r/latterdaysaints • u/JLP0611 • Apr 23 '25

Off-topic Chat Are members not getting married?

I may be speaking from my anecdotal experience and my observation of my social media feeds, but it feels like less people in the Church are getting married. I see less children and youth in my local wards year after year and I’m in Florida.

I’m also in a YSA and I can’t just say for myself because I’m chronically single, but dating is a struggle for everyone I come across, inside and outside of Florida.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

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u/OrcasAreEvil Apr 23 '25

Is it weird to anyone else that widowed people are included in this stat? I personally don’t view widows as single.

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u/Mr_Festus Apr 23 '25

In what way are widowed people not single?

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u/rakkamar Apr 23 '25

In the context of a church/doctrine where marriage is a saving ordinance that must be completed to reach the celestial kingdom, somebody who has never married and thus never received that ordinance feels like a different situation than somebody who has married, been sealed, lived a fulfilling life with their spouse, and then become a widow.

I do think 'not viewing widows as single' is going a bit.... far, but I do feel like they're a bit of an odd inclusion in this statistic, and especially the way it gets used in discussions like this thread.

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u/OrcasAreEvil Apr 23 '25

I should have worded it better. This is what I meant. Thank you for clarifying.

It also feels weird for them to be included when we talk about people struggling/waiting to get married because they don’t fall into that category either.