Co-habitation and marriage

[MJJean]

I wonder if this is just because more** devoutly religious people are less likely to live together and also less likely to divorce? **As opposed to secular people who divorce and live together more often. Not sure therefore if one thing actually causes the other

I’m sure that’s part of it. If people truly believed that marriage was for life and cannot be dissolved by divorce they would be a lot more careful who they marry. But if you’re not religious or from a religion that tolerates divorce, then you don’t see any harm in trying out marriage to see how it goes.

Another thing I have noticed among people who co-habitate and then marry is that they seem to marry when their relationship is already in trouble. It’s like people think getting married will fix the problems they are having. Of course, it doesn’t. Then the couple ends up divorced.

 

[ShanPO]

Will the church marry a couple who co-habitates and willing states it to the priest?

My wife and I dated for 2 years before we moved in together. I didn’t want to, but it was really a matter of economics. She was living in a very bad apartment and could only get into a nicer one with my help. We were already planning our wedding, and while still not right, that’s how I justified it to myself. While going through our wedding prep, the priest knew we were living together, and told us to try to live as chastely as possible. We moved in together in January, and 10 months later we were married. It would have been sooner, but we wanted to get married on Halloween (which we couldn’t for other reasons). I’m happy to say that this October will be 10 years of wedded bliss, and while not every second has been the greatest of my life, I wouldn’t trade any of them for all the money in the world.

Honestly, though, I wish we could have be able to not live together prior to our marriage and if my son comes to me down the line and says he wants to move in with his girlfriend (he’s 4 now, so no worries for the time being) I will tell him I think it’s not a good idea, but ultimately, he’s going to have to make his own decision.