Eternal Marriage

1.  "One of the most beautiful, comforting doctrines of the Lord—one that brings immense peace, happiness, and unbounded joy—is that principle called eternal marriage. This doctrine means that a man and woman who love each other deeply, who have grown together through the trials, joys, sorrows, and happiness of a shared lifetime, can live beyond the veil together forever with their family who earn that blessing. That is not just an immensely satisfying dream; it is a reality."

Richard G. Scott, "Receive the Temple Blessings", General Conference, April 1999

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2.  "If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by."  

F. Burton Howard, "Eternal Marriage", General Conference, April 2003

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3.  "Eternal marriage is a principle which was established before the foundation of the world and was instituted on this earth before death came into it. Adam and Eve were given to each other by God in the Garden of Eden before the Fall."  

F. Burton Howard, "Eternal Marriage", General Conference, April 2003  

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4.  "We believe that marriage and family ties can continue beyond the grave - that marriages performed by those who have the proper authority in His temples will continue to be valid in the world to come.  Our marriage ceremonies eliminate the words "till death do us part" and instead say, "for time and for all eternity."   

L. Tom Perry, "Why Marriage and Family Matter - Everywhere in the World", General Conference, April 2015  

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5.  "When parents themselves have complied with the ordinances of salvation, when they have set the example of a temple marriage, not only is their own marriage more likely to succeed, but their children are far more likely to follow their example."   
Ezra Taft Benson, "Fundamentals of Enduring Family Relationships", General Conference, October 1982

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6.  "Successful eternal marriages are built on the foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and adherence to His teachings."   
L. Whitney Clayton, "Marriage: Watch and Learn", General Conference, April 2013

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7.  "Marriage is a gift from God to us; the quality of our marriages is a gift from us to Him."   
L. Whitney Clayton, "Marriage: Watch and Learn", General Conference, April 2013

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8.  "There is no more powerful principle of life to promote love, forbearance, and devotion in the home than that of eternal marriage."   
Howard W. Hunter, "Spiritual Famine", General Conference, October 1972

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9.  " You cannot give to your companion a greater gift than that of marriage in God’s holy house, under the protective wing of the sealing covenant of eternal marriage. There is no adequate substitute for it."   

Gordon B. Hinckley, "Living Worthy of the Girl You Will Someday Marry", General Conference, April 1998  

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10.  "The ultimate purpose of every teaching, every activity in the Church is that parents and their children are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, and linked to their generations."   
Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family", General Conference, April 1994

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My Position Statement - Eternal Marriage

I did not grow up in the LDS faith; in fact, I did not even know what the LDS faith was.  I was born and raised Catholic.  I remember one time when I was talking with my Dad about work.  He said to me that "if you work hard to earn enough money to buy something for yourself, it will mean more to you than if someone just hands it to you.  Because you worked for it, you will put more effort into looking after it."  I was no more than a young teenager when my Dad gave me those words of wisdom.  As I learned about the church and began to have many questions about many things, one thing stuck out to me more than others.  In our church, when people got married, it was until death and then...what?  I never really thought about the what, and I don't ever remember anyone every talking about it either.  But in this church, there was no talk of being married until death.  Marriage was for eternity and they talked a lot about it, and they planned a lot for it.  Then my Dad's words from my teen years came back to me..."if I work hard enough for something, it will mean more to me."  So what of marriage?  I thought so long about this. If I fell in love and I loved that person so much that I wanted to marry him, and have a family with him, then wouldn't I want to be with him and my family forever?  It just seemed to make so much sense to me.  And then I was blown away when I learned about linking our generations together.  How could that be if we follow the "til death do us part" scenario?  If we part at death, there is no link!  We can't have it both ways.  The Lord's plan is not one of confusion.  It is simple and it is perfect!  Marriage takes work - it's like gardening.  There is planting, cultivating, tending, weeding, and harvesting.  And most importantly, the garden is always best where it is watered.