FAQ About Dating and Marriage

Do you have any advice? When I left Mormonism, my LDS wife divorced me and moved back home to Utah to live with her LDS family. My daughter who is now 8 is asking me to allow her to be baptized LDS. With everything that I know about Mormonism, I will never allow her to be baptized into the LDS Church, even though she is being raised by my wife and her several generation LDS family. I’m being called the “worst dad ever” even though all I’m doing is using LDS rules.   To counter what she has been learning in primary, I bought the primary books 4-7 which made me sick just reading them. But when I counter their claims out of the Bible, my daughter calls me a liar. What can I do?

OUR DAUGHTER IS DATING A MORMON — What is the best way for a Christian parent to respond to this situation?

“We raised our children in a Christian home, but our 18 year old daughter is dating a Mormon who has convinced her to start meeting with Mormon missionaries. We are concerned she is thinking about becoming a Mormon, and we need information on how best to handle this situation.”

OUR RESPONSE:

We often receive inquiries from concerned parents whose son or daughter is dating a Mormon. What makes these situations more difficult than others is the emotional element that physical attraction and teenage/young adult insecurity plays into the equation.  When the emotions get involved as they do in a dating relationship, it is difficult for anyone to make objective decisions.  Thus, the Bible warns, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” —Proverbs 4:23

Another factor that contributes to the complexity of this situation is the parental and teenage/young adult relationship.  When parents see their children heading in a direction that could have devastating affects, it is easy for the protective parental instinct to engage with a desire to “rescue” the child—regardless of whether the child is of age and capable of making life-choices.  A young adult approached with an authoritative parental attitude, may react with defiant rejection of all parental input (common in strong-willed children) or resentful compliance in which your daughter may give lip-service to your desires, without heart commitment.  Neither response yields the desired affect that would bring a child to maturity in her decision making capacity. 

HOW CAN I WITNESS TO MY MORMON HUSBAND WITHOUT AN ARGUMENT?

“I have been married to a Mormon man for almost 9 years now. I am a committed Christian and I have never been Mormon. Before my husband and I were married, I made it very clear to him and his Mormon family that I would never convert to Mormonism. They have always accepted me with open arms. The haven’t tried to pressure me into anything.