Information Related to "Dating Outside the Faith"
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"Why
can't I just go out, for fun?! Just for a movie? It's not like we're
going to get married." I was so frustrated with my parents. This was
the first guy that I would actually enjoy getting to know better. How
embarrassing it was to have to turn him down because my parents wouldn't
let me date outside the Church. I could not understand it. There were
good guys in "the world." A few of them really seemed to be of higher
character than some guys I knew in the Church. I felt this was my decision
to make.
This was not the first time my parents and I had disagreed over this, and it was not to be the last. Somehow they always won, and I never dated anyone outside the Church through high school. I did go on a lot of group outings with friends from church, and also spent time alone with guys in the Church. Camps, Feasts and big church activities were the highlights of my high school years. But for a long time I never completely understood why my parents kept me from dating in high school.
An
older friend of mine shut down my main argument one evening during
my senior year. I was complaining to her about my parents' decision
relating to dating guys in high school. I told her about a few
guys that seemed awesome at my high school. They seemed to have
very high morals and were smart, kind and interesting. I told her
that there were some guys "in the Church" that I could not respect
because of their attitudes or their hypocrisy in going to church
but not living God's way. I told her: I have not found anyone in
the Church that I could see myself marrying—and besides that—what
are the chances? There's one guy my age in my area, but he is more
like a best friend than a marriage candidate. Church sizes had
decreased, church activities were few and far between, and young
people were all so spread out. How can you date someone who lives
three states away?
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "Dating Outside the Faith"
Other Articles by Cindy Harper
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