I love U football more than anything in the world. If I was stranded on an island with only one thing, it would be Utah football.
But this Saturday, I missed the first half of the Utah-BYU game. What could be the cause of such sacrilege? A wedding. This was no normal wedding. No, a normal wedding would not have been slated to take place on the same day and time as the Holy War. This was a rush job8212;an in-and-out, get-the-job-done sprint to the altar. It was a Utah wedding.
Those of us who were fortunate enough to grow up in Utah probably know someone our age who is married. I personally know more than a dozen. I’m 21.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000-2003 study found that Utah has the lowest median first marriage age for both men and women. The national average marriage age during those years was 26.7 for men and 25.1 for women. During that same time period, Utah boasted a respective 23.9 and 21.9 years for men and women.
But what is wrong with Utahns marrying dangerously close to infancy? Arguably the most influential entity in Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has always preached that marriage is necessary for exaltation. This is fine, but as a member of the LDS Church, I can testify to how excessive this doctrine can be interpreted. Marriage was pushed on me from as early of an age as 8, when I was encouraged in Sunday School to make a list of all the things I would look for in a wife. Unfortunately, I was not clever enough at the time to write “puberty.”
Another glance shows that on average, Utah women get married exactly two years before men. Is it a coincidence that many men in Utah spend two years in a marriage-free environment, only to return home ready to start a family? My contention: no.
What we have here is an overeagerness to “start a family,” a clever euphemism for sex. It’s no surprise that young and foolish high school girls fall prey to boys who have been living with other boys for two years and are eager as all hell to “start a family.” It’s not surprising, but it sure is irresponsible.
Many couples do not have the resources to go to college after tying the knot, and one has to drop out to support the other. This creates another problem long-term if Utah’s high divorce rate catches up to them and one is left without a spouse or a degree.
Sure, everyone has an anecdotal story about how their parents, grandparents or other relatives got married straight out of high school and remain happily married to this day. This isn’t particularly surprising, as the median age of first marriage during the 50s, 60s and 70s rested around 23 for men and 20 for women.
However, marriage is not the permanent, unshakeable institution it once was. Divorce licenses are passed out like candy, and those who are perpetually concerned with the “sanctity of marriage” should look inward instead of blaming its collapse on exterior reasons such as homosexuality. The LDS Church and its members need to realize the impact its marital indoctrination is having on marriages and families in Utah. Otherwise, we’re at risk of being the national laughingstock we were when Utah sported its fair share of plural marriages.
