Conisbrough Vicar’s Sermon – War Factor in Marriage

September 1946

South Yorkshire Times September 7, 1946

War Factor in Marriage
Conisbrough Vicar’s Sermon

“It is truly said people who believe in divorce should never marry,” declared the vicar of Conisbrough, the Rev. G. F. Braithwaite, in his parish church on Sunday in discussing “the failure of marriage” the second of a series of sermons of modern problems. There were, he said, two kinds of marriages – successes and failures. Successes they did not hear much of, failures made news; and therefore marriage was very much in the news today.

The prevalence of divorce and consequent re adjustment of divorce laws to make it easier, quicker and cheaper must be a source of grave disquiet to Christian peope . 50,000 divorces among Service and ex Service people pointed to the increasing failure of marriage as an institution.

War was a powerful factor in the marriage market. It upset nervous balance, loosened morals and caused a hundred circumstances to disrupt lives. They could blame it for much. It would take another two generations of to settle down to sanity again.

Causes which were contributory to the failure of marriage were: incompatibility, and sexual maladjustment. He appealed for common sense sex teaching at home and at school. The matter of incompatibility of temperament could be found out before marriage. People should seek to avoid matrimony with one of “another world,” of interest, ideas, social status or religion. Other causes were parental interference, the question of the dominant partner, egotism, selfishness, bullying and henpecking, ambition and love of money, and lack of religion. There was a Spanish saying “Go with God,” and he believed that this was the most important item, for true Christianity could deal wisely and conscientiously with the snags of matrimony as they arose.

On Sunday evening Mr Braithwaite is to discuss “successful matrimony.”

[JB1]