LETTER: Marriage is taken seriously

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the article in Wednesday’s paper entitled “Marriage viewed differently in Utah.” While I do agree with the statement in the headline, I do not agree with all the views found therein. I am a married senior, eagerly awaiting graduation in May, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I got married last summer at the age of 21. Despite the fact that this article suggests that Mormons get married for sex, I disagree. I also disagree that “marriage is taken lightly” in Utah. Quite the contrary. I feel that it is taken very seriously, as evidenced by the low divorce rates in Utah compared to other states. My decision to marry was taken more seriously than any other decision I have made, or ever will make throughout my entire life. It was not something I “rush[ed] into … with the first person” I “jive[d] with.” In my dating experiences I was not “just there to look pretty.” How insulting! I have a brain and have taken the opportunity many times to make my opinions known while dating and otherwise. Natalie Christensen, who was quoted in the article, may have seen things like this in her experience, but I find it very uneducated to assign stereotypes to an entire group based on the actions of a few. Then again, maybe I am in the minority. My point is that to me, marriage is very serious and even sacred. I will not allow anyone to convince me otherwise.

Kandice Loosli