Marriage between a Man and Woman Is Sacred and Ordained of God
Mormon Doctrine / Teachings
"The subject of marriage is debated across the world, where various arrangements exist for conjugal living. My purpose in speaking out on this topic is to declare, as an Apostle of the Lord, that marriage between a man and a woman is sacred?it is ordained of God. I also assert the virtue of a temple marriage. It is the highest and most enduring type of marriage that our Creator can offer to His children."
Russell M. Nelson, "Celestial Marriage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 92
Prophet to Mormon men: Put a ring on it
It's not clear if he means marry young -- a high trigger for divorce in any religion. But Monson clearly wants these well-scrubbed, caffeine-free Mormon men to make this a higher priority than, say, Broadway tickets to the new smash musical Book of Mormon. Ref. Source 3
I was glad to hear so many talks about it in Conference and it was mentioned that single men like to have fun with friends, spend money, enjoy the single days, etc without commitment and the leaders don't seem to be happy about it at all.
Mormon men postponing marriage, concerning church officials
Church leaders want other Mormon men to follow his lead and not that of the nation as a whole. Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released figures indicating marriage is at an all-time low and people are waiting longer to tie the knot. Ref. Source 1
I get the impression that LDS young women are also complicit in this delaying of marriage. However, I have already done my duty in multiplying and replenishing the earth and my children have been getting married off relatively early so I don't feel very connected to this problem.
The main problem in my humble opinion, is not young people postponing marriage. It's the fact that many are, in Seinfeld's vernacular, undatable. And of course we Mormons have no alcohol to bring them together (also Seinfeldian). Intended to be humorous, but there are many shreds of truth to this methinks.
Edited: bcspace on 1st Sep, 2011 - 6:02pm
Why is it that the Church insists in marriage at such young age? I am not sure how applicable it is in these times or is it that as any other religion, the Church wants to get a young man that just served a mission, returning with a high sense of spirituality and take advantage of that to get him married and in this way, continue the "chain" of Church members growing in number? Stronger the couple, kids, tithing, etc sounds quite ideal for any religious organization.