When I was a teenager in the Mormon Church, my MIA leader showed a film to all the girls about the importance of temple marriage.  It emphasized the superiority of temple marriage over civil or other-religious marriage.  If I recall correctly, one scene of the movie showed a sweet young couple who did not get married in the temple and the young man died in a car accident.  How tragic, the film showed, a marriage that only lasted a short while when it could have been eternal.

Perhaps it was for that reason that when I wrote  my own wedding vows, only three months out of Mormonism, I included the phrase, “forever” and not, “until death do us part.”

However, I have since learned details about the LDS temple ceremony.  Of course only temple-recommend relatives and friends can attend the actual event. There are no rings exchanged – nor vows between the husband and wife.  Each does make vows — but to the LDS church, not to each other.  There is no commitment to stay together in the sickness, health, richer, poorer, better or worse phases of life.  There is only commitment to Mormonism.

And there’s another thing missing from the LDS temple ceremony.  A culture which is based on the teachings of founders who slept with many, many women –a culture which teaches that men will all be polygamists in heaven– certainly would never ask the groom to “forsake all others.”

Now, I don’t see much in that which is superior to Christian marriage.

3 Responses to “Reason #117: Getting Married to a Church”

1. 
   December 2nd, 2009 at 7:17 pm

   Thanks for that eye opening opinion …
   I’m about to the middle of your book “Latter-day Cipher”. I’m loving it.

2. 
   December 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm

   Thank you so much! I would love to know what you think when you’re finished!

3. 
   December 4th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

   Latayne, you have piqued my curiosity and I plan to purchase your book.

   Would love to have you drop by my new blog at http://www.pattilacy.com/blog

   Hope we can become writer friends!!

   Patti

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