I think you'd find plain Anabaptists resoundingly agreeing with you on this - and indeed I think that's why (plain) Anabaptists have so much financial stability and prosperity that, frankly, they take for granted.Ken wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 5:38 pm I spend some time on another forum dedicated to personal finance where I read lots of people's personal stories and problems. Based on my lurking there I think I can say WITHOUT QUESTION that the biggest source of financial carnage for Americans is divorce. I don't think there is a close second.
Marriage is hugely more efficient as a means of social and household organization because you can share and divide responsibilities and cut many of your costs in half compared to two single people. But likewise, divorce destroys financial stability for both partners. And leaves financial wreckage in its wake on top of all the social wreckage.
So for people who want to live modest fruitful lives and do so beneath their means, the number one way to accomplish that is to get married. And the number one way to sustain it is to avoid divorce.
Now I realize that is easy for me to say since I'm happily married and we have no plans to divorce. And others may have no choice and different life realities. But I think that is the stark truth. It also means chose your spouse CAREFULLY and then expend every effort to make it work.
Of course, since I like to associate with people who aren't from Christian homes, I often befriend and am dealing with people who are dealing with the fallout of divorce or children out of wedlock. Plain Anabaptists can have a very difficult time understanding the difficulties such people face. Like having their entire paycheck garnished for child support and not really possessing the administrative/clerical skills to understand how to get these errors corrected when they lose their job or get their hours cut.