Family values run stronger among the righteous folks in the Red States than in the liberal leftie leaners of those Blue States. Everyone knows that.

In liberal-land one doesn't see billboards that remind us that "The family that prays together, stays together." Apparently more prayer leads to greater family values, and as we all know, liberals don't pray. Right?

Divorce rates would seem to be a measure of family values. So 'splain me this:

• According to the Barna Group :
  • 19 percent of Northeasterners have divorced
  • 27 percent of Southerners and Midwesterners have untied their knots at least once.
  • 27 percent of self-described born-again Christians have been divorced
  • 24 percent of other Christians - those less faithful than the born-agains - have renounced their vows.


• Divorce rates, by denomination
  • 34% non-denominational evangelical Christian congregations
  • 29% Baptists
  • 25% Mainline Protestants
  • 24% Mormons
  • 21% Catholics and Lutherans


• As a sanity check, 21% of atheists and agnostics have succumbed to the temptations of divorce court


• Number of states, according to the 2004 & 2008 presidential voting election results:
  • red: 32 in 2004, 20 in 2008
  • blue:19 in 2004, 31 in 2008 (includes District of Columbia)


• According to the CDC (2004) the red-state/blue-state morality chart reveals some interesting facts. The national average divorce rate (divorces per 1000 population) was 3.6.
  • 73.3% of blue states were below that average (26.7% were above)
  • 20.0% of red states were below that average (80.0% were above)
  • note: 2 blue states and 3 red states did not report.
    Source:Centers for Disease Control


• Teenage (15-19) pregnancies, by state:
  • 9 of top 10 (highest rate): red states
  • 9 of bottom 10 (lowest rate): blue states
  • States with rates significantly higher than US average (includes top 10, above):
    1 of 19 blue, 20 of 32 red
  • States with rates significantly lower than US average (includes bottom 10, above):
    18 of 19 blue, 10 of 32 red
  • States with rates not significantly different from US average:
    0 blue, 2 red
    Source: Centers for Disease Control


• The highest rates of divorce, murder, STD/HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, single parent homes, infant mortality, and obesity rates in the nation are in the Bible Belt. As a region, the Bible Belt has the poorest health care systems and the lowest rates of high school graduation.
  Source: stopthereligiousright.org

At religioustolerance.org there is an article discussing much of the above; it has many citations and web links.

So the next time you need some advice on family values and morality, just look for your favorite bible-thumper.