Till Death Do Us Part, or Whatever

Given that most people seem to know that the divorce rate in contemporary America is about 50 percent for first timers (the odds for 2nd and 3rd marriages are even worse), I was curious whether some people would feel a little bit queezy about uttering the promise Till Death Do us Part. SAM ROBERTS in today's New York Times reports that a few couples indeed try inject a bit realism in their marriage vows.


THE Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian
Baptist Church, was stunned recently when three couples who
wanted him to preside at their weddings asked if he would
alter the traditional marriage vows. Forget the
till-death-do-us-part injunction, they suggested. Instead,
would he mind substituting a more realistic escape clause,
say, "as long as our love shall last"?

Dr. Butts did mind. His advice: Find another minister. More...