Bonus

On the 23rd of January 2020 the city of Wuhan, China shut down in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. By February 10th, less than a month later, over 1,000 individuals throughout the world had passed away from COVID-19. On March 13th President Donald Trump declared a nationwide emergency, which led to school systems, restaurants, businesses, and even grocery stores to shut down. Social distancing was implemented, and masks were worn by many to attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 and avoid the illness themselves.[1]

Many people of Abrahamic religions believe that God loves all His children through His forgiving nature. Belief and trust in God, found across many religions, can influence peoples’ attitudes toward and experiences with forgiveness. Forgiveness is not always easy and may be a difficult process to go through – whether it be you forgiving others or others forgiving you. But it certainly seemed to be common across the religions that were included in a 2022 study led by Justin Hendricks and colleagues on forgiveness.[1] The research explored how religious beliefs about forgiveness were applied in families of faith.

Usually, marriages of many different ethnicities are grouped together and explored as a whole. While this can prove useful for looking at marriage generally, we can learn a lot by focusing on specific groups, such as African American couples. Exploring the unique strengths of happy and enduring African American marriages can help us to better understand how different groups of people thrive in a marital relationship—and what we might learn from them. In a study focused on finding the strengths that contributed to enduring, satisfying, and happy marriages in African American couples, Dr. Loren Marks and colleagues found unique insights into the struggles and strengths these couples face.1

In a study by Dr. Heather Kelley and her team,[1] they delve into the complex role of religion in marital relationships, recognizing its dual nature as both a unifying force that strengthens bonds and a dividing force that can create tension in a relationship. This study involved interviews with 198 couples from various religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, providing insight into the specific ways religious diversity can affect marriage dynamics. The authors identified three fundamental dimensions through which religion can influence marital cohesion or tension: (1) beliefs, (2) practices, and (3) community.

Can our differences truly strengthen us? In a recent study[1] led by Hannah Shoaf and colleagues, they found just that; differences in religion and religious beliefs within a couple relationship can be a strength to couples. Shoaf and her team identified five core themes that couples expressed as strengths of interfaith marriages: (1) increased acceptance and tolerance, (2) opportunities for exploration, learning, and discovery, (3) an increased ability to find and build upon similarities, (4) more traditions and practices, and (5) strengthened personal faith. With an increase in interfaith relationships, it is important to learn how couples navigate difficult topics – such as religion – and develop strength and resiliency.

The Jewish community has beautiful cultural practices and rituals that we can all learn from to foster positive outcomes in life, marriage, and parenting.[1] One example of these practices is the observance of Jewish Shabbat, or Sabbath (taking place from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday). During this time, families can connect as they eat together as a family, receive blessings, or find time to prepare traditional foods together. Dr. Heather Kelley, Dr. LeBaron-Black, and their colleagues have found that this observance can bring family members closer together as it “fosters a sense of duty and unity” in the home.

In a recent scientific study,1 Dollahite and colleagues aimed to explore how sacred, religious experiences can lead to stronger family relationships. Specifically, these researchers wanted to know how transcendent religious experiences during times of adversity can positively impact personal relationships within a family setting.

Let’s talk about religion and money.