Sterility

[ellij03]

I am a member of the LDS church but have one fundemental question. As I understand it, we believe the purpose of earth life is to become more like God and we are asked to provide bodies for the spirits still in heaven so that they too can come to earth and work toward godliness. But, where does this leave a person who is born sterile? Did they do something wrong? Are they not as valuble to God's work because they cannot provide bodies for his spiritual childeren not yet on earth? And because we believe we cannot achieve exaltation (being in the celestial kingdom) without being sealed to someone for time and all eternity and having a family. Are sterile people exluded from celestial glory because they cannot reproduce? Any insight would be helpful. I've just never been able to find an official position on this.

[Dale]

I am not LDS. I am Community of Christ/RLDS. But i don't see LDS belief as saying they did anything wrong. Certainly they did nothing wrong in the pre-existence, or mortality. I assume LDS do not object to artificial insemination. So the person's kid's conceived in that way would still be their's. And the couple would still be married for time and eternity. But if the mother wanted to give birth to a child they would have to seek a scientific method to begetting the child.

If the mother could not be impregnated via scientific mean's the couple could adopt. Heber J. Grant's mother had been sealed to Joseph Smith by proxy after his death. Brigham H. Robert's once called him a son of Joseph Smith. Though not the biological father to Heber he was adopted into Joseph Smith's family as his son. The kid's would be their's as if they were able to have kid's themselve's.

[Fiannan]

I am a member of the LDS church but have one fundemental question. As I understand it, we believe the purpose of earth life is to become more like God and we are asked to provide bodies for the spirits still in heaven so that they too can come to earth and work toward godliness. But, where does this leave a person who is born sterile? Did they do something wrong? Are they not as valuble to God's work because they cannot provide bodies for his spiritual childeren not yet on earth? And because we believe we cannot achieve exaltation (being in the celestial kingdom) without being sealed to someone for time and all eternity and having a family. Are sterile people exluded from celestial glory because they cannot reproduce? Any insight would be helpful. I've just never been able to find an official position on this.

There are problems we all face that have nothing to do with our character or behavior. There are people infected with HIV by rapists, there are children who die of lung cancer -- they certainly didn't get it by smoking, and there are people who are sterile for no apparent reason except that that is how they were born.

My answer to this is that one could consider adoption or (if your spouse is okay with it) donor egg or sperm. True, the sterile person is unable to reproduce but their mate can -- and the couple can raise the children together with nobody else being the wiser.

[illumined]

In the pre-existence, we knew that we would have to face and overcome many trials and challenges during our mortal probation. Sterility was one of the many trials that many of God's beautiful children have to face. This however, does not stop the righteous son or daughter of God who makes the right choices and who endure to the end from receiving the blessings which they deserve. It doesn't necessarily mean that they have done something "wrong" to deserve their condition.

Not being able to give birth to God's spirit children in this lifetime does not stop the righteous son or daughter of God from being a "Mother" or "Father" to the countless other spirit children of God on this Earth. They may demonstrate their parental desires through service to the children through their church callings, through community work, through extended family connections etc.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that this mortal probation is the only chance we have to reap the rewards of our righteous choices. This lifetime is but a single drop of rain in the Ocean of Eternity. Eternal Increase, has been promised to those of us who endure to the end. Eternal Increase is eternal - not limited to this very short mortal lifetime. Endure today, and enjoy the blessings of parenthood in the eternities! How cool is that! *smile*

[cgrantreed]

The church has no official position. We believe that our purpose is to share our lives with a spouse in an eternal marriage and to be fruitful and to multiply. Fortunately our challenges become strengths at times. Sterility is not a weakness. Its just something that prevents one from having a biological child. That in itself is not bad either. Children are brought into the world in situations that allows others to still have them in their lives. This is one of the reasons that the LDS faith has LDS Family Services offices all around the world. The primary purpose for that office is to assist people with adoption and there are so many kids available to be adopted in the world that if you wanted kids, you could do so without having biological ones anyway if you wanted.

The bottom line is get married and RAISE kids. Having them your self or not is obviously up to your biology. I knew a gal that could get pregnant but could not carry to term and had numerous miscarriages before giving up. They adopted 5 kids and had them sealed to them. They believe that these kids were the spirits that they were supposed to have anyway. God will provide and He does not hold that against you.