A new study shows that faith offers benefits to marriage and family.

The research conducted by a University of Virginia sociologist found that married couples who worship together are 35 percent less likely to divorce and tend to be better parents.

W. Bradford Wilcox, who heads the National Marriage Project, found that religion helps parenting by establishing norms of virtuous behavior and by placing families in networks of like-minded adults.

Also, couples who sense God's presence in their lives tend to take parenting more seriously.

"They're concerned their kids are getting not just into Harvard but also into heaven," Wilcox said.

His other findings show that adults who are married with children are 62 percent more likely to attend weekly religious services than unwed childless couples.

Wilcox said men in particular are more likely to worship once they've made a commitment to a wife and child.