Wanna get a man? Quit going to church.

I've been hearing a lot about a CNN report that was aired saying that the Black church keeps Black women single. When I first saw a link about it on Mediatakeout.com, I ignored it. Mainly because MTO can put some B.S. up sometimes. What made me pay attention to it was when I heard the topic being discussed on the Ricky Smiley morning show on Z1079. I didn't even think it was true that the study was done before then.I think the whole thing is ridiculous. Here's why...

• Just like so many other Black people, I grew up in the church. I know all about the Ten Commandments, Jesus' miracles, and countless other parables and scriptures. Pre-marital sex is a no-no and you HAVE to get married if you want to live  life as a woman. According to the church, either you get married or you stay celibate. That didn't sit well with me, so when I turned 18 I did my own thing. I wanted to be able to go on dates, wear makeup, and kiss. (Among other things...) I went against what the church said was right as far as how to date. Had I followed the rules I still would have dated, but we all know being a teenager is all about having fun. Dating the church way was not fun, but it wasn't non-existent. 
• The church is an isolated situation, in my opinion. The church community is small in reference to the rest of the world. There are so many different denominations and beliefs that you can't group all Black churches into one and say that the church, as a whole, is what is keeping Black women single. Trust me because I'm out here in it. I know there are a million other factors that go into being single. Good and bad from both men and women so blaming the church is crazy to me. 
•  The man that the church says is the perfect man to be with can be somewhat unrealistic. Some churches will shun what "worldly" people would say is a good man. He can have a good job, no felonies, a college degree, and his own very successful business; But if he doesn't attend both services on Sunday, bible study on Wednesday, and can't quote scripture then he's not worthy of that Christian woman. So some very good men get passed up. 

I can understand why the report would think that the church is keeping women single because of the strict rules when it comes to sex, dating, and marriage. Christian women make the choice to stay single because of their religion. There are also women that get saved during their relationship without their man and if he doesn't find God with her she will leave him behind.
Did anyone doing this study stop and consider the fact that a woman can CHOOSE to be single for her career or financial goals? Furthermore, did they do this study on any other nationality?

What do you think? Is the Black church the reason Black women are single? How important is religion to a relationship? Go to the comment box below and sound off!