[xzins]

Divorce rates are always going to be higher among people who actually marry.

Of course, but these counties had higher divorce rates for everybody regardless of the couple being a conservative protestant or not.

It raise the questions: (1) why do conservative counties have more who marry?, and (2) why do people who say they reject divorce go ahead and divorce anyway

[Smokin' Joe]

It raise the questions: (1) why do conservative counties have more who marry?

That's pretty obvious, I'd think.

, and (2) why do people who say they reject divorce go ahead and divorce anyway

It takes two to tango. Regardless of how faithful and committed one person is, if the other is persistently not faithful or committed the divorce will likely happen.

Unequally yoked is bad enough, it can be tough but still the marriage can survive. When one is pulling the other way, however, dissolution is almost inevitable.