I need help with a complicated situation

[Makaz]

Hi. I have a weird situation im in with my girlfriend. She is Mormon and I am Muslim. We are in a very difficult situation with both our families not allowing the marriage. I want to marry the Muslim way with a sheik (Sort of like your priest?) so we can move in together and it not be a sin for either of us. We can not get married just yet at the clerks office because of financial issues I am having at the moment which I would rather not get into right now. I was wondering if in the Mormon religion it was ok for her to get married the Muslim way for now until we are able to marry through the state. She does not want to do anything against her religion but for reasons I dont want to get in to she cannot marry at her church. Is it ok in the Mormon religion to be married by the Muslim way? Thanks for your help.

[THIRDpersonviewer]

To be in keeping with the commandments of God, she has to be legally married by the law or in the Temple, which will confirm and make sure the marriage happens by he law.

I was in Thailand for the last two years and we taught some Thai people who would have a ceremony for the marriage, but not be legally married by law. We would have to teach them to get married by law in order to keep the Law of sexual purity.

The thing that Mormon's belive, which I think you might be interested in, is you can have the opportunity to be married to each other for eternity. Not just for this life. With this comes other great blessings that comes through faithfulness in keeping the commandments of God. I think you, if allowed by your parents, should look into this. It would be a blessing in your life as well as hers.

By the way, I think that is wonderful that both of you do not desire to sin in this matter. That is a major step up from the immoral, blasphemous world.

[Vanhin]

As long as being married by your sheik constitutes a legal and lawful marriage, I don't see how that would be a problem technically speaking. If both of your were Muslims and married to each other by a sheik, but later you converted to Mormonism, then the LDS Church would recognize your marriage as legal and lawful and you would not be in violation of the law of chastity as we see it.

To us it is really not any different from any other legal and lawful marriage outside of our temple marriages. They are valid for this life.

That said, she may have a legitimate issue personally with being wed by the priest of another religion. But our religion doesn't prohibit it - we simply assert that such marriages are not in effect in the afterlife, as our temple marriages would be.

Regards,

Vanhin

[Wingnut]

She can get married any way she wants, but in order for her to not break the Law of Chastity, she needs to be legally married.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Hi Makaz!

What have you and your girlfriend decided about religion? In case you haven't already, you really need to resolve those issues before marriage.

I am LDS and my wife comes from a Muslim family (she converted to LDS when we were dating.) We had what I guess was a "Muslim wedding ceremony" with her father as the officiator. The following day we had a legal marriage officiated by our LDS bishop. A year later we were sealed in the Temple.

In our case we resolve our religious differences before marriage, which has allowed us to teach and guide our children with unity and without conflict.

[Just_A_Guy]

Makaz, with all due respect - if you can't spring for the fifty or sixty bucks it costs to get a marriage license (which could then be done for free either by your sheikh or by her Mormon bishop) maybe you can't afford to get married yet?

Edited August 12, 2010 by Just_A_Guy

[NeuroTypical]

Hi Makaz,

So, when your kids turn 8 and your wife wants to get them baptized into the Mormon church, how will the two of you work that out?

(Here's a hint - if you don't have a good answer before marriage, you won't have a good answer after marriage.)