Help on a religion project?

I need names and ages and answer a few of these....any response would be a tremendous help. Thanks for those who cooperate



1. How did you meet?

2. What was your dating experience like? (How long did you date for?Was it an off and on type of thing? What were the big issues in your relationship at that time?)

3. How did you come to decide that this person was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?

4. How did the proposal go?

5. Was the wedding day like you thought it would be?

6. Did you have good role models of marriage growing up? Do you think having had role models or not has affected your attitude or beliefs about marriage?

7. Wives: what advice would you give young girls today regarding relationships with the opposite sex?

Husbands: what advice would you give young men today regarding relationships with the opposite sex.

8. Is marriage different than what you expected? If so, how?

9. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in an effort to maintain a healthy, happy marriage?

10. What are the best things about being married?

11. What are some of the “non-negotiables” you had in mind before you got married regarding what your future spouse would have to be like?

12. How are you and your spouse similar and different?

13. Why do you think there is a 50% divorce rate today?

14. How has your marriage changed over the years?

15. Name one (or a few) things about your spouse that really make you smile.Help on a religion project?1. I met my husband in church.

2. Before I knew he existed, my future husband told his family that I was %26quot;the marrying kind.%26quot; He told them that if we ever went out on a date, we%26#039;d end up getting married. He was right. Our courtship was magical, and we were married eight months after our first date. During our courtship, we tried to set a good example for the students attending our church%26#039;s college, so we chose to abide by the same %26quot;chaperone%26quot; rules that they have to. My future husband and I were in our late 30s at the time. We both knew in our hearts that God intended us to be married to each other.

3. We were both emotionally mature and financially independent. We each brought %26quot;a whole person%26quot; to the relationship which made it a healthy one. We attended the same church, so our values and spiritual beliefs were in sync. We each felt a strong assurance from God that we were right for each other.

4. He knew we%26#039;d be married before I did. As a matter of fact, it was so obvious to everyone, that it was kind of assumed. My husband had promised our pastoral staff that he would meet my parents first--they lived 1,600 away. When he and his teenage son were willing to get on a plane and go meet my parents, I knew what he had in mind. He took me ring shopping, but didn%26#039;t officially propose until the ring was ready--ten days before our wedding date!

5. My wedding day was terrific. It was an outdoor wedding and my husband ran around the church grounds making sure everything was as perfect as it could be while I watched from a window. We spent more on a hearty meal for our guests than we did on anything. That was a great move that we%26#039;ll never regret. Years later, our guests are still talking about our wedding and reception!

6. Yes, my parents had a great marriage, but what we learned about marital relationships from the Bible has guided our own marriage. That%26#039;s why it%26#039;s been such a wonderful experience for us both. We%26#039;re trying to do it the way God intended, and He has blessed us in a tremendous way.

7. Girls, don%26#039;t be in such a rush to have a guy on your arm. Take the time to find out who you are and what all you can do. Establish your own independence first, get an education and a career so you can bring a whole, well-developed, emotionally balanced person to the relationship. Too many girls are insecure and fear being alone, so they attach themselves to someone that isn%26#039;t right for them and they convince themselves that they%26#039;re ready. It%26#039;s imperative that you marry the right person at the right time and for the right reasons. Before you consider marrying a guy, seek the advice of those who are older and wiser and have known you a long, long time!

8. Yes, it%26#039;s different--better than I expected because I never knew a man like my husband existed. I thought I%26#039;d have to settle and change myself in major ways in order to attract and keep a man interested. Not so. We complement each other, yet are so in sync. That%26#039;s what we get when we allow God to choose our mates. (I learned that the hard way!)

9. We ran a business and sacrificed a lot to make it successful. When it began to strain our marriage, we walked away from it--completely penniless, but we intentionally forced the experience to drive us closer together, not farther apart. Also, dealing with a wayward stepson has taught me a lot about when to %26quot;pick my battles%26quot; with the boy and with my husband.

10. The best thing for me so far is our shared goals and the work we put in to make them happen. We work toward them together and that serves to tighten the bond between us.

11. He had to be a practicing Christian, employed, educated, financially responsible, not into vices (drugs, alcohol, etc.) and close to my age.

12. Our tastes in music, decor, movies, food preferences, entertainment are very much alike. We%26#039;re different in that he thinks like a man (more analytical) and I think like a woman (more psychological). Also, he tends to make quick judgments while I prefer to let things simmer before drawing a conclusion. Why people behave as they do interest me. My husband cares less about their motivation and more about the end results.

13. People get married too young--without knowing themselves as well as they should or what to expect marriage to be like. They have some fantasy view of marriage and unrealistic expectations. It%26#039;s work that requires effort, patience, communication, respect, thoughtfulness and compromise. You can%26#039;t be selfish and have a happy marriage. They also fail to realize that love grows and develops in phases. They don%26#039;t recognize thee phases and want to throw in the towel when the relationship doesn%26#039;t feel the same as it did when they first met. By the way, the divorce rate among fundamentalists (of various religions) is considerably less than the national average.

14. We%26#039;ve learned to communicate--listen to the other person and express love in ways that mean the most to the person receiving that love. We recognize each other%26#039;s personality habits, accept them (if not harmful) and use them to benefit the relationship as a whole. In short, we know better each others%26#039; strengths and weaknesses, and don%26#039;t allow our pride to dictate who should take the lead in a particular situation.

15. He really does seem to miss me when I%26#039;m away; his routine is totally disrupted when I%26#039;m out of town. He emails and calls me from work at least once a day, and we exchange clever banter. He loves our pets as much as I do and has a tender heart toward strays. We have conversations that are solely based on movies or songs we%26#039;ve enjoyed together; we challenge each other to name that title. He%26#039;s not afraid to look %26quot;goofy%26quot; once in a while, just to entertain me. He treats me like a lady and takes an active interest in my job. He loves me like no other man could!
Help on a religion project?
I%26#039;ll answer a few...



1. In a Burger King where I was working and she was a customer.

7. Wait until at least age 28 or so.

8. It%26#039;s a lot longer and less affectionate than expected.

10. Kids, sharing duties.

12. Both Roman Catholic, about the same age; different educational levels, interests, work ethic.

13. Every divorce case is different.

14. I%26#039;m not sure it has. There are plenty of ups and downs that can last years.


Help on a religion project?
My husband was my boss. We both worked in a detox center.

We had to be sneaky and keep it a secret at work. It was actually an exciting factor. We dated for a long time (18 months) and he was simply emotionally unavailable so I broke up. Since I don%26#039;t do pain I married the first guy who asked which was only in a few months time.

He was not capable of having sex but I didn%26#039;t want another divorce on my record so I stayed for a year and then did get the divorce. Mean while my current husband and I continued working together, both in silent misery. He gave up and re-married his second wife. Six weeks later we were both filing for divorce and in a few weeks were back with each other. I accepted him with any way he wished. Marriage or no marriage. We lived together for two years and once we quit our jobs we got married.

I decided I wanted him in my life more than wanting the relationship my way. And I knew he was finally %26quot;the one%26quot;. When I relaxed my hold, he relaxed his fear and we married.

%26quot;Hey lets get married%26quot; was about as good as it got. LOL

Back then I gave in a lot so the wedding being early in the morning was his idea but everything else was really nice. I did refuse to go to Reno. I wanted a ceremony to include and be led by God. We had a new age minister, and partially American Indian ceremony because we were experiencing that religion then.

My parents divorced and I had an emotionally and physically abusive childhood and yes it left some scars. Both of us come to each other as recovering alcoholic/addicts. Long years of use effected both of us seperately.

I feel differently about marriage than I did growing up and as a young adult. It is a commitment not to be entered into, when a person is emotionally sick and immature.

I would say to the young women: Live to be a self actuating woman. Know your self and then know your choice for marriage. As a Muslima, I like the idea of parents arranging the marriage and having tight dating guidelines but only for Muslims practicing their faith. That works for the very faithful.

The only difference in my marriage than my expectation is the endurance we both gave to the marriage. My other marriages were based on sex, drugs and rock n%26#039; roll, fear and escape. None of which are marriage material.

The biggest challenge to me was loving my husband after the honeymoon phase. I was used to a marriage with fighting, drinking and making up and breaking up in a cycle. Staying around brought us to a deeper level of love than I had known.

Having a best friend you can count on. Some one to share life with are the best things but there is a sacrifice you don%26#039;t think of when you are young. All the years of love end in death and if you love deep you grieve as deep.

My non-negotiables: No cheating period. No alcohol or drugs ever.

No name-calling in arguments. Stick with the issue at hand and look for solution rather than winning.

Our similarities are: We are both counselors, Muslims (now) have similar goals and values. We are both married for the duration of life and we work on ourselves rather than the relationship.

He is calm, methodical and logical. I am a bit ADHD I think. I am hyper about some things. He helps me slow down Lol. I am a trail blazer. He stays with tried and true. Our sense of humor are same. Neither of us have jealousy nor do we challenge the other with games to prove %26quot;He/She loves me.

Divorce rate will always be high in a country that supports fast life styles, climbing to the top and falling to the bottom. When our youth only have direction from the commercial money mongers that only care that they sell sex, immodesty and cars our young adults cling to each other in desperation. There is little to base love and trust on.Faith based marriage that isn%26#039;t fanatical and is practical is the best for success.

Over the years sex took a back seat to love. In the elder years if a marriage doesn%26#039;t contain respect, trust, dignity, spiritual guidance, and friendship you can end up living with a stranger.

I love my husband%26#039;s voice, his compassion and his sense of fairness.
My name%26#039;s Robert, the wife%26#039;s name is Annette. I%26#039;m 50, she%26#039;s 48.

1. We were introduced by a mutual friend. She needed a date for a function a group she belonged to was holding.

2. We dated exclusively for 2 years. We just %26quot;clicked%26quot;.

3. Spending 2 years together almost inseparable. We matured our relationship, learned to love each other, Learned to trust and respect each other.

4.My proposal was literally spur of the moment. We were hanging out with a friend who had just proposed to his girlfriend, I cornered her against a hall and just said %26quot;Well would you marry me?%26quot;. She was shocked, and all she could say was %26quot;I guess so.....%26quot;

5. Our wedding was great, although it was a very hot day. It was pretty low bu get, but still wonderful.

6.Both our parents were faithful in their marriages, as were all of my siblings. I think it made a great difference.

7..Treat a woman with respect, and don%26#039;t bother with one night stands and temporary relationships. If you do engage in pointless hookups and cheap sex, Take responsibility for contraception. Use your own condoms, and flush it down the toilet when you%26#039;re done. Don%26#039;t leave anything to chance. You don%26#039;t need to bring children into the world who won%26#039;t have both parents around to raise them.

8. Marriage has been wonderful, with a couple of speckles of terrible thrown in. Perfect would have been boreing, but as it has been, It%26#039;s been a great life together.

9. Loss of our love child to a birth defect, and a miscarriage. Adoption of a challenging boy. Refining and keeping our sex life fresh and healthy.

10. Companionship, love, intimacy, emotional security.

11. Fidelity, acceptance of my shortcomings, beauty, openness.

12.Politically, she%26#039;s more conservative than I am, We share a couple of hobbies, If you actually gave us each a test, I%26#039;d probably show a higher academic IQ, But she%26#039;s no dummy. She has a lot of common knowledge and plain old wisdom that takes her far.

13. Because couples fail to do several things. They fail to put in the time and work necessary to really make sure they%26#039;re compatable over the long haul, they go into a marriage with hidden agendas, They fail to put in the work necessary to maintain and advance their marriages, or one or the other, or both, cheat. People need to put their marriages in the forefront of their lives. They need to make it the bedrock they build the rest of their lifes upon. When they don%26#039;t they fail.

14. Actually the sex has gotten better. Maybe not in frequency, but definately the quality. Also, after 31 years we%26#039;ve certainly grown a life around us. Kids, and grand kids abound. I don%26#039;t think our basic relationship has changed much, I still see in her the same loving person i fell in love with way back when.

15. Her dedication to us. After 31 years she%26#039;s still so beautiful to me. Her capability to love and fogive humbles me. Her capability to care for me, the kids, the grandkids, her friends, pretty much any animal, stray or otherwise, she encounters staggers me.