Single Mormons in a Married Church

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the journey of many single adult Mormons, wherein the “plan of happiness” they imbibed when they were younger included a partner who never materialized for them in adulthood. Because marriage and children are so central to the Mormon concepts of happiness in this life and exaltation in the next, the absence of those relationships can be acutely painful. Many Mormon singles feel judged or shamed, or express frustration that the Church seems to be worshiping the nuclear family instead of Christ. For some, the grief has been strong enough that they're no longer active in the Mormon faith. For its part, the LDS Church has tried different approaches to meet the needs of single members, including “singles wards,” or congregations where unmarried members can worship together apart from the multigenerational wards that are the usual round of the Mormon experience. However, there are pros and cons to singles wards.