Robinson

I've heard it said that life's a beach. And then you marry one.There's an important distinction.

If you get sand in your shoe (or any other crevice) at the beach, you can easily dispose of it by removing the shoe (or whatever) and shaking it. Trust me on this, wives do not cooperate when similar tactics are used on them. They have a way of permanently lodging in every crevice, granting relief only at great expense.

But it is cosmic justice that wives should be more difficult to dislodge than sand despite being similarly shifty. Sand is just an irritant - wives have added value. And there are innocent third parties - children.

Results of divorce

And we all know that the Christian method of shaking off the wife (divorce) is no good for anybody.

It only makes some lawyer wealthier than he/she deserves;

She'll take you for a bundle and use it to attract your replacement;

She'll spitefully withdraw all perks such as grocery shopping, banking and bill paying.

Furthermore, there's something about the word divorce that causes all concerned to act as if voluntarily lobotomised.

Regardless of the issues in dispute (property; custody; or out-sourcing of 'services'), the allegations put in court documents are usually of soap opera proportions. Fathers are accused of sexually abusing their daughters (or sons); mothers of having sex with the maid (or gardener). Psychologists have a field day as court orders for psychological evaluations help their usually slow profession turn over like the cash register on a petrol pump.

Petty allegations

No member of this brain-dead class considers the long-term damage caused by these petty allegations. A famous story is told of a young counsel who, after hearing the umpteenth application for adjournment due to the absence of the prosecution's witnesses, rose to his feet seeking a dismissal of the charges against the Accused and pontificated, "Judge, every time my client has attended court to face mere allegations. None of the Alligators has ever turned up." In divorce, the Alligators don't understand that they are devouring their young. One day, all children grow up and learn to read.

So, it suits you to heed Percy Sledge's advice and "take time to know her" before tying the knot (around your neck). Make sure you examine fully the hidden shoals and coral reefs of your fancy's nature before leaping into the foaming waters for what should be a lifetime swim.

"It's not an overnight thing. Take time to know her, please don't rush into this thing."

But there is a more fundamental reason to stay married and have as many children as practicable. It's the survival of our Christian culture. While we squabble over custody, property rights or philandering ways, Muslims are quietly and peacefully taking over the world. Research has established that, for a culture to survive, its fertility rate must be 2.11 children per couple. Historically, a fertility rate of 1.9 has never been reversed and it's scientifically impossible to reverse a 1.3 rate as the 80-100 years required for correction is too long for any economic model to be sustained by dwindling population numbers.

Population rate

Today, in Europe, the average fertility rate in the traditional family is 1.38. The individual nations fluctuate from 1.8 (France) to 1.1 (Spain). The Muslim fertility rate is 8.1 per family. Today, 30 per cent of French under 20 years old are Muslim and, by 2027, 20 per cent of France will be Muslim. In England, the Muslim population has grown from 82,000 to 2.5 million over 30 years. In Belgium (where 50 per cent of newborns are Muslim), the Government has projected that one-third of Europe will be Muslim by 2027.

And the good ol' USA, so obsessed with 'fighting them over there before they attack us over here' hasn't noticed the quiet fight being waged 'over here' without a shot being fired. The American fertility rate is 1.6. If you add the Latino influx, it's 2.11. In 1970, there were 100,000 Muslims in America; today there are over 9 million.

Libyan leader, Muammar Al-Gaddafi, recently proclaimed:

"There are signs that Allah will grant victory to Islam in Europe without swords, without guns, without conquest. We don't need terrorists; we don't need suicide bombers. The 50 plus million Muslims [in Europe] will turn it into a Muslim Continent within a few decades."

So, don't scoff at biblical admonitions to "go ye forth and multiply". The next time your spouse strays; or irritates; or appears incompatible, remember that your culture's very survival depends on your togetherness.

Peace and Love

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.