LIVING TOGETHER
WITHOUT MARRIAGE
Related Scripture
Proverbs 6:27–33
“Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes
not be burned?
“Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be
burned?...
“But whoso committeth adultery with a woman
lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth
his own soul.
“A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his
reproach shall not be wiped away.”
SELECTED TEACHINGS
President Spencer W. Kimball
“Not all sins of this permissive world are with the
youth. I was shocked recently when I read a magazine
article. The man spoke of marriage as a legalistic,
paper-signing institution, and said: ‘It should be
abolished. Without the social pressures in the state,
it could be utopia.’ He asked the woman. She said:
‘Marriage should be done away with. I already know
people who are living quietly together without
marriage, but I haven’t yet seen the effect of this
on children as they grow up in such a society.’
“These are not the only ones who are advocating
living together without marriage. We call this to the
attention of our people with all the strength we
possess.
“We say again: We members of the Church marry.
All normal people should marry. (There could be a
few exceptions.) All normal married couples should
become parents” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1974, 9;
or Ensign,Nov. 1974, 8).
President Gordon B. Hinckley
“God-sanctioned marriage between a man and a
woman has been the basis of civilization for
thousands of years. There is no justification to
redefine what marriage is. Such is not our right, and
those who try will find themselves answerable to
God” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1999, 70; or
Ensign,Nov. 1999, 54).Elder Boyd K. Packer
“There is a practice, now quite prevalent, for
unmarried couples to live together, a counterfeit of
marriage. They suppose that they shall have all that
marriage can offer without the obligations connected
with it. They are wrong!
“However much they hope to find in a relationship
of that kind, they will lose more. Living together
without marriage destroys something inside all who
participate. Virtue, self-esteem, and refinement of
character wither away.
“Claiming that it will not happen does not prevent
the loss; and these virtues, once lost, are not easily
reclaimed.
“To suppose that one day they may nonchalantly
change their habits and immediately claim all that
might have been theirs had they not made a mockery
of marriage is to suppose something that will not be.
“One day, when they come to themselves, they will
reap disappointment.
“One cannot degrade marriage without tarnishing
other words as well, such words as boy, girl, manhood,
womanhood, husband, wife, father, mother, baby,
children, family, home.
“Such words as unselfishnessand sacrificewill then
be tossed aside. Then self-respect will fade and love
itself will not want to stay.
“If you have been tempted to enter such a
relationship or if you now live with another without
marriage, leave! Withdraw from it! Run away from
it! Do not continue with it! Or, if you can, make
a marriage out of it” (in Conference Report, Apr.
1981, 14–15; or Ensign,May 1981, 13).Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Marriage “is a union of such completeness that we
use the word sealto convey its eternal promise. The
Prophet Joseph Smith once said we perhaps couldLiving together without marriage
destroys something inside
all who participate.
—Elder Boyd K. Packer152