Can marital relationships be defined before we came to earth ?

[Traveler]

5 hours ago, Serviteur du seigneur said:

Interesting. Considering that the same could happen to me, i'm curious. How did you know that you already knew her from somewhere ? In this case, even before coming to earth.

I dated a lot and thought that I could have married perhaps hundreds or thousands of ladies depending on the circumstance.  It seemed to me that there were many wonderful women that fit the paradigm of my beliefs and life's goals close enough that I did not think I had to find the "one".   I was 26 when I married and had joked that my eternal partner was killed in the war in heaven and that I would have to work out a plan B.  The lady I married was only the second woman I dated more than twice in a row.  What changed everything for me was the birth of my first child.  It came to me at that time that the child I held for the first time was unique and genetically created by the two of us.  I also received a very strong spiritual confirmation that we were all joined spiritually as well.  To each other and to our parents our grandparents and to all our ancestors as well as our descendants.  The whole idea of sealing made sense - not just forever in some existence beyond this life but also back in time before any of us were born.

It is interesting because growing up our lives crossed several times and we never connected.  In hindsight it has become obvious that my entire life was a preparation for this lady and our lives have turned out so different than I imagined from when we met.   All this seems so strange to be saying because we have so little in common.  We do not like the same music, she has zero interest in science, I love winters, she loves summers, I love mountains, she loves the beach, I am a morning person and she is an night person.  We are so different that we think we are polar opposites but we perfectly complement each other once we learned to appreciate the differences.   We have been married for 46 years and it keeps getting better.

 

The Traveler

[SilentOne]

On 8/5/2019 at 9:34 PM, estradling75 said:

Because of this I have no reason to doubt people who say they and they feel they found "The One" in fact I really hope they do feel that way about the one they have chosen...   but given how twisted and curved real life can be some times you might need to find another one that is "The One" and if you are in that sad situation then that is OK... in fact I kind of hope it does happen.

 

[Anddenex]

‘Soul mates’ are fiction and an illusion; … it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage.

—President Spencer W. Kimball

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

“We have no scriptural justification, however, for the belief that we had the privilege of choosing our parents and our life companions in the spirit world. This belief has been advocated by some, and it is possible that in some instances it is true, but it would require too great a stretch of the imagination to believe it to be so in all, or even in the majority of cases. Most likely we came where those in authority decided to send us. Our agency may not have been exercised to the extent of making choice of parents and posterity” (Way to Perfection, 44).

Elder Boyd K. Packer explains:

“While I am sure some young couples have some special guidance in getting together, I do not believe in predestined love. If you desire the inspiration of the Lord in this crucial decision, you must live the standards of the Church, and you must pray constantly for the wisdom to recognize those qualities upon which a successful union may be based. You must do the choosing, rather than seek for some one-and-only so-called soul mate, chosen for you by someone else and waiting for you.” (Eternal Love, Deseret Book, 1973, p. 11.)

“How do you choose a wife?” Elder Bruce R. McConkie asked. “I’ve heard a lot of young people from Brigham Young University and elsewhere say, ‘I’ve got to get a feeling of inspiration. I’ve got to get some revelation. I’ve got to fast and pray and get the Lord to manifest to me whom I should marry.’ Well, maybe it will be a little shock to you, but never in my life did I ever ask the Lord whom I ought to marry. It never occurred to me to ask him. I went out and found the girl I wanted; she suited me; I evaluated and weighed the proposition, and it just seemed a hundred percent to me as though this ought to be. Now, if I’d done things perfectly, I’d have done some counseling with the Lord, which I didn’t do; but all I did was pray to the Lord and ask for some guidance and direction in connection with the decision I’d reached.” (“Agency or Inspiration—Which?” Speeches of the Year, Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1973, p. 111.)

Then you have the command by God toward polygamy...multiple fictitious soul mates.

[NeuroTypical]

18 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Dude: [slicks back hair, pops breath mint]  Hey beautiful.  I had a vision, and the veil lifted to reveal that you promised yourself to me in the pre-existence.
Chick: Whelp!  Changed my mind.  Sorry bro.  Sometimes that's how agency rolls.

 

16 hours ago, Vort said:

Though it may seem Saturday's Warrior-esque, what exactly is doctrinally implausible about a premortal man and woman agreeing or even covenanting to marry each other? Do we know the mind of God? Is it not entirely possible that, for purposes of lineage, God himself calls Sister X to marry Brother Y?

 

For the record, I believe both things happen.  It's just that Vort's examples rarely occur, and mine occur with greater frequency.

[anatess2]

18 hours ago, Vort said:

@anatess2, is that you?

Unfortunately, French is not one of my languages.  The drastic difference between Bisaya - where every letter has only one pronunciation and every word is spelled exactly how it is pronounced - makes French almost like learning how to traverse Ninja Warrior obstacles.

But while we're on the subject of languages... you had a recent post stating "principle actor".  I thought it's supposed to be principal actor.  RA Salvatorre's Icewind Dale book had principle city and at the time I read it I said... Hah!  Salvatorre got done and messed up!  So now, I'm embarrassed for thinking my english teacher (the day is cold and dark and dr-eh-ry... and the w-eh-nd is n-ee-ver w-eh-ry) is better than Salvatorre.  Hah hah.

[Vort]

51 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

But while we're on the subject of languages... you had a recent post stating "principle actor".  I thought it's supposed to be principal actor.

I also once talked about leaving sacrifice at the alter. Feel free to point out the spinach between my front teeth and my fly dangling open, too. And thank you very much.

[anatess2]

1 hour ago, Vort said:

I also once talked about leaving sacrifice at the alter. Feel free to point out the spinach between my front teeth and my fly dangling open, too. And thank you very much.

Wait, what?  It's supposed to be principal actor?  So Salvatorre was wrong?

Edited August 7, 2019 by anatess2

[Vort]

10 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Wait, what?  It's supposed to be principal actor?  So Salvatorre was wrong?

Yes, I'm pretty sure it's "principal actor", as in primary or main actor. I suppose a "principle actor" would be one who portrays a foundational belief. Maybe "principle city" was a city founded on principle. You know, like Salt Lake.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Vort

[Traveler]

I thought to add something else about the so-called G-d plan for each of us.  There have been many times I have prayed and asked what I should do.  I did so concerning my wife, my education, my profession, what jobs I should accept and where.  And so often I felt the L-rd whispering to me that it was my choice to make and not look to blame G-d if it did not work out the way I expected.

 

The Traveler