Divorce Affects Children's Religion

According to the Chicago Tribune, a new study recently found that “children of divorce reveals that kids raised in happy, intact marriages are twice as likely to worship later in life than children whose parents divorce,” even amicably. The study, also reported on Zenit.org, revealed that, “the children of divorce are less religious when they reach adulthood than those who grew up in intact families.” While the figures vary, according to Zenit, one study found that people whose parents never divorced claimed to be very or fairly religious, while “only half of those whose parents had divorced said the same.” Church-going statistics support these findings: according to Zenit, “in terms of church attendance more than a third of young adults from intact families attend a religious service almost every week compared to a quarter of those from divorced families.”

It's not just church attendance and worship habits that are affected by divorce, according to the U.S. News and World Report. A study published in March of this year in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion “found that children who had two religious parents who get divorced are twice as likely to become estranged from their church as adults, compared to people whose parents didn't get divorced.” The authors of this study said that previous studies aren't necessarily accurate, because they didn't take into consideration the religious views of the parents.

This, however, is not a reason for an unhappy couple to stay together. Other research points to the fact that children are psychologically better off if their parents are divorced than if they stay together and argue incessantly.

If you or someone you know is considering divorce, the most important first step is to speak with a qualified divorce attorney. Don't go through it alone. Contact a dedicated Illinois divorce attorney today.