By Scott Tibbs, April 14, 2017
But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. -- 1 Corinthians 7:9
Marriage is a gift from God, and that gift is the foundation of a stable society. People in their twenties are largely abandoning marriage, and some of them have really weak excuses for doing so. This article in Indiana University's student newspaper is an example of that.
First, the "statistic" that fifty percent of marriages end in divorce is a myth. Even if it was true, the statistic is meaningless for specific couples if both husband and wife are committed to making it work. If half of all people who owned a Nintendo 64 in the 1990's smoked crack, that would not make me more at risk to use it.
The author complains that weddings are expensive. No, they are not. They certainly can be expensive, but there is no requirement that a couple must have a huge wedding. An expensive dress, expensive floral arrangements and a huge reception are not mandatory. I know a number of couples who got married on a budget, and some couples who have even gotten married during a Sunday morning church service.
There is no need to delay marriage in order to establish oneself in a career. In many ways, being married can help that process, as one's spouse can be a valuable source of support and advice while building a career. Many people have been greatly helped in building their career by a supportive husband or wife.
"Older generations" are not encouraging Millennials to get married because that is the way it has always been done. They are encouraging marriage because it is a stabilizing force in society, especially for men. Statistically, the most important factor in predicting economic outcomes for adults and the children they produce is a stable marriage. Today's twenty-somethings do not have it figured it in a way that people across thousands of years of history have not. That is the typical arrogance of every generation that scorns the wisdom of the past.
