|
What Men Want Women to Know About PornographyPornography use among both single and married boys and men in our church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—is a very touchy and controversial topic. Seemingly every priesthood session of conference has a talk about the evils of pornography, full of warnings, concerns, and instructions to repent of this evil and seek help. Since 2016, Utah as a state has even declared pornography a major health crisis (see:
|
|
Dating ConversationsOne of the biggest determiners of whether or not an initial date goes well or not is how the conversation goes. People come home from a date deciding whether or not to have additional dates or not. A lot of this relates to how the talking and listening went, both directions. If it went well, there is a far greater chance more additional dates will happen and that a relationship will develop. If not—if the conversation was flat or contentious, the first date will likely be the last date. So
|
|
Dating Members OnlyIn the singles scene as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, finding good members to date and eventually marry can be challenging. In addition to the normal challenges of finding a nice, decent, respectable person that is marriage material, there is an added challenge as well. There is also the difficulty of finding a fellow member of the church that, ideally is of decent church standing and activity that can eventually take you to the temple. Because of these double
|
|
Finding Mutual InterestsIn any dating relationship (and potential future marriage), a challenge exists every time: dealing with differences. One of the biggest challenges involves how a couple deals with different or discrepant interests and hobbies. Genders, personalities, and backgrounds differ, thus adding to differences with what each person in the relationship likes doing for fun and fulfillment. If this issue is not navigated well, frustration, contention, and resentment may develop, as well as distance and
|
|
Deciding When Dating Multiple PeopleOne suggestion most singles have heard is the idea to “date multiple people at the same time” to keep your options open and give the most opportunities for relationship success. And as relationships are brand new, dating more than 1 person at a time is common, understandable, perhaps desirable (depending on your preferences). However, it doesn’t take very long for a pressure and an urgency to kick in to choose the one main person to date, while letting the other(s) go. It soon becomes
|
|
Money, Priorities, and RelationshipsA sensitive subject for single members in the dating arena concerns their own and another’s present and future financial situation. In other words, money. Truth be told, we have often heard some confusing ideas, advice, and suggestions on the subject. On one hand, people may tell you things like “money isn’t everything”, “money doesn’t but happiness”, or “a lot of rich people are jerks”. Conversely, we logically know inside that how much money (and/or debt) a person has, their credit score, and
|
|
Keeping an Eternal Perspective for SinglesOne of the most challenging aspects of being a single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is keeping an eternal perspective. An understandable frustration for singles is, “when will I meet him/her?” “Will it ever happen in this life?” “Am I going to be single forever?” While the answers to these questions are individual between the particular member and the Lord, everyone can cope better by working to maintain an eternal perspective along their life’s journey. This phrase
|
|
Encouraging Quotes for SinglesMany times, singles can feel alone, unsupported, perhaps forgotten as members of the church. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to simply be a compilation of various encouraging quotes from conference talks/general authorities to help support singles. These simple quotes speak for themselves, so enjoy. Encouraging Conference Quotes for Singles: Kathleen Lubeck Peterson, Singles and Marrieds: Together in Faith (General Conference, April, 2006): “President Gordon B. Hinckley is mindful
|
|
Finding Worth as a SingleOne of the great emphases of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is a strong orientation towards marriage and family. Most church talks, videos, and articles emphasize the nuclear family of a husband, a wife, and children. Often, lots of children. This is shown as the ideal to strive for. Things like divorce, being widowed, or never marrying are only discussed as special topics of interest, and only occasionally. So logically, single members of the church often feel
|
|
Anger at GodAs fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we learn early on that the desired, preferred, ideal state is to be married, have kids, and keep a very strong family and family orientation throughout our adult lives. Unfortunately, some people stay single for a number of reasons and have their marital goals frustrated for a time. Some have never married, others divorce, and others still are widowed. So, when someone for whatever reason is single in the church—especially
|
|
Dating a Widow?A sensitive and unique area for single members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints involves the dating and marriage situation of widows. Basically, we understand as members that if a man is a widow (sometimes called a “widower”) and he was sealed in the temple to his first wife, he can be sealed to another 2nd wife as well after the first has passed away. However, this is different for women. When a woman has been sealed to her first husband in the temple and he passes away, she
|
|
Why the High Inactivity Rate for Men?In a private conversation among general authorities revealed in “Mormon Leaks” (if this source is to be trusted), only about 25% of single members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are active worldwide, which sounds accurate. (Source: https://religionnews.com/2016/10/05/leaked-worldwide-only-25-of-young-single-mormons-are-active-in-the-lds-church). Within those 25% active singles, there are about 3 active women for every 2 active men. In other words, there are about 50% more
|
|
Therapy ObservationsAs a clinical psychologist and marriage & family therapist since 1997—and as a fellow member of the church—I have noticed and experienced many things across my 1000s of sessions throughout the years. For my LDS singles audience (um, singles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), there a number of things I wish to share in this article that I think can be of help in your dating and relationship journey. These ideas are simply my opinions and observations, not objective “truth”.
|
|
The Scars of Sexual AbuseSexual abuse--often today called sexual assault--comes in many forms: child molestation, statutory rape, date rape, acquaintance rape, stranger rape, and so on. Some types can occur as a child, others as a teenager, others as an adult. Some forms of abuse can involve a one-time incident, others repetitively over months or years. Sexual abuse is perpetrated by either males and females towards either male or female victims. Yes, girls and women commit these acts as well, and boys and men are
|
|
Looks and DatingWe read in the well-known scripture the following: “…for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” –I Samuel 16:7. This scripture has implications for singles and dating. Some will look and conclude that these words confirm that “looks don’t matter” or that “looks shouldn’t matter”. Others will look at this scripture and conclude the exact opposite: if “man” (people) are naturally wired to look at and be attracted to the
|
|
Signs of Online Dating ScammersOnline dating in the 2000s has really come into its own. Every year online dating sites and apps grow in popularity and create successful real-life matches. What used to be looked at as “something only desperate people did” has changed. As people’s busy schedules require convenience and flexibility, online dating has filled the need. In addition, the overall popularity of online dating has increased the overall quantity and selection of total dating partners. However, along with the increased
|