For a Mormon parent?

Question

How do Mormon parents feel about a son dating a young lady who is very moral but has different religious beliefs? (ie. Only the Bible is God's Word, Jesus is God in the flesh, salvation is by faith alone and completed in the work of Christ and so forth).

P.S. They are not "casually" dating.

Answer 1

I think Mormon parents will be like any other. It's better if couples share the same faith. Marriage is tough anyway. You still support your children's choices.

Answer 2

I am an LDS parent. My kids aren't old enough to date yet, but I have given this quite a bit of thought due to our location.

We have lived overseas for many years and will probably stay overseas. My kids are almost always the only members of the church around. If they are going to date at all, it will most likely be with people of other religions. I do not think that there is anything wrong with this as long as dating is done within the guidelines of our leaders.

I would review the pamphlet "For the Strength of Youth" with your son and openly discuss relationships, the purpose of dating, preparing for a mission, etc. While I want my children to choose the right on their own, I don't want them in a situation in which that would be difficult. So, I would also make sure to include the girl in our family activities so that she understands our standards as well. Since she already has similar moral standards, I would not be too concerned about it. He must learn to stand on his own testimony someday.

The Strength of Youth booklet says that dating can "develop lasting friendships and eventually help you find an eternal companion. Date only those who have high standards and in whose company you can maintain high standards." It does not say only date members. It further counsels to "go in groups or on double dates" at first and to "avoid going on frequent dates with the same person."

Again, be open and honest with your son. Include the girlfriend in the family activities. Follow the counsel and guidelines of the church, and there should not be any problems.

Good luck. Let me know if you want to discuss this further.

For the Strength of Youth can be found here:
http://www.lds.org/youthresources/pdf/ForStrengYouth36550.pdf

Answer 3

If they really are Mormon, then they (unlike many other Christian denominations) would respect this young woman’s beliefs even though they differ from their own, and respect her right to have them. That's one thing that sets Mormons apart from other Christians.

I'd imagine it might be a bit uncomfortable for them if this young lady finds it in herself to be rude enough to try and convert them, as many other Christian denominations would encourage her to do. Also, Mormons usually prefer to keep marital pairings within the religion, and thus can be picky sometimes about who their children date, since every girlfriend or boyfriend could be a potential spouse. This is because they believe in spiritual family trees, in that families will remain related in the afterlife, but only so long as every member is Mormon. I've yet to understand this completely, but that is how it was explained to me.

I am very lucky. I am dating a wonderful young man who comes from a Mormon family, and although his mother worries about my being Wiccan because of the whole spiritual family ties thing, they've accepted me and love me with open hearts, and I them.

I hope this helps; blessed be!

Answer 4

I am not a parent, but I have a brother in law that is a member that married a very anti-mormon girl. He wasn't too active at the time...
He is a totally different person now...it is very sad.
I know even when I married my husband, who was not active at the time and we did not get married in the temple first (we were sealed after 5 years of marriage last year), my parents were concerned of what would happen later...if we would go through the temple. We did, but it doesn't happen to everyone.
I think I would much rather my child date/marry those who are worthy to take them to the temple.

Answer 5

Mormon parents probably feel the same as parents of other religions: they may wonder what religion their grandchildren will be raised in; they may wonder if their own son or daughter will convert to the religion of their spouse. Most marriages work better if the husband and wife are of the same religion. Of course, there are exceptions, and as long as both partners in the relationship are respectful of the other's religion, and if they are both very moral, things will probably work out.

Answer 6

well the bible says "like fruit" if one child is a mormon child and belives in things other than the bible, and the other child believes in the bible, then it cant be a godly relationship. yea it may work and they could live a happy life, but god wont be in it the way he should be. i have dated non christians and it does put a hold on things. it can be hard.

Answer 7

I am not a Mormon parent, but this is something that the Mormon church looks down on severely. If the girl will not convert to Mormonism, this is not supposed to proceed.

Answer 8

While Mormon parents hope that their children will marry in the faith and in the temple, I can say that our daughter was seriously dating a man who wasn't Mormon. We recognized that she has her agency to make decisions for herself. We prayed that she would be wise and we continue to do so.

Answer 9

Dating someone is fine if they have the same standards, but a Mormon parent would caution their children not to get too serious with non-member dates.

Answer 10

Hopefully they will listen to what the girl has to say, as they hope others will do for them =]
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0061/0061_01.asp
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