Spirituality linked to success in some areas of marriage

There can be many ways to make a marriage succeed.

One factor that many prospective couples could look for in a strong marriage is a sense of strong faith. But is this enough to sustain a long and successful relationship?

Dr. Annette Mahoney, a psychology professor at the University, is involved with the University’s Spirituality and Psychology Research Team, who conducted a study on this very question.

In the study, 97 couples completed surveys asking questions about their religious affiliations, on their personal belief that the bond of marriage can become weaker or stronger if religion is integrated and their opinion about finding the “perception of the manifestation of God” in a marriage.

The study compared both the positive and negative correlations in leading a faith-based marriage. A positive correlation would be, for example, creating a stronger bond through praying together as a couple or attending religious education classes and celebrating religious holidays with themselves or their families under the same religious sect. A negative correlation would be excess strain on the relationship because of the very same belief that the bond that God has created for them is too sacred to be broken.

Overall, Dr. Mahoney said she found “better marital functioning to be generally associated with more joint religious activity between couples.”

The study is very detailed and organized.

“One of my biggest criticisms was that it was too detailed,” Dr. Mahoney said.

Dr. Mahoney and the team of researchers who led the study influenced many other similar studies, such as one titled, “How Religious Couples Perceive The Influence of God in Their Marriage,” which was led by Michael Goodman and David Dollahite from Brigham Young University. Their study was smaller, conducted with only 32 couples over different religious affiliations.

Moving along with the same theme as Dr. Mahoney’s studies, Goodman and Dollahite said, “the dimensions of religious experiences, religious attendance has the greatest impact on martial stability,”

To these teams of researchers, the facts delve into the black and white successes of having a faith-based marriage, creating the idea that the ideal marriage would include a religious aspect. To enforce Dr. Mahoney and others’ claims about the bond becoming stronger, Erin Lewis, a second-year student at the University, weighed in.

Lewis identifies as Baptist and is deeply rooted in her faith. She grew up in a family led by religious parents. Lewis explained that religion can plays a pivotal role because it’s the type of issue that everyone has an opinion about.

“If a couple shares the same religious beliefs I think it can bring them closer together,” Lewis said. “It’s another way for them to connect to each other ... often in a personal way.”

Junior Kayla Martin disagrees. “I think the respect [in a marriage] comes from support and patience,” Martin said. “You don’t necessarily need a religious aspect.”

Martin does not identify with any practiced religion.

“If you don’t believe in [religion], then it’s your duty to support them in anyway you can without taking [faith] away from them,” she said.

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