This is my biggest problem with the LDS culture:
Quickie marriages.
Why do people think it's acceptable for date for six weeks, or even three months before they get engaged?
Obviously, I'm not married, but I strongly believe that even if you "know" from the first date that you're going to eventually get married, you still don't know that person.
There could be something seriously wrong with them that they're hiding from you, intentionally or not, and you wouldn't be any wiser because you've only been dating for a matter of weeks.
I'm not saying that if you don't date for x amount of months or x amount of years, your marriage is doomed to fail-- it's not. If you're Mormon, you probably know a couple or two {or fourteen, if you go to my school...} that loves to tell their story: "After the first date we both knew we were destined to be together. Our first date was Monday, I had a ring on Friday, and it was on her finger by Saturday night." and they've been happily married for 25+ years.
All I'm saying is what's the harm in waiting a little longer? It's not a race to be married the quickest or married the youngest out of all your friends. It's not like you're getting married to prove to your exboyfriends that you're more attractive or cooler or smarter or funnier than them and trying to beat them to the altar. --And if you are, I think it's safe to say that you probably shouldn't be getting married in the first place.
So why not wait?
Oh, you can't have sex as fast as you want to? Poor you.
All that waiting to be married does is give you more time for that person to regularly prove they are the right one for you and vice versa before making the whole thing an eternal deal.
Number one reason why I will not raise my children in Utah: it's completely socially acceptable to get married at 19 when you've been dating for 3 weeks, and that screams strangerdanger to me.
Also, I despise the Utahn culture in all it's twisted, radically conservative, baby making glory.
Love, Jennie
PS This post wasn't completely out of the blue. I'm writing a research paper for my English class and I was considering doing it on divorce in America. When I read the statistics on divorce rates in 2011, including LDS temple marriages, my stomach sunk.
All I'm saying is that I desperately do not want to be in the over 50% of Americans whose marriage will end, and I'm willing to date someone I'm considering marrying for much longer than the standard LDS courtship to have even the slightest advantage.
PPS I decided to my paper on the question, 'Does abstinence-only sex education in schools ineffective?' because it's still a controversial topic, however it doesn't hit close to home because I don't see people around me saying that they love someone they've dated for a week and a half.
PPPS I think that yes, it is ineffective.
