Being a Menace to Society: 25 and Single in the LDS Church

Being a Menace to Society:

                I just turned 25 years old today and got to thinking about my current status of being “single”. So, what is it like to be 25 years old and not married? Well depends on whether you are part of the world or a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If you are part of the world, you are still young and have PLENTY of time to get married. No rush, No worries!

However, I, being a member of the LDS faith can now be classified as a “menace to society”! Brigham Young once said… “Any young man who is unmarried at the age of twenty five is a menace to society”.

                But wait… did he REALLY say that? I searched the web and came back empty handed! Sure the quote exists, but it uses any age from 21-30 in place of “25”, however it does seem as if “25” is the most popular age used in the quotes… the problem? There is never a source to any of the quotes!

                I did find one interesting piece of the “puzzle”… On May 31, 1963, speaking at the Commencement Exercises as President of Brigham Young University, Ernest Wilkinson stated:

                "Of the men graduating tonight, 62 per cent are married; 38 per cent unmarried. Of the 472 women graduating, 23 per cent are married; 77 per cent single. As to the single men, I need merely to repeat the admonition attributed to Brigham Young, “Every man not married and over twenty-five is a menace to the community.” I asked Dr. Lyman Tyler yesterday if he would document this for me, but he said he had been trying to document it for years; he had given up, so you will have to accept it either on faith, or as apocryphal."

                So there you have it! It might have never been said by Brigham Young, but is it encouraged in the LDS church to be married by that age? Not exactly, but the principle is the same…. MARRIAGE is important and is not something that should be put off forever!

                Upon careful research I found a little more into the statement,  and something that can actually be verified as being true! George Q. Cannon, a church apostle, said in 1878: “I am firmly of the opinion that a large number of unmarried men, over the age of 24 years, is a dangerous element in any community.…”

                So wait, I have already been a menace for a year?!?! So confusing! But now I can really reflect on how it is to be 25, Single and LDS. Let me tell you that the feeling is not great. The church pushes marriage so much, because without marriage so many blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be forfeited. While being single in the LDS church is not easy, and makes the entire experience an extreme test of faith… I must remember that…

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace… He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the workthat God maketh from the beginning to the end… I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him… for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-17)

For now I just have to stay positive and know that God has a purpose for everything, and sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to go. But in the end God will reward those who were faithful in this life or the next.

Psalms 45-46

Psalms 45-46

Chapter 45: The Messiah Fairer than the Children of Men

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.

                “Thou art fairer than the children of men…” (Psalms 45:1) Here the author is telling us that the Messiah (the Lord) is fairer than men.

                “Thy throne, O God, is forever… the scepter of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Psalms 45:6-7)

                Here we learn that the Lord (Jehovah or Jesus) is fairer than men, but also that He answers to the same God we do; The Father! If we fast forward to the New Testament we read in Hebrew 1:8-10; “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever… a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God; even thy God, hath anointed thee… And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.”

Who is the God of the Old Testament?

                Why is this important? We know that the God of the ‘Old Testament’ was named Jehova. We know this because in Exodus 3:13 Moses asks the ‘God of the Old Testament’; “…when I come unto the children of Israel… and they shall say unto me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?” God responds back in the next verse and says; “…I AM THAT I AM… Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Isreal, I AM hath sent me unto you… Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name foever…” (Exodus 3:15-16)

                So we learn that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jabob of the Old Testament is named “I AM”. So now we have to fast forward again to the New Testament to see what was said about this God named “I AM”. In the story of the adulterous woman, Jesus tells the men who condemned the woman and wanted her to be stoned; “…He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone…” (John 8:7) This of course did not make the Pharisees happy and then began to question Jesus. Jesus was not about to be ridiculed and responds in a very authoritative, yet respectful way; “…I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me…” (John 8:28)

                Jesus was trying to make a point, He was sent by His Father! Jesus goes on to tell the Pharisees that if a man follow his worth “…he shall never see death” (John 8:51) of course Jesus is talking about a Spiritual death, but the Pharisees did not get this point and continued to ridicule Jesus; “…Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham” (John 8:56) Jesus responded to this by telling the Jews “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) This clearly shows that Jesus was the ‘great I AM’ of the Old Testament. After all “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him...” (John 1:1-3)

“By the word of the Lord [Jesus] were the heavens made…” (Psalms 33:6)

                Notice how it says the ‘Word’ was with God, and yet he is God? Jesus is a God but He is not THE God, which is our Father. Jesus was with the Father in the beginning; Jesus acted as a builder of the Universe, where the Father was the one who laid out the plans our ‘blueprints of the universe’.

Chapter 46: “Know that I am God”

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A song upon Alamoth

                “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear…” (Psalms 46:1-2)

                Even when the world around us crumbles; through war and natural disaster we need to not fear, if we truly have faith in the Lord. “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalms 46:10). This is a great reminder for everyone; just BE STILL and know that God is there!