Somehow, SpringheelJack missed the "higher" part in his earlier responses on this point. The thing is, what God wants for us is what is good for us. What we willfully demand, in contrast, tends to hurt us. That's why "the wages of sin is death," and the price of shacking up is a less stable marriage in the future.
I haven't, but I don't think it contributes much to the discussion unless you think that marriage just in itself represents success. My parents have never divorced and hence would puff up your statistic, but their marriage isn't happy. Others who did live together before marriage have had far happier marriages. It all depends on the people.
Is there a reason why you can't just believe and practice your own way and leave others alone? Do you really expect to convince people of your own opinion by alienating them, not having enough respect to at least speak to them in a decent way? The venom in this topic is outrageous. Obviously, none of you could ever even be friends with a neighbor who happened to live with a partner outside of marriage, past or present. It's your way or the highway, and quite frankly, if I was someone trying to make a decision about how I wanted to live my personal life, your behavior would actually encourage me to take the highway.