Actually what you term the "traditional path" and people who move in together who are planning on getting married in the future (both people not just one or the other) have similar divorce rates now. Though couples who live together for other reasons and are not on the path to marriage do face a higher divorce rate. So for instance a couple that gets engaged but then moves in for a year before marriage to make sure that they are truly compatible living together would face a similar divorce rate to a couple that took your traditional path.
It will also be interesting in the future as the generations change to see if this continues to hold true or changes due to different reasons for cohabitation.
I am guilty of making some assumptions:
Once this became a Catholic discussion, I was referencing conforming Catholic couples and their marriage success rate. Couples who practice NFP have a 5% divorce rate, the overwhelming majority of participants did not cohabitate before marriage.
Most divorce rates I've seen hover between 49-73% depending on the polls of various factors surrounding cohabitation. When doing a search, I see some recent research has been published refuting that unmarried couples living together are more likely to divorce. But from what I could tell, it won't go so far as to claim it minimizes the chance for divorce. Likely the data is too young.
I'm guessing most people looked at divorce rates from 1960-present day and said, "Hmmm, as cohabitation drastically increased, so did divorce". While that is an interesting trend that has value, there are so many variables at play that a good statistician would discard it in favor of better controlled studies.
Sure, I should have expanded on my Lol. I apologize for being an ass and not explaining my position, I was in a bad mood earlier.
Having said that, I find it frustrating with individuals try to judge the actions of others (not that you tried to do this necessarily) but depicting premarital sex as a "grave sin" rubbed me in this manner. Feel free to believe what you wish, but even as a Catholic, I have trouble when people attempt to determine what God's judgement will be as if it were a fact.
Thanks Jimmy for an elaboration. Since you are finished, allow me to retort. I never once pronounced judgement on anyone in this thread. Countless people have given evidence: financial, psychosocial and finally moral, for which one should avoid shacking up with a girlfriend.
Having said that, since you openly claim a Catholic faith, I feel it's in all parties best interests to examine what the Catholic Church says about the matters being discussed in this thread. They say that premarital sex, is in fact, grave sin. So I will not claim it, I will allow the institution which I bind myself to, to claim it.
In calling one's self Catholic, we are taking on the identity of that institution which means we are in conformity with Rome. If we denounce certain Catholic positions or live otherwise, we are, in fact, not Catholic but outside the Church clamoring for her to change to fit our agenda or that of the modern times.
Would you be so bold to tell your priest that you think he's being "too judge-y" with his grave sin nomenclature?
It is one thing to argue with me about matters of which the Church hasn't taken a stand, it is wholly other to argue about that which the Church has made transparent and which I have merely relayed.
The Church is my mother, and I her loyal son. I will not act like there are not definitive guidelines with which she asks me to live, not as a scornful mother but as one who is fully loving and can direct me to the most fulfilling life possible.
Your grievance isn't with me, it's with Rome.
Trap.
Set.
Sprung.
Oh, the humanity!!!
Dshans, I very much enjoy seeing your posts. Your diction is delightful and your syntax, superb!
Where are you getting this from? I find this very hard to believe and would like to see some type of statistic that argues this.
See above.
