I regard Mormonism as being a cult, not a form of legitimate Christianity (Mormons don’t believe in the Jesus of the Gospels, for one thing), but I think there are some parallels between Mormons and Christians, such as the over-emphasis upon marriage.
When your church makes an idol out of marriage, as Mormons and Christians do, it drives people away. Because sometimes people stay single by choice, or due to factors beyond their control.
And if you’re single in a religion that over-values marriage, there is a tendency to be ignored, set aside. Churches care more about marriage than singlehood. Churches care more about meeting the needs of married couples than they do adult singles.
There is no incentive for a single adult to remain in a church or denomination that marginalizes them constantly, or that behaves as though singleness is a disease or a second-rate life station.
(Link): Who is leaving the LDS Church? by Jana Riess
Excerpts
We know, or can infer, some things about them from prior research. There is a correlation between certain life situations and leaving. This does not mean that being any one of these things will cause a person to leave, only that there is a relationship.
- Being single. There’s been some tantalizing research over the last two years about singles in the LDS Church.
- Singles are less likely to stay active than married people, but we don’t yet have reliable national data. In one stake, single women had an activity rate of 17% and single men just 8%.
- In my survey and in the book’s oral history interviews I am listening to what singles say about their experiences. (So far, the message is that it is very, very hard to be single in such a married church.)
Related Posts:
(Link): Do Mormons Worship The Family?, by J. Riess (This Is Applicable to Christians As Well)
(Link): If the Family Is Central, Christ Isn’t
(Link): Mormon author says “we just can’t shame women” for not following the wife-and-mother script
(Link): Man / Husband Shortage in Hong Kong – just like in American Christian circles
(Link): Another Christian Pro-Nuclear Family Marriage Idolator Married Father Caught By Ashley Madison Hack
(Link): Is The Church Failing Childless Women? by Diane Paddison
(Link): Lies The Church Tells Single Women (by Sue Bohlin)
(Link): Does God Require Singles to Be Perfect Before He Will Send Them a Spouse
(Link): Following the Usual Advice Won’t Get You Dates or Married – Even Celebrities Have A Hard Time
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