Teens Are Down on  Marriage—

Topic(s): Christian Life, Marriage, Youth, Family, Parenting, Divorce

Is Anyone Surprised?

Since 1976, the attitudes and opinions of high school seniors in our country have been recorded and analyzed in the “Monitoring the Future” survey. Some information from a previous survey has me quite concerned. My source of information is Mary Jo Kochakian, in an article entitled “Survey: Teenagers Failing to See Benefits of Marriage” (The Paducah Sun, October 4, 1999). Note the following:

• Those who said having a good marriage and family life was “extremely important:”  Girls—83%  Boys—73%.
• Those who believe their marriages will last a lifetime: Girls—64%  Boys—59%.
• Those who agree that “most people will have fuller and happier lives if they choose legal marriage rather than staying single or just living with someone,”  Girls—30%  Boys—40%.
• Those who said, “Having a child without being married is experimenting with a worthwhile lifestyle or not affecting anyone else,”  Girls—53%  Boys—49%.
• Those who agree that “It is usually a good idea for a couple to live together before getting married in order to find out whether they really get along,”  Girls—55%  Boys—62%.

Do you wonder why they have these attitudes? Do you think they are being realistic? Could it be that they are bombarded with propaganda so much on a daily basis that their view of the subject is distorted? I think that is exactly the case.

Ask yourself which couple a teenager is more likely to hear about: the couple down the street who have divorced after five years of marriage; or, the couple who have been married to each other for 50 years? Do you think the constant revelations about celebrities and their out-of-wedlock relationships and children might have something to do with the apparent pessimism among teens? Do you think the constant portrayal of unhappily married people on TV and other media might contribute? Do you think the “do-your-own-thing, have-sex-with-whomever-you-want” philosophy of society in general has had anything to do with it?

We must get the truth out! Marriage is honorable (Heb. 13:4)! Marriage is good for you (Gen. 1:31; 2:18)! Marriage to one person for the rest of your lives is God’s expectation (Mt. 19:4-6).  —Lance Cordle