Polygamy in the celestial kingdom?

[annamaureen]

Will there be polygamy in the Celestial Kingdom?

I'm getting married in five weeks. The idea that my fiancé and will covenant to be devoted and faithful to each other, only to have him take more wives in the eternities, really, really upsets me. It makes me feel like our sacred bonds of marriage will be meaningless. I've confessed my feelings to my fiancé, and he too was bothered by the scenario.

I'm finding very little official church doctrine to either confirm or deny, and this issue is weighing heavy on my shoulders. I don't know what to think. If being in the celestial kingdom means I must "share" my husband, I don't know if I want to be there. I have a strong testimony, but this issue is just something I can't shake.

While writing this post, I've literally started crying, thinking of my husband being married to and intimate with another woman. Please help me.

Edited to add: I also can't imagine WHY polygamy would be good, righteous, or acceptable. What is wrong with one man and one woman being married? Is that relationship not sacred and special?

Edited May 12, 2009 by annamaureen

[Maya]

I really dont know. the only thing I know no one will be forced to have more wifes or sister wifes against ones will. If that is the law then, so we will understand it by then. I have no problem either way.

[bytor2112]

Actually, it will likely be practiced in the millenium. That being said, it will be for righteous purposes and we will all be much different then than we are now. Don't despair, I am sure that nothing will occur that you and your spouse aren't spiritually prepared for.....IMO

Edited May 13, 2009 by bytor2112

[annamaureen]

That being said, it will be for righteous purposes

I'm sorry, I just don't understand how. The bonds of marriage are meant to be between one man and one woman, right?

[beefche]

Will there be polygamy in the Celestial Kingdom?

I'm finding very little official church doctrine to either confirm or deny, and this issue is weighing heavy on my shoulders. I don't know what to think. If being in the celestial kingdom means I must "share" my husband, I don't know if I want to be there. I have a strong testimony, but this issue is just something I can't shake.

First, people can quote prophets and scriptures to support that polygamy will be practiced and they can use quotes to support that polygamy will not be practiced. It doesn't matter.

I feel that exact same way as you. I am unmarried and if I were to marry, I would likely marry someone who is already sealed to another woman. I cannot abide the thought of being "second" to someone. I cannot abide to think of my husband being intimate (which means more than just sex) with another woman.

Here is how I deal with it. It doesn't matter. If I have been blessed to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom, I will be a changed person. The Lord knows me, personally. And He knows that if I have to accept polygamy, then He will prepare me for that. The feelings I currently have will be resolved and I will be at peace. I trust Him in that.

So, while I currently don't want and can't think of ever accepting something like polygamy, I trust Jesus that He will make everything alright for me.

[Faded]

The best summary of where we are today is in the Book of Mormon:

Jacob 2:27-30

27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;

28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.

29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.

30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.

Currently, the Lord has withdrawn his command to "raise up seed" unto Him, so polygamy is prohibited at this time. Practicing polygamy is a great way to get excommunicated.

As for the eternities, we have not ever been told that every eternal marriage is a polygamous one. It may or may not be, but the truth of the matter is that we simply don't know.

[Justice]

Abraham was told to kill his son. The Lord just wanted to see if he would be faithful.

The best advice I can give you is to be prepared to do whatever the Lord commands, or whatever is required for Celestial Law. If you exclude what the Lord has planned because you don't know or understand it, you might spend an eternity regretting it.

You have to trust the Lord enough to set aside your fear of the unknown and rely on what you do know, that He loves you and it is His desire for you to be happy. He allowed Lucifer and his followers to choose against Him in the pre-mortal existence because it is what they wanted, not what He wanted.

All you can do is do the best you can to trust that He will not ask you to do something that will make you unhappy. But, remember, if you choose something against His will that will make you unhappy, He will not stop you. So, trust Him to give you only that which will make you happy. Live a full, happy life here, and don't worry about the unknown. One day it will be known, and I think we will all see there wasn't really anything to be worried about. :)

Heavenly Father loves you, so trust Him.

[talisyn]

. So, trust Him to give you only that which will make you happy. Live a full, happy life here, and don't worry about the unknown. One day it will be known, and I think we will all see there wasn't really anything to be worried about. :)

Heavenly Father loves you, so trust Him.

I totally agree. Polygamy is not something we have to worry about right now. We have so many other things to worry about, like decaffeinated colas.

---------

Annamaureen, I understand why you are so upset about the idea of your future husband sharing with someone else all the special feelings you share with him. I would feel the same way if my fiance ever decided to give some other woman a foot massage. Just relax a bit, put on some soft music, and thank Heavenly Father polygamy is not something you're gonna have to deal with at this point in your eternal progression.

[Moksha]

Edited to add: I also can't imagine WHY polygamy would be good, righteous, or acceptable. What is wrong with one man and one woman being married? Is that relationship not sacred and special?

For what it is worth, that idea of monogamy is heavily stressed in the Proclamation for the Family statement.

I think the idea that the husband will be taking on a load of other wives for eternity has freaked a number of women out. Other LDS women have compliantly accepted that it will happen. There has even been supportive sub-beliefs created, such as thinking there will be a huge supply of extra Celestial Wives to choose from due to the spiritual nature of women and the low down ways of their men. Makes you wonder if the distribution of these extra wives will be through a list of worthiness, a draft like in the NBA, or a mad scramble of who can gather them up the fastest.

On the other hand, there are Mormons who quietly eschew the notion that polygamy ever had a Divine mandate and therefore do not worry about it.

Hope that helps. :)

[Faded]

Edited to add: I also can't imagine WHY polygamy would be good, righteous, or acceptable. What is wrong with one man and one woman being married? Is that relationship not sacred and special?

If Eternal Marriage is the only way for us to achieve Exaltation and receive the fullness of glory promised to us by God, then what do you do in this case: You have a woman who has done everything right and has lived up to everything she needs to in order to receive those eternal blessings. But through no fault of her own she has no Eternal Companion. She can't get to Exaltation without one. So what can be done to help her? What solutions can you offer for her?

[TruthSeekerToo]

On the other hand, there are Mormons who quietly eschew the notion that polygamy ever had a Divine mandate and therefore do not worry about it.

OP, have you prayed for peace?

Edited May 13, 2009 by TruthSeekerToo

[Carter]

I really dont know. the only thing I know no one will be forced to have more wifes or sister wifes against ones will. If that is the law then, so we will understand it by then. I have no problem either way.

Great Answer

[Hemidakota]

How many wives does Adam [Michael] have? Anyone?

[TheAngelPalmoni]

If it's a CEL law one must live that Law in order to dwell in the kingdom.

[TheAngelPalmoni]

I would say yes, but on a lighter note Eternal Marriage will still exist in the TER and TEL kingdoms....

[bytor2112]

I would say yes, but on a lighter note Eternal Marriage will still exist in the TER and TEL kingdoms....

How so?

[Justice]

Makes you wonder if the distribution of these extra wives will be through a list of worthiness, a draft like in the NBA, or a mad scramble of who can gather them up the fastest.

I love it!

[HiJolly]

I'm sorry, I just don't understand how. The bonds of marriage are meant to be between one man and one woman, right?

Not for about 1/2 of the world's population. It's culturally defined, annam. If you'd grown up in most of Africa or, say, Saudi Arabia, youd've decided it was OK by the time you were 8 years old. Well, probably.

HiJolly

[Hemidakota]

How so?

Ditto since there is no need for baptism or temple ordinance to be done at that state.

[Hemidakota]

Michael has only one wife and no other. Some of us will follow that course here and into the eternities.

[X_Girl]

....If Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught that you where to have more then one wife to get into the Celestial Kingdom, why is it so frowned upon by the church today? I mean when we got the discussions, we where told that a prophet would never be aloud to lead the followers astray. So who which is correct, the beginning prophets and their talks, or today's prophets and their talks?

Here is an example:

I have an Uncle that is LDS, he was married to his first wife in the temple for all time and eternity, and they had children. Sadly she died at age 45. He still being pretty young married another woman (who had never been married before) in that same temple for all time and eternity, and they have children? The church has records of both marriages. So tell me, which wife will he be with? What will happen with the second wife and her children, if that is not what the church believes?

[bytor2112]

....If Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught that you where to have more then one wife to get into the Celestial Kingdom, why is it so frowned upon by the church today? I mean when we got the discussions, we where told that a prophet would never be aloud to lead the followers astray. So who which is correct, the beginning prophets and their talks, or today's prophets and their talks?

Here is an example:

I have an Uncle that is LDS, he was married to his first wife in the temple for all time and eternity, and they had children. Sadly she died at age 45. He still being pretty young married another woman (who had never been married before) in that same temple for all time and eternity, and they have children? The church has records of both marriages. So tell me, which wife will he be with? What will happen with the second wife and her children, if that is not what the church believes?

He will be married to both. The church discontinued plural marriage in 1890 because of pressure from Washington.....it was illegal. If it were not illegal, I venture to guess that righteous members of the church would still practice it.

Edited May 13, 2009 by bytor2112

[bytor2112]

I'm sorry, I just don't understand how. The bonds of marriage are meant to be between one man and one woman, right?

I try to look at all church doctrine.......through a prism of righteousness. In other words, I try to understand it spiritually rather than temporally and see it as coming from God. Everything that the church teaches is to fulfill righteous purposes, if it were not so, then it could not be the Lord's church. I feel certain that you and your eternal companion will not enter in to anything that isn't perfectly righteous and acceptable to each of you and Heavenly Father.

[ploomf]

I can sympathize with the OP. I don't like polygamy, I absolutely loathe the idea of sharing my husband with other women. But I still believe that polygamy was practiced at God's command and when God gives a commandment He has His own reasons for it, even if I don't fully understand all those reasons.

So I'm not worried about being asked to practice polygamy in the Celestial kingdom. Because if my husband and I are asked to practice it, it would be at God's command and I know He loves me and that every commandment I'm given is for my benefit. So if that day comes I'll just have to pray that I'll have the strength to follow that commandment knowing God loves me and would never give me a commandment I couldn't follow.

[bytor2112]

I can sympathize with the OP. I don't like polygamy, I absolutely loathe the idea of sharing my husband with other women. But I still believe that polygamy was practiced at God's command and when God gives a commandment He has His own reasons for it, even if I don't fully understand all those reasons.

So I'm not worried about being asked to practice polygamy in the Celestial kingdom. Because if my husband and I are asked to practice it, it would be at God's command and I know He loves me and that every commandment I'm given is for my benefit. So if that day comes I'll just have to pray that I'll have the strength to follow that commandment knowing God loves me and would never give me a commandment I couldn't follow.

It's probably good to remember that we have a thousand years during the millenium and then a "little" season before we are judged and then receive Eternal Life in the Celestial Kingdom. My thinking is that we will all be so very much different than who we are today and IF we indeed enlarge our families through the New and Everlasting covenant of marriage it will be for righteous purposes and it will based on a love that we can't comprehend.