Posted by:
forestpal
(
)
Date: September 19, 2010 03:52AM
Perhaps your brother is having a "ring ceremony," which is simply an exchange of rings, where everyone just wings it, without any talk of God or any prayers. Sometimes passages from the Bible can be read. Would Bible passages please your Catholic mother?
I do take the side of your non-Mormon family members. It is rude and arrogant of Mormons to expect perfectly lovely family members to wait outside the temple, because they are deemed "UNWORTHY" to enter therein! It is the only religion that does not allow family to witness the wedding ceremony. But families comply, because they want to support the bride and groom, no matter how brainwashed and judgmental they have become, as members of their exclusive little cult.
Bear in mind that every person who attends your brother's temple ceremony has paid dearly for the privilege--10% of their income for life, to be exact! The Mormon temple wedding ceremony itself lasts only a few minutes, and "seals" the couple to each other and the Mormon church in the same single sentence. The
words "love", "honor", "cherish" do not appear in the dialog. You can find a copy of this ceremony online. Trust me, you won't be missing much.
You seem to have established a mature stand in all of this. You seem to be putting the bride and groom first, which is wise.
Don't let the Mormon cult ruin this special event, by allowing it to hijack the wedding, control everything, and make the day all about the cult. My entire family is LD$, and I have been to too many weddings like this. Depending on the circumstances, and my closeness to the bride and groom, I have sometimes waited outside the temple, and sometimes skipped the temple altogether, but always have attended the reception and other parties.
Whenever anyone asks me why I wasn't in the temple, or mentions the Mormon cult, I reply as follows: "We are celebrating the bride and groom's special day. Let's not talk about religion." This sums up my attitude.
Religion should not be that IMPORTANT. It certainly should not come before family--although Mormons are taught to put the cult FIRST, even before family. It is NOT the family-oriented religion it claims to be; it is money-oriented.
If your parents retreat to Vegas and exclude themselves from their own child's wedding, then the cult wins. Someday, your brother will realize that it is all a hoax. Be patient. In the meantime, please, try not to let Mormonism ruin your happiness.
You are a good person, and I wish you and your family well.
Mormonism is notorious for breaking up families. Be prepared for this rift to be fresh in your family for as long as your brother remains a Mormon. Learn to live with it, by establishing your own boundaries of what degree of rudeness you will and will not tolerate. You can't control other people. Each person has their individual limits. Your parents have a right to theirs. Just love them.