Attending church regularly can aid in marital bliss.
submitted by Clark Morphew

The greatest help you can get to keep your marriage together and feel better generally is going to church on a regular basis.

Hey, would I kid around about something as important as your health or marriage. I'll tell you another thing, you're probably going to have fewer accidents because people who go to church take fewer risks.

All of this is contained in studies and reported by the National Institute for Healthcare Research. The data about commitment to marriage came out of a Duke University study where researchers studied a national sample of some 13,000
adults. They found that when a husband and wife attend the same church regularly, they are more committed to a lifelong marital relationship.

Those couples who do not attend church or who are members of different congregations, had a different take on marriage. They believe that freedom is important in a marriage and that each spouse should have freedom to do as they please. The study insinuates that having too much freedom could be harmful to a marriage.

This information flies in the face of a societal trend to downgrade marriage as too confining. And it calls into question all the information about marriage that young people get from our highly secular culture. This study says that marriage is important to large numbers of Americans and that freedom to do as you please isn't as important as commitment to one spouse for life.

Another study reported by the health care institute says church attendance helps individuals achieve better mental and physical health. The reason: The church provides opportunities to develop deep relationships with a wide
variety of people. At times of crisis and tragedy, people work together for the common good. People who struggle in their lives do not give in to despair.

All of that gives a person a feeling that life can be good. We see the down side of life, but we are also reminded of the high points when spirits soar and victorious living seems possible.

The study also shows that the more often a person goes to church, the better they feel about their relationships with others. And they feel confident that if something dire happened in their family, a huge support network would be
available and they could call on many people for help.

All of this is true because church may be one of the few places in a person's life where we are allowed to go beyond the superficial in our conversations. At church the important concepts are discussed: sin, salvation, kindness, love, forgiveness and all the other big words. At church we talk about illness and death, about joy and victory, about goodness and mercy.

So you see, there is something beneficial about going to church beyond the wonderful potluck dinners and ice cream socials. There are benefits beyond anything we can imagine. Studies also say that regular church attendance
diminishes people's fear of death. Other studies show that men live a less risky life if they are regular church attenders.

I had never thought of that before, but I have known few bungee-jumping church goers. I've only known one hang-gliding enthusiast who went to church, and he
dropped out after about a year. So, that should prove something.

In our times, there may be no institution on the face of the Earth that is more important in weaving the moral fiber of the culture. Religious institutions are where we find our friends, our values, the foundations that hold us steady during tough times.

And yet, church attendance is down, morality is being weakened, and in some ways the society seems out of control. I hear people say they don't go to
church because worship is boring. Maybe that's just what we need, a boring moment to think things through and work on our spiritual well-being. We have nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

(Clark Morphew is an ordained clergyman and is religion writer for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. Write to him at the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul MN 55101.)

 
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