Oklahoma Divorce Rate

[WFT]

This is oft said, but little practiced. It's a cop out. You say get your eyes off people, but if these people are claiming to be Christians and, as such, Christ-like, what else are we supposed to go by?

You keep you eyes on Jesus Christ, He's the ONLY one without sin. Every born again believer has his spirit living in him, and can know him personally. Not sure what Church you fellas hang out in, but it's been my experience the far majority (not all), but the majority of the believers I know are the best people in the world. Don't know what I would have done in some of the darkest days of my life without my churches support and my Lords.

[Okie4570]

This is oft said, but little practiced. It's a cop out. You say get your eyes off people, but if these people are claiming to be Christians and, as such, Christ-like, what else are we supposed to go by?

True this is little practiced, but where it is practiced, it stands out, because it is out of the norm with what most see in most churches. Those proclaiming to be a Christian are still not going to be perfect, they (I) will still fail, offend, and come short of what Christ would have us be. That's why I believe that salvation is by grace and not by works.

[JB Books]

You keep you eyes on Jesus Christ, He's the ONLY one without sin. Every born again believer has his spirit living in him, and can know him personally. Not sure what Church you fellas hang out in, but it's been my experience the far majority (not all), but the majority of the believers I know are the best people in the world. Don't know what I would have done in some of the darkest days of my life without my churches support and my Lords.

I have no doubt of what you say. However, how do you address the spirit of condescension that many churches have towards others?

[bootsbaker]

people here get married to young they don't even know who they are much less have the maturity to deal with someone else.
Drugs & alchoholism and all that goes along with it, abuse, infidelity, financial etc is a major problem.
Men & Women get sick of putting up with bullshit usually related to the above so they get divorced, Marriage is disposable these days. Nobody wants to work at it because its to hard and time consuming and most people don't want to face reality. People give up on each other to quickly because we are the right now generation.

[JB Books]

^^^ Sad, but unfortunately very true.^^^

[cjjtulsa]

Not sure what Church you fellas hang out in, but it's been my experience the far majority (not all), but the majority of the believers I know are the best people in the world.

And I’ve had just the opposite. Some are good, down to earth people, but most I’ve come in contact with hide behind the shield of holiness while acting pretty un-Christ-like.

I’ve learned that whenever someone qualifies another with “he’s a good Christian”, that typically means they’re a crook. Kind of like the blind date: “she’s got a good personality”. Yep, she’s gonna be a reeeaaal looker. If that's the description you need to use to qualify someone, then there's something to hide.

[ByrdC130]

If you look at the high ranking of Okla in teen pregnancies, you'll find another reason for our high divorce rate as well. We have a lot of too young kids getting married that can't take care of their school lunch money let alone a family, house bills and real adult life. Why, cause they're still kids. They still want to buy all the toys that their young single buddies are buying or still go to the mall with their single friends and hang out and it often takes the couple in different directions and as a result, animosity for each other and a divorce.

[WFT]

I have no doubt of what you say. However, how do you address the spirit of condescension that many churches have towards others?

Good question, Westboro Baptist is one that stands out. I hate it that they have the name baptist in their title. This is why it's important to choose a church that's full of love and teaches the Word of God. Westboro is a church full of hate, Gods Word has a lot to say about those kinds of churches and it doesn't have a good ending. The important thing for us to remember, is we will all be standing in front of the Lord one day, and give account for every word out of our mouths (scary thought). Gods Grace is our only hope, and that comes through the blood of Christ.

The spirit of condenscension you mentioned is no doubt there, but that perception very often comes from the Church standing up and calling sin what it is, and that's sin. When a person is confronted with sin, he reacts different ways. He will see that sin and repent, he will deny it, he will make light of it, or he will react by attacking that which pointed it out.

[Shootin 4 Fun]

You scuz buckets here on OSA are better people than most church goers. I'll take the fellowship of good people over a bunch of Sunday Morning Christians any day.

[GroupGuy]

I've found that money issues in Oklahoma are a huge issue, mainly due to gambling and the ease at which one can lose everything. You think the casinos are being built from tourist dollars? There are soccer moms losing their grocery money every day at the casino after dropping the kids off at daycare. Doesn't take much of that to have a negative impact on families. A poor educational system also doesn't help matters.

[mightymouse]

I'm blaming "Faded Love."

[j-dubb]

Like mentioned by others the reason Oklahoma has such a high divorce rate is because it's to easy to get a divorce. There are to many young girls getting pregnant and then from the pressure from being brought up in Oklahoma the "Bible Belt" they are told the right thing to do is get married. So two teenagers or people in their early 20's get married, life doesn't turn out like the fairy tale they had planned and their is a bump in the road and they get divorced. The statistics might show the #1 reason they get divorced is because of Financial issues, that's because young kids that got pregnant and don't have a college degree or any type of skill, typically won't make very good money and indeed are broke. Everyone thinks they should get married early because everyone else does, when in fact they haven't figured their own problems and self out first and then can't handle it when their significant other is in the same boat.

[j-dubb]

I've found that money issues in Oklahoma are a huge issue, mainly due to gambling and the ease at which one can lose everything. You think the casinos are being built from tourist dollars? There are soccer moms losing their grocery money every day at the casino after dropping the kids off at daycare. Doesn't take much of that to have a negative impact on families. A poor educational system also doesn't help matters.

Which leads me to my next point, Oklahoma is looked out by outsiders as a Redneck, back wooded state that is full of idiots and we do a good job of living up to that with the divorce rate, teen pregnancy rate, education system, etc. Sadly for the most part that's true, our education system sucks and their are a lot of so called "white trash" living in this state. You have people living paycheck to paycheck going to the casino every night hoping to hit it big. Spending their money there and buying cigarettes and alcohol on their way home instead of taking care of what they should be taking care of in life.

Then they have to deal with normal life, job, wife, kids, worldly problems and they can't handle it all and get a divorce. You can blame it on Casinos, Church, Religion, Alcohol or whatever but what it comes down to are the people are to blame not everything else or someone else. I was born and raised in this State so I'm lumping myself in with everyone. I'm no better then the next guy.

[pinkhamr]

Heck, my wife and I met a week before Christmas ...... got married the following March 29th ......... Heard a lot of folks telling us that it wouldn't work. Guess we made it work ..... heading for 38 years together next March 29th ....

[sanjuro893]

I have no doubt of what you say. However, how do you address the spirit of condescension that many churches have towards others?

I have to remind myself often "hate the sin and love the sinner." Maybe the Churches need to remind their people of that.