Marriage between a man and a woman is a vital part of Heavenly Father's plan for us. Having a successful marriage is the principal goal of every normal person. If you do not want to be married, you are not wholly normal. Becoming married in a temple seals a couple together for eternity. A temple marriage is also an absolute requirement in order to reach the highest level of heaven and to become a god yourself, a creator of innumerable worlds you will populate with an eternally increasing number of your own spirit-offspring.
Choosing the right person to marry is the most important decision of your life, so you must not get it wrong. Even if a non-member is brilliant, has a pleasing personality, and is well trained, it is dangerous and foolish to marry someone outside the Church. It is almost invariable that such a marriage will be troubled, unhappy, full of sorrow and disillusionments. Marrying outside the Church was one of the reasons Jesus became angry and flooded the entire earth in the time of Noah. It is just as contrary to the will of God today as it was then.
It is important that a husband and wife share the same common backgrounds, standards, and beliefs. Besides marrying someone of the same faith, it is recommended that people marry others of the same racial background, the same or similar educational backgrounds, and the same or similar social and economic background.
Young men should not expect perfection when choosing a mate. She should be attractive to you, but do not overlook the more important qualities of having a strong testimony and living by the gospel principles. Your mate should be someone in whose presence you are inspired to think your noblest thoughts. Seek a woman with a strong desire to become a wife and mother rather than seeking professional pursuits.
Young women should desire a temple marriage to a worthy man, and to rear a righteous family, even if it means sacrificing degrees or careers. All those women who long for marriage and children, but through no fault of their own are denied such things during their mortal life can be comforted in knowing that Heavenly Father will grant these blessings to them at some point after death.
Marriage in a temple is performed in an attractive sealing room with relatively few witnesses. Friends and family must have received their temple endowment to attend. Quiet and order prevail in the simple, profound, and beautiful ceremony. The couple kneels at a sacred altar where their solemn promises between themselves and God are made. Under the direction of Jesus, a man holding proper priesthood authority pronounces them husband and wife.
The very best gift you can give your new spouse on your wedding day is your clean, pure, and worthy self. Countless newlyweds have been extremely thankful that they remained chaste before marriage. On their wedding night, a chaste couple may be awkward, ill at ease, and vulnerable to embarrassment, so consideration, perfect courtesy, and in many cases, a gentle sense of humor are required.
Not many people in the world realize this, but only a marriage performed in a temple with the sealing power of the priesthood remains valid after this life. The marriages of all those outside the Church—even the marriages of Church members who have not been sealed to each other in a temple—will end at death. No matter how good the people are, or how long and loving their marriage, none of these people will have any claim on their spouse in eternity.
Marriage that only lasts through mortal life is dreary, dismal, and full of fear. Such a love is poor, perishable, and helpless. People who go to heaven without being sealed to an eternal companion cannot become gods themselves, but instead are appointed as angels who will spend eternity as ministering servants to those who did become married in a temple and have become gods. Getting married in a temple is worth any sacrifice.
Any member of the Church who adopts or supports the cultish practice of plural marriage—in which one man is married to multiple wives—is an adulterer who is damned. Such people try to justify their practices by pitting the sayings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other prophets from the past against those of the living prophet of the Church. Those who do such, and are tainted by false and pitifully sad fallacies, have put their eternal future at stake.
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