Question about living with other people?

[akiharu]

Hi! I’m about to study and will have to live with random people in a house, both boys and girls. Is this okay according to the church?

 

[E_7]

I don’t think the Church has a specific doctrine for that matter. But thinking about those divorced and remarried, the Church says that they should live chaste and like brothers and sisters. So, I’m guessing that in case of roommates and housemates, it’s ok. Just keep yourself chaste, don’t date anyone that lives with you, be like brothers and sisters and avoid any near occasion of sin.

 

[DarkLight]

I’ve had plenty of male roommates. In some programs or apartments you might not even get a choice of who you live with. Just mind your modesty when you’re in public areas.

 

[1ke]

Hi! I’m about to study and will have to live with random people in a house, both boys and girls.

Why would you ‘have to’ live with random people in a house? A house is a private rental. You have control over whom you rent from and with.

A dorm might be another story, since you are assigned a dorm room. But, I am not aware of any dorm rooms that mix men and women in the same bedroom, perhaps on the same floor or in the same dorm.

Is this okay according to the church?

“The Church” doesn’t dictate such minute details of our lives.

The principles upon which you need to make your decision regarding with whom to live and how you conduct yourself in the home would be the virtues of prudence, chastity, purity, modesty, and whether or not such living arrangements are a temptation to sinful behaviors.

If the roommate situation would be an occasion of sin, modesty and privacy are not adequate, or you have other concerns about the behavior of the people with whom you will live, then you should find other arrangements. You should also ask the counsel of your parents and your pastor, who know you and your situation better than strangers on the internet.

 

[DarkLight]

Why would you ‘have to’ live with random people in a house? A house is a private rental. You have control over whom you rent from and with.

A dorm might be another story, since you are assigned a dorm room. But, I am not aware of any dorm rooms that mix men and women in the same bedroom, perhaps on the same floor or in the same dorm.

Some places rent by the room, rather than by the house. I’ve lived in such places - you don’t get any control over who else is living in the house.

 

[1ke]

Some places rent by the room, rather than by the house. I’ve lived in such places - you don’t get any control over who else is living in the house.

But you are not forced to rent in this manner. This is a choice. There are other choices. Renting a room in a house that is co-ed with men and women you have never met is rather imprudent.

 

[DarkLight]

But you are not forced to rent in this manner. This is a choice. There are other choices. Renting a room in a house that is co-ed with men and women you have never met is rather imprudent.

It has its advantages. If you can’t afford to live by yourself and don’t know anyone in the area to room with, it lets you rent without tying yourself financially to the other people you’re rooming with. It also means if one roommate is breaking the lease or engaging in illegal behavior, that roommate can be evicted without everyone being on a single lease and being evicted together.

Also, if you’re in some sort of educational or work program that provides housing (not just dorms), you may be assigned roommates by the program.

 

[AdamP88]

Hi! I’m about to study and will have to live with random people in a house, both boys and girls. Is this okay according to the church?

Personally, I don’t think it’s particularly appropriate for random guys and girls to live together during college. I always thought the “normalisation” of this was not a good thing. If you’re renting a private house you can normally find female roommates to rent with.

I know I’d not be too keen for my sisters/daughters to be sharing a house with unknown men.