[solardev]

That seems to be a huge advantage of religious communities when it comes to passing on lineages. They have a built-in in-group of potential partners from similar backgrounds and values to choose from, and many times they would already be known and vetted by family and friends.

Of course that can also lead to marriages of social convenience rather than romantic love (for better or worse) and, in tragic circumstances, situations like the FLDS church where women and girls are just traded between old men as sex slaves. That's an extreme though.

How have the religious couples you've known turned out? I've known a few, and some are still happily together years later while others have separated. Often they get married just to finally be "allowed" to have sex.

[nemomarx]

For better or worse, I do feel like no divorce was part of this formula in terms of stability and keeping the community doing the same things going forward? It probably still works at a reduced efficiency now though.