An Ireland-based Catholic marriage counseling service claims that the Internet, gaming and pornography are among factors contributing to a current rise in marriage problems.
Accord saw demand for its counseling services grow 10 percent in 2009, which Accord Director Ruth Barror blamed on financial problems, cyber sex and gambling, while Acting Director of Counseling Liam Lally told the Irish Examiner that Internet-related marriage problems have “jumped dramatically in recent years.”
A figure applied to these issues claims an 87.5 percent jump in marriage complaints related to the Internet since 2007. Over the same period, financial issues grew 71.0 percent, while depression and stress-related claims rose 14.0 percent and 12.0 percent.
Lally continued:
Online gambling is now quite easy to do at home and people are also getting addicted to playing games. Pornography is also a problem. It is linked with a form of infidelity because a person is getting sexual gratification from the internet instead of having a relationship with a spouse.
Accord’s insight into Irish marriages should not be discounted, as the group claims that 70.0 percent of the 30,000 couples married in a Catholic church over the last two years used the firm’s marriage preparation services.
Comments
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
Why does it have to be internet-related? Why can't it be Hustler or Playboy or Playgirl magzines? Seriuosly......unless they are kept hidden or used behind closed doors......
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
*groan* Ah, crap. Well, as the lone roman catholic as far as I know, I suppose I should say something. Well, first it should be noted that this isn't the entire catholic church saying this or the Vatican saying this. It's a marriage counsel group that is catholic based. Actually, when reading this, the guy isn't saying anything really ludicrous. Can gambling ever be a problem in a relationship? Sure. Can videogames ever be related to the problem? Sure, I've witnessed it. Does this mean that videogames are bad? No. Did they say videogames are bad? No
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
Here is some food for thought stop blaming your marital problems on on outside objects and look in the mirror and look at your flaws.
Never underestimate the power of idiots in large amounts.
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
"S/He doesn't pay attention to me! S/He is always playing video games instead!"
"I play them to get away from you, because I HATE YOU!"
"VIDEO GAMES! VIDEO GAMES ARE RUINING OUR MARRIAGE!"
*Goes back to God of War 3*
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
Makes me think of those GOW3 commercials.
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
If these are Irish marriages, where's the mention of drinking problems being behind some of the woes?
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
It's interesting that they're looking at these things as causes for marital problems, not a symptom of marital problems.
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
People like simple causes for problems, esp if they are causes that were not (or less) present in an earlier timeframe that you can selectivly pull rose tinted examples from, esp when they are things like ponography that your organization has been trying to blame generations.....
The core thing threatening marriage is choice, options, and reduced stigma. Things were simplier when you got married and horrible things would be done to your life if you even showed discord publicly, much less tried to get divorced. Problems that might cause one to seek counciling today would have been quietly shoved under the carpt in the past (or, if it was the woman who was unhappy, simply beaten out of her).
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
Of the three comments on here, this is the only one that isn't "VATICAN LOL!!!11". It's also incredibly intelligent, and exactly what I came here to say.
If it weren't for the Internet or videogames, it would be drinking or something else. The bottom line is that there are people who aren't putting the time into their marriages that they need to in order to facilitate a strong relationship. It's the old complaint, just with new actors.
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
I'd blame the Vatican for still being in the bloody Dark Ages as far as conjugal matters go.
Re: Games Share Blame for Irish Marriage Woes
I'd blame the Vatican for still being in the bloody Dark Ages as far as the real world go/fixed.
Also, the church blaming something complete unrelated on the problem. Good move.
(Why I can´t write "fixed"?)
------------------------------------------------------------ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com