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Divorce

Survey Reveals What It's Really Like to Be Divorced in the Church

The following article originally ran on LDS Living in May 2016.

What I Wish I'd Been Told During My Divorce

Divorce sucks. The unraveling and separating of lives is painful and messy, no matter how mature or well-intentioned the parties. My own divorce is now four-plus years in the rearview mirror, but I have several friends who are at various stages in the process right now, and it’s got me ruminating on what I learned, and what I wish I could share with people in the midst.

Dr. A. Dean Byrd adapted from "Finding Wholeness and Happiness After Divorce"

Divorced at 21: Facing Trials with Faith

My name is Kenna Christensen, and at the age of 21 I was divorced. Growing up I witnessed lasting marriages in my life. I was raised being told marriages meant forever. I went into marriage believing that no matter how hard it got, love in a marriage always persevered. My short-lived marriage was no walk in the park. We were poor. We were learning to somehow morph two-former lives into one – values, beliefs, habits, bank accounts, you name it. I now had a permanent roommate, which took some getting used to, but despite all of that – there was not a thing in the world I wanted more than a successful, happy and lasting marriage, and there was absolutely nothing I wouldn’t have done to earn that.

Latter-day Saint Life

How to talk to children about temple covenants after a divorce

By Nancy B. Rollins, PhD

All I ever wanted to be in life was a full-time wife, mother, and then grandmother. When divorce became a reality in my life, it was almost more than I could bear. I could imagine many other sorts of trials and afflictions in life that I could handle, but not this. I felt like Job when he said, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25).

Latter-day Saint Life

6 Things Every Latter-day Saint with Divorced Parents Should Understand

By Nate Sharp

I remember the night I first learned my parents were getting divorced as if it were yesterday. It was my final winter semester at BYU, and I was in the process of figuring out where I would end up for graduate school the next fall. The news about my parents was as devastating as it was surprising. In more ways than I can now describe, it was the night the whole world felt like it came crashing down on me. Of course, I had friends both inside and outside the Church whose parents were divorced; I just hadn’t ever imagined it could happen to my family.

What (and What Not) to Say to the Recently Divorced

By Jessica Carter

So, what should you say to someone who is recently divorced? Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you navigate some emotional landmines while still offering your heartfelt support.

Scott Sonnenberg: Dealing With Divorce

What happens when an eternal marriage doesn't end up lasting for eternity? Like many children in the Church, Scott Sonnenberg grew up singing “I Love to See the Temple,” and “Families Can Be Together Forever.” That treasured ideal was shattered shortly after Scott returned home from his mission and his parents went through a divorce. He promised himself at the time that divorce would never ravage his own marriage—but, as he explains on this week’s podcast, that is exactly what happened. On this week's episode, Sonnenberg shares how he's navigated being a member of the Church when a forever family seems out of reach, and how the Atonement has given him hope through his trial.

From the Church

Church Updates Temple Policy: Single Mormon Men Over 30 and Divorcees Can Now Officiate Temple Ordinances

By Deseret News

Last week, the Church sent an updated policy to temple presidents stating that divorced Latter-day Saints and single men over 30 in the Church can now serve as temple ordinance workers.