LDS church opens singles-only chapel to promote marriage

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as “Mormons,” has opened a new chapel exclusively for young single members in Crystal City, Virginia,

There are now about 800 members worshiping, attending bible studies, and other activities including pizza parties.

This unique chapel for singles in their 20s to 40s aims to persuade young members to get married via virtuous meetings. After marriage, they move on to more traditional congregations.

The church which emphasizes the importance of family believes that one should be “sealed” with spouses in order to reach the highest level of heaven called the “celestial kingdom.” They believe that the family bond endures even in the afterlife.

They also recommend having a “family night” every Monday in order to enhance the bond among family members.

However, with young members being increasingly more reluctant than older generations to get married, church leaders announced at a recent general conference that young members should not delay marriage or “waste time in idle pursuits.”

Some have criticized that the church puts too much pressure on getting married, a move that sometimes backfires. Jared Whitley, a 33 year-old Mormon told the Washington Post “one of the real problems is that Mormon culture puts a lot of emphasis on going on dates and on getting married, but really not on just being in a relationship.”

Today, there are about 130 million members around the world, with 80,000 of them in Korea.

By Kang Yoon-seung
(koreacolin@gmail.com)
Intern reporter