On sealings

[WANDERER]

***

[Misshalfway]

In the LDS church, a person can be married for time or married for time and all eternity, which is also known as "sealing". A widow could marry again for time. Her children, in the general situation, will stay sealed to their father. If the children didn't have a father, they could be sealed to a stepfather if they are adopted first. The goal is to seal every family together -- husbands to wives and children to parents. Like a big long connected chain. But if a spouse dies, then that person may absolutely marry again.

[capncrunch]

I've heard from some people that men can be sealed twice and from other people that they can be only sealed once, which is true?

I was also wondering what happens if you are sealed to both your parents but they divorce...do you remain sealed to both of them?

In the past when I have asked sunday school teachers or seminary teachers I've gotten conflicting answers. If anyone can shed some light on it I'd appreciate it.

[WANDERER]

If your children are sealed to their father and you are sealed to someone else ...are the children and mothers then separated?

[Brother Dorsey]

1) If a man an woman are sealed and then have children then the children are automatically sealed to them (Born in the covenant).

2) If the father dies the wife cannot be sealed to another man.

3) In the case where the parents divorce, the wife or husband can request the sealing be nullified...this can be granted for a number of reasons, abuse, crimes, etc. This however does not nullified the sealing of the children to the parents.

4) If either spouse is excommunicated or leaves the church voluntarily they automatically make the sealing nullified. This is a tough one because it also nullifies the sealing of the children to that particular spouse. However, if the one who left comes back into full fellowship they can have the sealing to their children restored. The sealing to the wife is only restored if the wife didn't have it nullified.

5) If the mother dies the father can be sealed again to another woman if he desires as long as the woman he marries is not sealed to another man.

6) If either spouse dies the children of that marriage cannot be sealed to a step-parent. Unless the children were not born "in the covenant" and were not sealed to their parents.

Confused yet?

7) If a couple are sealed and there are step-children involved these children can be sealed to their natural parent and step parent if the other parent was never sealed to them and agrees to allow it to happen in writing and in some cases that isn't enough, sometimes it takes the other parent to give up their rights to that child legally.

8) When the child becomes an adult they can choose for themselves if they want to be sealed to the step-parent but it can only be done after the grown child has been endowed (mission or Temple marriage).

9) No child grown or otherwise can be sealed to just one parent. (with the exception of #4 above)

and finally.....

10) A wife can be sealed to two or more husbands but only under these circumstances. For instance: Your great-grandmother was married, her husband dies, she gets remarried....years pass and she and her husband die.....you go to do their work in the Temple....you seal her to her first husband and to any children they have and you seal her to her second husband and any children they have....then she chooses who she wants to be sealed to in the spirit world! If she chooses her first husband then the second hubby can find someone else during the millennium. but his children are still sealed to him....cool huh!

TTTTTTTThat's all folks!

Hope it helps!

[Brother Dorsey]

If your children are sealed to their father and you are sealed to someone else ...are the children and mothers then separated?

Meaning you had your original sealing with your childrens father nullified and then you remarried and were sealed to a new person and your ex was sealed to someone new to. No, the children are still sealed to you and your ex....but you are not sealed together. The children cannot be sealed to their step-father or step-mother unless the parents involved had their sealing to their children nullified but I'm sure that wouldn't happen.

[WANDERER]

If you were sealed on Earth, after death could you refuse that sealing?

[capncrunch]

4) If either spouse is excommunicated or leaves the church voluntarily they automatically make the sealing nullified. This is a tough one because it also nullifies the sealing of the children to that particular spouse. However, if the one who left comes back into full fellowship they can have the sealing to their children restored. The sealing to the wife is only restored if the wife didn't have it nullified.

My dad doesnt go to church right now but he says eventually he will but when he does that he'll be excommunicated. How is the sealing restored? Will my siblings and I have to go to the temple to be sealed to him again when the time comes? My brother isn't temple worthy so what happens there?

Can the sealing to the wife be restored if they both want it to be even if they aren't married anymore?

5) If the mother dies the father can be sealed again to another woman if he desires as long as the woman he marries is not sealed to another man.

Is there a reason that men can be sealed twice and women only once? and what happens to the first wife eternally? Is there polygomy eternally?

well thanks for answering

[Brother Dorsey]

If you were sealed on Earth, after death could you refuse that sealing?

The question is would you want to?

To this question you'll have to ask God....

[Brother Dorsey]

4) If either spouse is excommunicated or leaves the church voluntarily they automatically make the sealing nullified. This is a tough one because it also nullifies the sealing of the children to that particular spouse. However, if the one who left comes back into full fellowship they can have the sealing to their children restored. The sealing to the wife is only restored if the wife didn't have it nullified.

My dad doesnt go to church right now but he says eventually he will but when he does that he'll be excommunicated. How is the sealing restored? Will my siblings and I have to go to the temple to be sealed to him again when the time comes? My brother isn't temple worthy so what happens there?

Can the sealing to the wife be restored if they both want it to be even if they aren't married anymore?

5) If the mother dies the father can be sealed again to another woman if he desires as long as the woman he marries is not sealed to another man.

Is there a reason that men can be sealed twice and women only once? and what happens to the first wife eternally? Is there polygomy eternally?

well thanks for answering

Hi Capn'!

First of all I don't know anything about your fathers situation all I can say is he may not be Ex'd...depends on what he did. If he is ex'd and comes back into the church in full fellowship his priesthood as well as all his Temple ordinence will be restored...you don't have to be "re-sealed" (sounds funny) to him. And yes if your parents want the sealing restored even if they are not married anymore it would be done. As far as your brother is concerned he is still sealed to your parents...it's up to him, his choice where he spends his eternity.

Plural marriage is part of the eternal perspective...it's something we have a hard time dealing with in this world (I think because Satan has made it a bad thing, I don't know). As far as why a man can and a woman can't...well, I can't answer that question....it hasn't been revealed to us why. And lastly....the first wife would still be sealed to the husband.

[WANDERER]

Plural marriage is part of the eternal perspective...it's something we have a hard time dealing with in this world (I think because Satan has made it a bad thing, I don't know).

So what is your perspective?

[Hemidakota]

I think the answer lies with women are more faithful than men. It is an undeniable truth in this world. I look upon my own companion who steadfastness and faithfulness is an example to our family.

If it is a requirement to hold that eternal sealing to be partakers with out Father, what do you do with those other faithful 6-women [refer back to Isaiah text] who do not have companion?

I am not a fan of such either but in this case; Father will not deny those who are true and faithful be left be behind in the eternal prospect.

TIDBIT: there is a deeper meaning to a eternal marriage than we could comprehend in this life.

[Misshalfway]

There is no doubt that with the state of flux in the modern family the complexities of whom is sealed to whom can be hard to figure out. But we have been reassured that all these questions will be settled by Father in the afterlife. And they will be settled in a way that all will be happy and content. We see and understand so little here. So we do the best we can and trust on the rest of it.

Plural marriage is one of those things that I am not sure I will ever completely understand. I certainly struggle with it. I have read and studied and even felt the Spirit confirm. But my earthy brain still wants to argue with it. So, I put my faith on that one...... and hope that some day Father will explain it all to me.

[WANDERER]

On plural marriage I guess the limitations for me on the idea are small gene pool (er, the scientific answer and still not a complete one I guess in terms of where science is at) and I have read about the Lost Boys of fundamentalist sectors of the LDS church that still practice polygamy and their story (what happens when you fall in love with a young girl and you're a young boy and the competition factor and there's no doubt that it's got it's problems). But my knowledge is pretty small and based on the smallest amount of investigation.

[Guest Malcolm]

On plural marriage I guess the limitations for me on the idea are small gene pool (er, the scientific answer and still not a complete one I guess in terms of where science is at) and I have read about the Lost Boys of fundamentalist sectors of the LDS church that still practice polygamy and their story (what happens when you fall in love with a young girl and you're a young boy and the competition factor and there's no doubt that it's got it's problems). But my knowledge is pretty small and based on the smallest amount of investigation.

Wanderer:

There is no fundamentalist LDS church. Those splinter groups are NOT part of the LDS Church and have not been for 100 years. We must be careful on how we elaborate on these issues.

Beyond that, we are looking thru a VERY long tunnel and to try to discern what is at the other end is not only a physical but a spiritual impossibility. Not everything has been not will it be revealed until the Savior comes again. Until then we should stick to the basics of the a-b-c's given the fact that we are still having trouble spelling (I will not even try following) the principles of the Gospel.

"It is always wise keep one's eyes on the cooking pot, save we ruin tonight's dinner while daydreaming about the weekend feast" My grandma...

[NeuroTypical]

I only have two things to say about the whole complex mess.

1- This ain't our fault. God made us fully understanding the messes and situations we'd get ourselves into. His is a plan of happiness, and that means eventually, if we endure to the end in faith, we will be happy. Even if we can't see how here on earth.

2- The LDS church is the only church I'm aware of that presents any sort of details about how things will work out in the afterlife. The whole rest of Christianity, as far as I can tell, either reject the notion of families in heaven, or figure we'll turn into something that isn't human and won't care any more, or are content to sit back and leave it in God's hands. That last part would be a source of comfort to me, but I can't buy the first two.

LM

[CaliforniaPhantom]

Dear Wanderer,

You ask questions that are very common in today's world. When relationships change or falter in this world, it affects our eternities, too.

I have 2 sons that are step-sons, sealed to my husband and his first wife. They have the BIRTHRIGHT of sealing. That means that they will have the protection of being sealed to a worthy family in eternity, whether it is my husband and I, he and his first wife, or perhaps to the families' of their wives. I will be unable to have them sealed to me in this life. If that is what they want in the eternal worlds and I am in a place where I can receive that blessing, then it will be done during the millenium.

While a woman may not be sealed a second time, the same concept protects her. I visulaize it as an umbrella that protects her. If she finds a man that she loves and they marry and the man has been sealed to another woman, they are both protected and those blessings will be untangled in the millenium.

In all of this, it is vital for us to remember that we will have a chance to chose who we want to be with and be sealed to for eternity. Just because a marriage is performed in the temple doesn't set that in concrete until we have finished our journey here and received the approval of Heavenly Father.

I hope this helps and gives you a little hope. Heavenly Father knows the desires and intents of our hearts and will bless us accordingly. He is so kind and wise. He will not leave us in a relationship that will cause us pain or frustration. If we have done all that we can to keep our covenants and things don't work out here in mortality, then we will continue to work on things and grow until the Resurrection. Nothing is set in concrete until we are raised in the Resurrection. So just keep trying to do the best you can and Heavenly Father will lead you by the hand and help you.

Good luck!

[WANDERER]

Oops, apologies, I realise that they are not affiliated with the LDS church in any way. There are plenty of splinter groups off religions who are as different as chalk and cheese and can have very little in common.

Malcolm I think I'm just going to have to agree to disagree on what the basics are.

Agreeing to disagree with your Grandma is a tough one though : ) .

[grannysue]

Hi Capn'!

First of all I don't know anything about your fathers situation all I can say is he may not be Ex'd...depends on what he did. If he is ex'd and comes back into the church in full fellowship his priesthood as well as all his Temple ordinence will be restored...you don't have to be "re-sealed" (sounds funny) to him. And yes if your parents want the sealing restored even if they are not married anymore it would be done. As far as your brother is concerned he is still sealed to your parents...it's up to him, his choice where he spends his eternity.

Plural marriage is part of the eternal perspective...it's something we have a hard time dealing with in this world (I think because Satan has made it a bad thing, I don't know). As far as why a man can and a woman can't...well, I can't answer that question....it hasn't been revealed to us why. And lastly....the first wife would still be sealed to the husband.

It's my understanding that any children born in the covenant go with the woman who bore them as far as sealing is concerned, and I've always figured that is why women can only be sealed once.