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For most of American history, marriage was treated like a lifelong commitment with some very serious legal, cultural, and moral weight behind it. Sure, divorce was possible, but it was made to be intentionally difficult. You had to prove real fault. We’re talking adultery, abuse, and desertion; it had to be something substantial.

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Then in 1969, things changed. California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the nation’s first no-fault divorce law. At the time, it was pitched as this modern and compassionate reform. It was “progress” and a way to reduce courtroom drama and make the legal system more “humane.”

Now, here we are nearly six decades later, and we’re all living with that decision. So, what have we learned? Well, one thing is certain: the results of “no-fault divorce” are a lot messier than the original sales pitch led us to believe.

No-fault divorce turned what was once a last resort into a relatively simple off-ramp. And over time, that shift didn’t just change divorce law. It changed how every one of us views marriage.

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These days, couples enter marriage knowing there is an easy out if things get uncomfortable, boring, or difficult. In the old days, people chose their spouse carefully and worked through hardships because ending a marriage was a huge move that required real proof. Now, if the spark fades, the contract can be dissolved just like that.

Obviously, that cultural shift has come with consequences. And it’s exactly why this X post is getting so much attention.

Brett Pike:

For the first 193 years America was a country divorce required proof of adultery, desertion, cruelty, drunkenness, non-support, or abuse.

Then in 1969 Ronald Reagan introduced no-fault divorce.

We are now 57 years into that experiment. How is it going?

There is a reason this conversation is happening.

Our leaders promised that loosening divorce laws would reduce conflict and make family life healthier. But as this clip shows, the broader social data tells a much more complicated story.

The rate of broken families has gone way up, which means a lot of children are growing up outside two-parent homes.

Obviously, removing nearly all legal friction from divorce had a huge cultural impact.

And the numbers inside faith communities make the picture even more bleak.

Divorce is now widespread across the American population and religions.

Barna:

Divorce Is Widespread
Among adults who have been married, the study discovered that one-third (33%) have experienced at least one divorce. That means that among all Americans 18 years of age or older, whether they have been married or not, 25% have gone through a marital split.

The study showed that the percentage of adults who have been married and divorced varies from segment to segment. For instance, the groups with the most prolific experience of marriage ending in divorce are downscale adults (39%), Baby Boomers (38%), those aligned with a non-Christian faith (38%), African-Americans (36%), and people who consider themselves to be liberal on social and political matters (37%).

Among the population segments with the lowest likelihood of having been divorced subsequent to marriage are Catholics (28%), evangelicals (26%), upscale adults (22%), Asians (20%) and those who deem themselves to be conservative on social and political matters (28%).

Born again Christians who are not evangelical were indistinguishable from the national average on the matter of divorce: 33% have been married and divorced. The survey did not determine if the divorce occurred before or after the person had become born again. However, previous research by Barna has shown that less than two out of every ten people who accept Christ as their savior do so after their first marriage.

In fact, when evangelicals and non-evangelical born again Christians are combined into an aggregate class of born again adults, their divorce figure is statistically identical to that of non-born again adults: 32% versus 33%, respectively.

For many Americans, especially those with traditional religious convictions, this rise in divorce rates is alarming.

If Christianity treats marriage like a covenant, not just a contract, what happens when civil law lowers the bar? Obviously, more people of faith get divorced. Sadly, decades of legal and cultural change have slowly replaced the moral guardrails we used to have in place.

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Ronald Reagan likely didn’t foresee the full cultural tsunami he was helping to unleash when California moved to no-fault divorce. At the time, the reform was framed as practical modernization, but as we now know, “progress” rarely equals better…

Because nearly sixty years later, the country is still sorting through the negative consequences of that move.

These days, marriage seems like a ticking time bomb, since divorce has become so easy and normalized. And communities that were once strong cultural anchors around family stability are now crumbling as well.

There’s no denying it, this “experiment” dramatically reshaped the American family, and not for the better.

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