Sister Wives fans always knew that Meri Brown was getting the short end of the stick when it came to her marriage. The patriarch, Kody Brown, found it hard to care for her during the last ten years. Perhaps it all came down to a lack of trust due to her catfishing scandal. But viewers and I think their demise started early on in the relationship. But Meri is now a free woman and looks forward to leaving Kody in the dust.
Meri Brown has left the building
After 33 years of unwedded bliss, Meri is officially a single woman. In a clip for next week’s Sister Wives episode, the mother of one noted that she had texted Kody, letting him know she was starting the church process. Even though they were not legally married at the time, Mormons believed that they were still spiritually married, and that needed to be rectified. Meri opened up about having a tough conversation with her church leaders that was ultimately “heartbreaking.”
In the clip, Meri revealed she got what she had asked for. The TLC star stated, “I was granted what is called in our church a release, which is the equivalent of a divorce.” Meri added, “It was a very, very hard conversation. Hard meaning heartbreaking because this is not what I wanted to do. This is not what I intended when I married Kody.” Meri explained that the marriage release meant that she and the father of 18 no longer had any attachment. So they wouldn’t be kept “together for eternity.” The clip recorded Meri saying she was “completely done” with her ex.
What do the Mormons believe about spiritual marriage?
As Sister Wives fans know, polygamy is the act of having more than one wife. And it is illegal in all fifty US states. However, Fundamentalist Mormons believe that a man can be spiritually connected to more than one woman. In Season 1, Kody and his family fled Utah for fear of persecution. In Season 1, Kody explained, “It’s just not something I’m comfortable imagining. The vulgarity of you with two husbands or another lover sickens me. It seems wrong to God and nature.”
The Mormon religion believes that their founder, Joseph Smith, was ordered by God to marry multiple wives, which is why the spiritual unions are treated as binding pacts. The church believes that if a husband and wife are sealed together in the temple, they can be together in the celestial kingdom. But thankfully for Meri, the church now believes in divorce. Mormon President Gordon Hinckley’s words: “There is now and again a legitimate cause for divorce. I am not one to say that it is never justified. But I say without hesitation that this plague among us, which seems to be growing everywhere, is not of God, but rather is the work of the adversary of righteousness and peace and truth.”
Kody Brown claims he never loved Meri Brown
So even though Meri was legally divorced in her eyes, the Mormon church needed a bit more. This is why it was so important for Meri to jump through the religious hoops to receive a cancellation of the sealing, which required approval from high-ranking church officials. For Meri, if she ever wanted to remarry, she would have to cancel the sealing before her second wedding. On a hypocritical note, the men are allowed to be sealed to multiple women and do not have to cancel any sealings to remarry in the temple. This could explain why Kody was so uninterested in the whole ordeal.
Kody was happy to release himself from his first wife even though he never responded to her texts. Since Season 18, Meri has been unsure about the divorce process. Even though Kody neglected Meri, she hoped her marriage could be saved. But not even homemade Rice Krispie treats could satiate Kody’s cruel appetite. At least now, Meri can start rebuilding her life and hopefully find a soul mate who wants to be with her.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK MERI DID THE RIGHT THING BY TALKING TO THE CHURCH?
