Bible Belt divorce rate leads nation

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 12, 1999 by DAVID CRARY AP

"It seems crazy to me that something as fundamental to society as marriage doesn't seem to be deserving of attention by government," said Tim Sullivan, who oversees family programs for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. "Yet nobody seems to want to talk about this except the Christian right wing."

Priest reflected on the irony of a high divorce rate in Oklahoma - -- a state, he notes, where people are proud of their religious faith and of the community spirit that flourished so movingly after the Oklahoma City bombing.

"We're very community oriented," he said, "but we haven't necessarily embodied that in our personal relationships.