Posted on 02/03/2010 6:45:50 PM PST by Colofornian
During my Christmas break, I attended my home singles’ ward, hoping to get reacquainted with old friends. When our bishop stood up and announced that four more sisters and friends of mine had received their mission calls, I exclaimed, “Eek gads! Four more friends to write!” (Okay, maybe I didn’t say “eek gads” exactly, but it was something to that effect). I am overjoyed for these sisters, for I know they will be a force to be reckoned with in their service. But it made me think of how our society has changed over the years.
More sisters are serving than ever before as full-time missionaries. That means a huge portion of women cut out of the dating game for 18 months. The average age for men getting married has historically been higher than women. But as more sisters serve and get married later, that median age for women will make an unprecedented jump.
Also, fewer BYU students are getting married during their college years than ever before. According to the Y Facts University Marriage Statistics page, the percentage of married students at BYU has steadily declined from 29 percent in 1992 to 25 percent in 2009. While a 4-percent drop may not seem like much, it reflects a national trend of the aging single population.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s marriage data, the percent of married people in the United States has dropped 12 percent since 1950. This data also indicates that the average age for people getting married has also increased by about six years.
Please understand. I totally support sisters serving missions, being an R.M. myself. What I want to do is rally discussion about these new trends in our day.
These observations and statistics suggest some important things. One, as an LDS culture, we are not immune to the trends that affect the rest of the country, for better or for worse. Also, it shows that something in society has changed, making marriage something people are putting off in favor of other activities. What are the potential positive and negative aspects of this? And what has changed to make people wait to get married?
This is rather significant. Why? Because LDS teach that marriage itself is a "law" to be obeyed if one wants to progress to godhood. (See next post)
From the article: These observations and statistics suggest some important things. One, as an LDS culture, we are not immune to the trends that affect the rest of the country, for better or for worse. Also, it shows that something in society has changed, making marriage something people are putting off in favor of other activities. What are the potential positive and negative aspects of this? And what has changed to make people wait to get married?
Well indeed. Good questions from this BYU writer. And questions that can be asked not only of BYU, but the state of Utah. Because surprisingly these trends also reflect Utah. I looked a few years back and was frankly surprised to see that despite Utah having the lowest median age in the country, it only ranked #17 among states re: those who were married. (Barely ahead of Florida, Nebraska & Oregon)
So why (at that time...not sure how the stats have changed in the last 2 years) were 29% of men in Utah single? [Along with 22.3% of women?] All in a culture where marriage is HEAVILY stressed!
What implications does this have? Does it show men in the region aren't ready or willing to "settle down?"
Finally, according to the stats I found, why was there such a huge gap between the % of married men and the % of married women in Utah? I mean there were 6.6% more married women than married men. I mean sure, the 40,000 in known polygamist families would account for some of this...but are more "behind-the-scenes" polygamous unions occurring than is known?
Why is this so significant?
Joseph F. Smith and Joseph Fielding Smith were related to the original Lds "prophet" and became Lds "prophets" themselves. Note what they said about the import of marriage from a Mormon perspective:
...this doctrine of the eternal union of the husband and wife and of plural marriage, is one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man in any age of the world. Without it man would come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become gods neither could we attain to the power of eternal increase... (Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21, pp. 9-10)
So if you want to enter into exaltation and become as God, that is a son of God or a daughter of God, and receive a fulness of the kingdom, then you have got to abide in his law-not merely the law of marriage but all that pertains to the new and everlasting covenant... (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. II, p. 63)
It is interesting given the teaching of ldsers.
Now at my church young people are getting married earlier, becoming a team so to speak.
It will a be study of interest to find out why. If ldsers teach marriage as a command and marriage is being postponed does that mean the young people are rejecting these teachings?
As Lds apostle C.W.Penrose wrote in "Mormon" Doctrine - Plain and Simple, p. 66: "In the resurrection, they stand side by side and hold dominion together. Every man who overcomes all things and is thereby entitled to inherit all things, receives power to bring up his wife to join him in the possession and enjoyment thereof."
According to Mormonism 201: Chapter 15 - The Temple :
When a woman goes through the temple ceremony for her own endowments, she is presented, like all other patrons, at the veil of the temple. This veil represents the separation between earthly life and the eternal life in the celestial kingdom of Mormonism. If her fiancé or husband is there, he is the one who takes her through the veil and into the celestial kingdom. She must give him her secret temple name in order to obtain entrance, and then he leads her through after the ceremony is complete. It is explained to them that this represents the husband calling his wife forth from her grave in the resurrection.
When I went through the temple ceremony with my fiancé, Shawna Burchard, a temple worker at the veil explained the same thing to her privately. When Shawna asked the temple worker why she had to give me her secret temple name through the veil, "they said that so in the 'here after' or their version of 'the resurrection' only you [Lane] would be able to call me up from my 'slumber.'"10 This is the explanation given to most women who go through the ceremony.
For example, in the introduction to The Journals of William Clayton (who was the secretary to Joseph Smith) we read that "Clayton described the temple endowment…In this ceremony, each husband escorted his wife through a veil, calling her by a 'new temple name.' The woman's salvation would depend upon her husband's priesthood authority.
Clayton reported Brigham Young saying that 'the man must love his God and the woman must love her husband,' adding that 'woman will never get back, unless she follows the man back.'" 11
Mary Ettie Smith, a former temple Mormon, wrote in 1870 that "…women are to be the ornaments of his [her husband's] kingdom, and dependant upon him for resurrection and salvation…"12
Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde counseled Mary Ettie Smith not to divorce her husband, but he then made her the following offer: "You may, if you wish, be 'sealed' to me, and then you know there would be no risk to run, in case you should die. Otherwise, if by chance you should drop away, having no husband to raise you at the last day, you could not be 'resurrected' as a saint,…"13
Ann-Eliza Young, a former polygamous wife of Brigham Young, was taught the same principle. Writing in 1876, she said, "It is believed as the husband has to 'resurrect' his wife by her endowment name, so it is rather necessary that he should know it. Consequently, when he is sealed to her, she is permitted to whisper her name to him through the veil, and after that it must be spoken no more between them until he shall call her by it on the morning of the first resurrection."14
H.H. Bancroft wrote in History of Utah, 1840-1886 that "all good Mormons are buried in their endowment robes, and the veil worn by the women covers their faces when they are consigned to the grave. In the morning of the resurrection, this veil is to be lifted by the husband; otherwise no woman can see the face of the almighty in the next world."15
At the end of the 1881 book "Mormonism Unveiled; the Life and Confessions of John D. Lee, there appears a copy of a letter sent to John Taylor, the president of the twelve apostles and acting head of the LDS Church. The letter contains information from the second wife of Brigham Y. Hampton when she was seeking a legal divorce from her husband.
In the letter we read, "The endowment robe consists of several garments. One of these is a white headgear for the women, which has a flowing cape falling down from the back. During the ceremony this cape is thrown over the woman's face…When the woman dies she is buried in her endowment robes, with this cape on her head, and when she is laid in her coffin the cape is thrown over her face. The teachings of the mormon leaders are that she cannot be resurrected until the husband raises this cape from her face; that if he pleases and is satisfied that she has been a faithful and obedient wife and true to him, he will raise this cape and she may be resurrected, but if he is not satisfied of this, then he refuses to do this, and she cannot be resurrected. One of the most common threats Mrs. Hampton said, by which Brig. Hampton used to compel her to obedience, was that if she didn't obey him 'she would never be resurrected,' that he would not raise the cape from her head on the morning of the resurrection."16
When marrying her husband Dennis in the Salt Lake City temple, former Mormon Rauni Higley (who had been through the endowment ceremony previously) was taken to the veil of the temple and asked to give her husband the "first token of the Aaronic Priesthood," including her secret temple name. She stated that the reason for this was that "…I did not need to repeat any other parts of the 'veil-test' to him – just my new name so that he could 'call me forth in the morning of the first resurrection', as it is explained."17
Higley was very familiar with the temple ceremony since she was commissioned by the LDS Church to translate the temple ceremony into Finnish. She spent a great deal of time in the Salt Lake City LDS temple, observing the ceremony, asking questions, and having various elements and their meanings explained in great detail to her by LDS general authorities.
Patricia Stewart, a Mormon friend of Rauni's, had a grandfather who had been a Mormon polygamist. She said that "he used to threaten one of his wives all the time that he was going to leave her in the grave because she was a bit rebellious…"
this doctrine of the eternal union of the husband and wife and of PLURAL MARRIAGE, is one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man in any age of the world. Without it man would come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become gods neither could we attain to the power of eternal increase... (Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21, pp. 9-10)
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Joseph F Smith did not become the profit until 1901, ELEVEN YEARS AFTER the 1890 proclamation about polygamy, and yet hear he is saying polygamy is STILL..
“one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man”
and “without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become gods neither could we attain to the power of eternal increase... “
There ya go ...the LDS profit...
the fLDS are LDS...
The answer is really simple.
mormon girls are moving away when they marry...and they are marrying non-mormon boys. The boys are left behind in utah unmarried with no one to marry.
I’ve noticed a trend in my younger years. Guys I used to hang out with would sometimes marry a mormon girl. But I’ve never ever ever heard of a girl marrying a mormon boy. They just wont do it. Mormon boys are too scary to a non-mormon girl.
Something about mormonism produces females that are desireable as mates. But the males are undesireable as mates.
You are an embarrassment.
Huh? And why? Are you able to articulate a reason?
Well that happens when the obvious is pointed out and you arent ready for it...
You got a BOO BOO...
OUCH...
I’ll give you a heads up next time shall I ???
And as for this time...
You can handle it...
Youve got that Aaron thingy working for you...
If you knew half as much as you think you do you would really be amazing. Learn to type so your posts make sense. I’m too bored with your idiocy to decipher what the hell an “aron thingy” is.
Just a thought...
Just a thought...
Exactly. Per http://www.mormondoctrine.net/temple/temple_marriage_and_sealing.htm -- All activities in the biblical temple were public knowledge. They are spelled out in detail in Scripture (for example, Exodus 30:7-10; Leviticus 4:5-7; 16:1-34; 24:1-9). The Bible warns the Christian against participation in secret activities (Matthew 10:26-27; Ephesians 5:11-12). And Jesus affirmed that He had no secret teachings, “I spake openly to the world … in secret have I said nothing” (John 18:20).
So, there's nothing remotely Christian or in the Bible that spells out anything like what Lds do in their temples -- not even the Book of Mormon! What they do in Lds temples is no "restoration" of anything ever done in that vein!
So you aren’t going to articulate a reason? Just the personal stuff, but hey not surprising, its really hard to defend lds.
Juvenile delinquents. Both of you.
I guess I left my nancy drew secret decoder ring at work so I don’t know what my AARON THINGY is. This is a colossal waste of my time and FR space.
Good night.
I’m too bored
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Yes well Jesus has the cure for your boredom...
Thats why I’m not bored...
Chrisitanity is exciting...
Theres never a dull moment with my Jesus...
Jesus came to bring us LIFE...
He’s LIVELY...
Heaven is going to be great...
And not a bit boring...
Jesus said to mamelukesabre, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man or woman comes to the Father except by me.”
:)
this veil thing sounds like an aberration of the long-standing orthodox jewish tradition of “bedeken” which has nothing to do with “getting into heaven”
Jesus said to mamelukesabre, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man or woman comes to the Father except by me.” John 14:6
Veils and secret handshakes names aint gonna cut it kid...
:)
LOL...
Of course...
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