwide average. I think many Mormons do not divorce because they can not afford to do so. Yea, I believe that statement...

and not civil divorces, is incorrect. The statistics are old and flawed, but they are a measure of the rate of civil divorce among temple marriages.

OK, but what's the obesity rate?

Thanks a lot! Great info and help!