[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/the-lingering-effect-of-divorce-on-childrens-religious-beliefs#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/the-lingering-effect-of-divorce-on-childrens-religious-beliefs","headline":"The Lingering Effect of Divorce on Children’s Religious Beliefs","name":"The Lingering Effect of Divorce on Children’s Religious Beliefs","description":"Getting a\u00a0divorce\u00a0or\u00a0separation\u00a0is painful. In such times of sadness, many people turn to their religion to find support and solace. But a recent report on families and faith suggests that young adults whose parents have divorced are less likely to affiliate with a formal religion today. The study, \u201cDoes the Shape...","datePublished":"2013-01-24","dateModified":"2024-05-13","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/author\/charlesullman#Person","name":"Charles R. Ullman & Associates","url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/author\/charlesullman","identifier":7,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b1be1fb990426716ccc017175b6aa0896e4c2f7f629307d9491d2bf729b1cd81?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b1be1fb990426716ccc017175b6aa0896e4c2f7f629307d9491d2bf729b1cd81?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Charles R. Ullman & Associates","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/logo.png","width":310,"height":78}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Charles-photo-intro.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Charles-photo-intro.jpg","width":570,"height":320},"url":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/the-lingering-effect-of-divorce-on-childrens-religious-beliefs","about":["Divorce & Separation"],"wordCount":449,"articleBody":"Getting a\u00a0divorce\u00a0or\u00a0separation\u00a0is painful. In such times of sadness, many people turn to their religion to find support and solace. But a recent report on families and faith suggests that young adults whose parents have divorced are less likely to affiliate with a formal religion today.The study, \u201cDoes the Shape of Families Shape Faith?\u201d from the Institute for American Values in New York City, examined whether churches have given enough attention to the spiritual experience of children who grow up with unmarried parents. They found that young adults who were children of divorce generally feel less religious than those who grew up in two-parent households, and that they feel less urgency to actively commit to a practicing faith.Church Response to Family Changes: A Call for InclusionAmong other findings:Two-thirds of young people who grew up in married families report feeling very or fairly religious, but just over half of those from divorced families expressed the same sentiment.One-third of people from married households attend church services almost weekly, compared to only 25 percent of those with divorced parents.According to the study\u2019s lead author, Elizabeth Marquardt, there could be several reasons why children of divorce tend to carve out a spiritual, yet not specifically religious, identity. Some reported not feeling understood in church when their parents were divorcing, or simply feeling abandoned.\u201cWhen death happens, people gather in support,\u201d Marquardt told the\u00a0Deseret News. \u201cWhen divorce happens, people flee. These aren\u2019t bad people, but people who don\u2019t know what to say or what to do, and so they don\u2019t say or do anything.\u201dSupport Networks: Beyond the Church WallsResearchers also found that religiosity did not seem impacted by whether the divorce was amicable or ugly. Overall, young adults from so-called \u201cgood\u201d divorces were still less involved in religion than those raised in happy marriages.Granted, the results were not universal. In some cases, grown children of divorce actually report being more religious than their parents ever were. But the study authors concluded that churches need to pay more attention to the changing family landscape in America today so that they don\u2019t lose young people at times when they could be a great source of support.Many places of worship now offer support groups for families who are going through a divorce. However, there are also community support groups that provide help for families without a religious affiliation.\u00a0Although there is no 100 percent guarantee that these groups will help you resolve the complicated feelings of divorce, they at least establish a support network of people who are going through the same experience and may make you feel less alone."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"The Lingering Effect of Divorce on Children’s Religious Beliefs","item":"https:\/\/www.charlesullman.com\/the-lingering-effect-of-divorce-on-childrens-religious-beliefs#breadcrumbitem"}]}]