These are definitely interesting points Church members should be aware of as they search for someone to date.
Dating has become toxic. We can see the adverse effects in the growing number of single people who are not only unmarried, but they are not even dating. So I started to ask dozens of real YSAs why they think dating is toxic. These are the seven reasons that came to the top.
1. Getting Physical and Spiritual Priorities Backwards
If the majority of dating problems could be boiled down to one issue, this is it. We’ve got our priorities backward. We place a higher importance on their physical looks than their spiritual stature. Don’t let anyone tell you that physical attraction is not part of the equation because it is, but only part of it. Far too often we sort people by who is most attractive then we try to find the most spiritual one of them (i.e. Tinder, Mutual, and other dating apps). Instead, we should seek for the most spiritual people and find one we are attracted to.
“Believe that your faith has everything to do with your romance, because it does. You separate dating from discipleship at your peril.”
~Elder Jeffery R. Holland.
2. Taking the First Date Too Seriously
To make a cooking show analogy, too often we treat dating like the finale of Hell’s Kitchen. One wrong move and you are not going to get a second date; it is extremely discouraging. Instead of Hell’s Kitchen, dating should be like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We should have a good time, get to know people, and preferably have some good food.
“You can have a good time. Of course you can! We want you to have fun. We want you to enjoy life.”
~Gordon B. Hinckley
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