Re the cohabitation theory. That's a good idea. Hadn't thought of that. I'm just not sure how low or high the marriage rate is in Massachusetts. It's probably not that signficantly lower. I lived in Massachusetts (Arizona) now, and it is a socially conservative state in many ways. (We're talking socially restrained Catholics and a bunch of bright people who tend not to do stupid things that cause divorces.)
One reason for the high divorce rate in the Bible Belt states is that people rely on the bible for marriage guidance counselling and skip seeing a marriage guidance counselor. The Bible is designed to be a lot of things, but a guide to marriage isn't one of them. On the other hand, there are a lot of variable in play when it comes to marriage, so to blame the high divorce rates in the Bible Belt on the Bible is too reductionist.
I have found the exact opposite to be the case. The Bible taught me more about marriage than any secular counselor ever could. The Bible's teachings kept my parents together through some rough times (too many kids too young, domestic violence, mental illness, lust for other people, etc.).
The Bible has a lot to say about marriage! The Bible teaches that wives need love most of all, men need respect.
The Bible teaches that in order to have a successful marriage, "a threefold cord is stronger than two" (you need God in any relationship).
The Bible teaches that a man should love his wife as he loves his own body, and he wouldn't hurt himself, he shouldn't hurt his wife. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but he feeds and cherishes it. Ephesians 5:28,29 In fact, the entire 5th and 6th chapters of Ephesians are FILLED with practical counsel for husbands and wives, and parents and children.
The Bible has a lot to say about being a slave to money and that the love of money is the root of all evil. Any wonder that money troubles are the leading cause of marital problems?
The Bible gives the perfect definition of love (1 Corinthians chapter 13).
God predicted and tried to counsel us so we wouldn't have the problems with in-laws that people have. He said (the following is repeated several times in the Bible, including Ephesians chapter 5), For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
Not to mention the Bible is very clear on extramarital relations (tolerated by the world), and premarital relations (and statistics show, living together prior to marriage actually hurts the chances of a marriage surviving).
In the Bible, a lot of space is devoted to the relationship between husbands and wives. A lot of the Proverbs have to do with the relationship between husbands and wives. There is a long expository in the Bible found in the 31st chapter of Proverbs, extolling the virtues of a good woman, A capable wife who can find? Her value is far more than that of corals.
In my religion, when people get married, there are no trite traditional readings or words to doze through. There is a sermon detailing the wise counsel found in the Bible for husbands and wives. My religion also happens to have one of the lowest divorce rates of any religion.
If the people in the "Bible Belt" (and the world over) were truly heeding the Bible's counsel with regard to marriage, they wouldn't have nearly so many problems! It is distressing to me that anyone could believe the Bible is causing these problems.