Marriage: The Benefits of Marriage for African American Men
I Corinthians 7 - "To AVOID FORNICATION, let every man have his OWN WIFE"
Not only has the Bible decreed that a man be married to avoid fornication, and to produce Godly offspring, but science is in agreement with marriage being the best state for men as well:
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Excerpt from The Benefits of Marriage for African American Men
Claudia Sitgraves
Research Brief No. 10, May 2008 http://center.americanvalues.org/?p=73
Men’s Physical and Mental Health
African American men also change their behavior after marriage in ways that are beneficial to their health. The social and emotional support that married black men receive from their wives is instrumental in encouraging healthy activities and protecting men’s emotional health.
Risky Behaviors and Physical Health
Married black men are more likely to report excellent or good physical health, as opposed to fair or poor health. They are less likely to experience physical distress such as headaches, back pain, stomach or bladder problems, and limited upper or lower body mobility, and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. As a result of their improved health overall, married black men are less likely to report being disabled or having limitations in physical and social functioning, work activity, or activities of daily living such as household chores, bathing, and dressing.[10]
Married black men are healthier because they engage in more activities that promote good health and fewer risky activities that endanger health. A nationally representative study including over 10,000 African American men found that married men report higher levels of physical activity during leisure time and lower incidence of cigarette smoking and heavy drinking. In fact, the only health indicator for which married men were worse off than unmarried men was obesity—never-married men were less likely than married men to be overweight or obese.[11] Other studies confirm differences in leisure time physical activity and cigarette smoking between married and unmarried black men, and also find that marijuana and cocaine use are less prevalent among married black men.[12]
Although these studies did not explore the underlying causes of healthy behavior among married men, the authors controlled for differences in age, income, poverty status, and occupation and still found that married black men were healthier. Of course, we do not know if marriage is the cause since men who abstain from risky behaviors are probably more likely to attract and keep a wife. A study by a group of public health researchers, however, provides evidence that becoming married actually influences men’s behavior. By following the smoking, drinking, and drug use patterns of a sample of young men
from late adolescence into their thirties, Jerald Bachman and his colleagues find that in the year preceding marriage, men decrease their consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, and cocaine, while their unmarried counterparts increase their drinking and cocaine use.[13]
Healthy Partnerships and Emotional Health
How do wives have a direct positive impact on African American husbands’ health? Married black men benefit from the social and emotional support of their wives and from their wives’ encouragement towards healthy behavior. Married men are more likely than single men to report that someone monitors their health and reminds them to do healthy things, such as exercising or seeing a doctor regularly. The everyday interaction provided by marriage also protects men against loneliness and social isolation, which can negatively impact physical and mental health. Marriage can also bolster men’s belief that their lives have meaning and purpose because someone relies on them and cares for them.[14]
Studies also indicate that marriage seems to be beneficial for emotional health. Married black men have lower suicide rates than never-married and divorced men in each age category, and married men are less likely to report that it is acceptable for a person to take his own life when confronting serious problems.[15] Among black men, being married contributed significantly to self-reported personal happiness, and among married black men, marital satisfaction was the most important factor contributing to happiness.[16]
http://ssw.unc.edu/jif/aahmi08/materials/Plenary%203.pdf
10.
Charlotte A. Schoenborn, “Marital Status and Health: United States, 1999–2002,” Centers for Disease Control, Advance Data, no 351 (Dec. 15, 2004); Amy Mehraban Pienta, Mark Hayward, and Kristi R. Jenkins, “Health Consequences of Marriage for the Retirement Years,” Journal of Family Issues 21 (2000): 559–586.
11.
Schoenborn, “Marital Status and Health.”
12.
Carlos J. Crespo et al., “Race/Ethnicity, Social Class and Their Relation to Physical Inactivity During Leisure Time: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994,” Journal of Preventive Medicine 18 (2000): 46–53; Jerald G. Bachman et al., Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997).
13.
Ibid.
14.
Waite and Gallagher, The Case for Marriage, chaps. 4–5.
15.Jason B. Luoma and Jane L. Pearson, “Suicide and Marital Status in the United States, 1991–1996: Is Widowhood a Risk Factor?” American Journal of Public Health 92 (2002): 1518–1522; Steven Stack and Ira Wasserman, “The Effect of Marriage, Family, and Religious Ties on African American Suicide Ideology,” Journal of Marriage and the Family 57 (1995): 215–222.
16.Joan Aldous and Rodney F. Gainey, “Family Life and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Influence of Gender and Race,” Journal of Family Issues 20 (1999): 155–180.
Not only has the Bible decreed that a man be married to avoid fornication, and to produce Godly offspring, but science is in agreement with marriage being the best state for men as well:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt from The Benefits of Marriage for African American Men
Claudia Sitgraves
Research Brief No. 10, May 2008 http://center.americanvalues.org/?p=73
Men’s Physical and Mental Health
African American men also change their behavior after marriage in ways that are beneficial to their health. The social and emotional support that married black men receive from their wives is instrumental in encouraging healthy activities and protecting men’s emotional health.
Risky Behaviors and Physical Health
Married black men are more likely to report excellent or good physical health, as opposed to fair or poor health. They are less likely to experience physical distress such as headaches, back pain, stomach or bladder problems, and limited upper or lower body mobility, and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. As a result of their improved health overall, married black men are less likely to report being disabled or having limitations in physical and social functioning, work activity, or activities of daily living such as household chores, bathing, and dressing.[10]
Married black men are healthier because they engage in more activities that promote good health and fewer risky activities that endanger health. A nationally representative study including over 10,000 African American men found that married men report higher levels of physical activity during leisure time and lower incidence of cigarette smoking and heavy drinking. In fact, the only health indicator for which married men were worse off than unmarried men was obesity—never-married men were less likely than married men to be overweight or obese.[11] Other studies confirm differences in leisure time physical activity and cigarette smoking between married and unmarried black men, and also find that marijuana and cocaine use are less prevalent among married black men.[12]
Although these studies did not explore the underlying causes of healthy behavior among married men, the authors controlled for differences in age, income, poverty status, and occupation and still found that married black men were healthier. Of course, we do not know if marriage is the cause since men who abstain from risky behaviors are probably more likely to attract and keep a wife. A study by a group of public health researchers, however, provides evidence that becoming married actually influences men’s behavior. By following the smoking, drinking, and drug use patterns of a sample of young men
from late adolescence into their thirties, Jerald Bachman and his colleagues find that in the year preceding marriage, men decrease their consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, and cocaine, while their unmarried counterparts increase their drinking and cocaine use.[13]
Healthy Partnerships and Emotional Health
How do wives have a direct positive impact on African American husbands’ health? Married black men benefit from the social and emotional support of their wives and from their wives’ encouragement towards healthy behavior. Married men are more likely than single men to report that someone monitors their health and reminds them to do healthy things, such as exercising or seeing a doctor regularly. The everyday interaction provided by marriage also protects men against loneliness and social isolation, which can negatively impact physical and mental health. Marriage can also bolster men’s belief that their lives have meaning and purpose because someone relies on them and cares for them.[14]
Studies also indicate that marriage seems to be beneficial for emotional health. Married black men have lower suicide rates than never-married and divorced men in each age category, and married men are less likely to report that it is acceptable for a person to take his own life when confronting serious problems.[15] Among black men, being married contributed significantly to self-reported personal happiness, and among married black men, marital satisfaction was the most important factor contributing to happiness.[16]
http://ssw.unc.edu/jif/aahmi08/materials/Plenary%203.pdf
10.
Charlotte A. Schoenborn, “Marital Status and Health: United States, 1999–2002,” Centers for Disease Control, Advance Data, no 351 (Dec. 15, 2004); Amy Mehraban Pienta, Mark Hayward, and Kristi R. Jenkins, “Health Consequences of Marriage for the Retirement Years,” Journal of Family Issues 21 (2000): 559–586.
11.
Schoenborn, “Marital Status and Health.”
12.
Carlos J. Crespo et al., “Race/Ethnicity, Social Class and Their Relation to Physical Inactivity During Leisure Time: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994,” Journal of Preventive Medicine 18 (2000): 46–53; Jerald G. Bachman et al., Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997).
13.
Ibid.
14.
Waite and Gallagher, The Case for Marriage, chaps. 4–5.
15.Jason B. Luoma and Jane L. Pearson, “Suicide and Marital Status in the United States, 1991–1996: Is Widowhood a Risk Factor?” American Journal of Public Health 92 (2002): 1518–1522; Steven Stack and Ira Wasserman, “The Effect of Marriage, Family, and Religious Ties on African American Suicide Ideology,” Journal of Marriage and the Family 57 (1995): 215–222.
16.Joan Aldous and Rodney F. Gainey, “Family Life and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Influence of Gender and Race,” Journal of Family Issues 20 (1999): 155–180.
Comment
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Comment by Scott R. Newman on January 3, 2009 at 3:16pm
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1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
1Ti 4:2 through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 forbidding to marry
Men are not marrying because they are not saved. And if man is not saved, he is not under the knowledge of the truth. If man is not saved He is not coming under the authority of God's commands, precepts and laws. If a man is not saved he is following after the lust of his flesh. If a man is not saved he is enslaved by his lower nature. If a man is not saved, he is controlled by his own foolish imaginations. If a man is not saved, he believes he's god and of course all god's must be pleased. If a man is not saved he believes the things of the spirit is foolish to him. If a man is not saved, he does not fear God, His Son, or the Spirit. If a man is not saved, he's in darkness. If a man is not saved he will not repent of his sins. If a man is not saved, he doesn't believe he is a sinner. If a man is not saved, he believes he's somehow "good". If a man is not saved, he is prideful. If a man is not saved, he makes up his own rules and standard. If a man is not saved, he loves this world. If a man is not saved, he does not comprehend what happens after he dies. If a man is not saved, he's selfish and looks only for self-gratification. If a man is not saved, he feeds his own flesh. If a man is not saved, he finds no reason to get married since its only a piece of paper anyway.
So what's the solution?
Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
The call is for those who are believers to go to the hiways and biways and make fishers of "MEN", to "Go Ye Therefore..." and make "DISCIPLES" not just saved people.
And if were not doing this, making disciples and going in God's harvest to seek and to save as our big brother Jesus did and the Disciples that He chose, the question is to all of us is; ARE WE SAVED?
In His Grip
Scott
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