Approximately one quarter of women living with a man say they don't ever plan on marrying him, according to new study findings.

This suggests that for many people, living together is not a step on the road to marriage. More couples live together out of wedlock than ever before, and the reasons why some roommates prefer to stay unwed likely vary. Some may believe that marriage would not alter their situation enough to make it worthwhile. Others may move in with a mate with no plans to marry him. It is suggested, preferring the intimacy and companionship that comes from a roommate, and not from a date or husband.

Although many believed they would never wed their partners, cohabiting does not appear to be replacing marriage, for just as many Americans are marrying now as before. So there are a lot of people who are cohabiting, they want to get married some time, but they don't know when, or with whom. Money is always a woman's number one priority. Rather, women believe that economic stability is a condition of marriage, and they don't want to marry--and perhaps have children--without feeling financially secure.

In terms of why more unwed people are living together than previously, the age at which people are getting married has shown a "steady rise" over the years. And extra time before matrimony gives people the opportunity to have relationships and live with people other than their future spouses.

Word Power

Marriage - a legally recognized relationship, established by a civil or religious ceremony, between two people who intend to live together as sexual and domestic partners

Wedlock - the state of being married

Intimacy - a close personal relationship

Steady rise - fixed, stable, or not easily moved

Cohabiting - to live together, especially without being formally married

Comprehension Questions

1. What are the reasons why some roommates prefer to stay unwed?
2. What is women’s number one priority? Explain.
3. What gives people the opportunity to have relationships and live with people other than their future spouses?

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Are you pro cohabiting? Why or why not?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cohabiting?
3. What are the things to consider before cohabiting/getting married?

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Many people believe in an afterlife. It is generally described as a non-verifiable and non-falsifiable belief within a religion, because it is generally accepted as beyond the experiential knowledge or casual accessibility of most people. As a result, the popular mind relies on various sources for concepts about afterlife.

While there is information available from all sources, a preponderance of concoctions, speculations, and extrapolations have arguably historically characterized formal descriptions of afterlife. Religious traditions have historically formalized and codified ideas about afterlife in widely divergent forms. It should be pointed out that not all atheists and agnostics necessarily rule out the existence of an afterlife. For example, many Buddhists neither confirm nor deny the existence of the supernatural (gods, demons, heavens, hells, etc.), while simultaneously embracing the concept of rebirth.

Word Power

Preponderance – Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence.
Concoctions – the invention of a scheme or story to suit some purpose
Extrapolations – To infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information.
Divergent - Drawing apart from a common point; diverging.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the afterlife?
2. How does history characterize the afterlife?
3. How does Buddhists view the afterlife?

Critical Thinking Questions:

1. Do you believe in the afterlife? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think most religions adhere to the concept of the afterlife?
3. Are there advantages and disadvantages of being an atheist? Explain.

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Real pro-lifers believe life begins at conception and that abortion is first-degree murder; that is, the premeditated killing of a human being. If abortion is premeditated murder, then all 50 US states already forbid it, for every state in the union forbids murder. Problem is, the US courts have muddled the "legal definition" of human life to permit abortion, which is why they occur at a rate of some 3,000 per day.

Still, the question is why pro-lifers fight for laws, such as those requiring parental consent, which are intended to slow the killing. If they believe abortion is first-degree murder, then parental consent laws merely require a parent's permission for a minor to murder her child.

Likewise for "informed-consent" laws, which require doctors to explain a baby's gestational stage, and the potential dangers to the mother, before an abortion. The Supreme Court recently "approved" such a law in Indiana, termed one of the "most restrictive in the nation."

In truth, the law "restricts" nothing; it does not abolish abortion or stop just one abortion. If the pro-lifers are right, that abortion is murder; the doctor is simply explaining the danger of murdering the child.

Word Power

Pro-lifer – a person who is anti abortion

Comprehension Questions

Why do pro-lifers consider abortion as murder?
What are the pro-lifers fighting for in the States?
What is the status of the abortion law in the US?

Critical Thinking Questions

What is your stand about abortion? Are you pro-life or pro-choice?
What is your government’s standpoint in abortion? Is it legal in your country? Why? Why not?
If murder is prohibited in almost all countries of the world, then why is abortion permitted to be carried out?

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