Mormon Temple Eternal Marriage & temporal Divorce

  • Thread starter Thread starter ComeHome2Rome
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

ComeHome2Rome

Guest
Question re: Mormon Temple Eternal Marriage

I would like to know from the LDS Church point of view what happens to those who were married in the Temple for “All Eternity” when they divorce and then re-marry in the Temple for “All Eternity” to another person.

A Mormon friend of mine’s mother & father were married for “All Eternity” and then divorced. Father has remarried also for “All Eternity”, but mother has remained single. My friend says that there is no rite or ceremony through which to “Divorce for All Eternity”.

Is that right? How does that work exactly? What if in a similar situation the ex-wife does re-marry another man for “All Eternity”, then whose wife will she end up being in Eternity?

With the high divorce rate, I’d imagine that this issue must come up often enough for there to be an official response. What is it?
 
If you are sealed in the Temple, you must get unsealed before getting sealed to someone else. Marie Osmond did that. It is a lot like a Catholic Annulment in theory.
 
ComeHome2Rome said:
Question re: Mormon Temple Eternal Marriage

I would like to know from the LDS Church point of view what happens to those who were married in the Temple for “All Eternity” when they divorce and then re-marry in the Temple for “All Eternity” to another person.

A Mormon friend of mine’s mother & father were married for “All Eternity” and then divorced. Father has remarried also for “All Eternity”, but mother has remained single. My friend says that there is no rite or ceremony through which to “Divorce for All Eternity”.

Is that right? How does that work exactly? What if in a similar situation the ex-wife does re-marry another man for “All Eternity”, then whose wife will she end up being in Eternity?

With the high divorce rate, I’d imagine that this issue must come up often enough for there to be an official response. What is it?
Click to expand...
The marriage is undone, permanently.

My understanding is that any children that were sealed to both parents remain sealed to them, even after the divorce.
 
TexanKnight said:
If you are sealed in the Temple, you must get unsealed before getting sealed to someone else. Marie Osmond did that. It is a lot like a Catholic Annulment in theory.
Click to expand...
Is that now true for men as well? I know that a man didnt have to have a sealing unsealed to marry again, but that a woman did.
 
Marie5890 said:
Is that now true for men as well? I know that a man didnt have to have a sealing unsealed to marry again, but that a woman did.
Click to expand...
No, that is not true for men. Men can have celestial polygamy, women cannot.
 
Jerusha said:
No, that is not true for men. Men can have celestial polygamy, women cannot.
Click to expand...
Correct.

Many people believe the LDS Church outlawed polygamy. That is far from the truth. Polygamy was never outlawed. It’s “practice” was suspended.
 
Jerusha said:
No, that is not true for men. Men can have celestial polygamy, women cannot.
Click to expand...
This was my understanding as well. Men can be sealed to multiple women, but women have to get a a “sealings cancelation” before they can get married again in the temple. Men do have to request permission to be sealed to another woman, but I do not believe that is a complicated process. The “sealings cancelation” has to go all the way to Salt Lake from what I remember.

If a woman is a widow, she cannot get sealed to another man, only marry “for time”.

In other words it is my understanding that current practice allows for LDS men to be sealed to multiple women in both the case of death or divorce. LDS women, however, may only be sealed to one man on this earth regardless of the circumstances.
 
^You are correct. And yes, if a woman is a widow, I’ve often seen them be encouraged to marry “for time”, which is simply a civil union.

My sister in law was married before, ended up getting divorced through no fault of her own, and had to write to Utah to have her sealing broken. When she got notice that it was, it was by letter with President Monson and his counselor’s signatures. I’m not sure if the first presidency actually reviews every single case, but they do sign them.
 
Yes, what you are saying is currently the practice. I found the official LDS website and called the # to speak with an LDS member.

LDS member: Emily from Quebec confirms that:

Only a woman can (& must be) “unsealed” before another “eternal marriage” in the Temple and that the unsealing process includes a request that goes straight to the LDS President for approval or denial.

While men can be receive a “sealing” of an eternal marriage with multiple woman.

Women are encouraged to be married “for a time” after a civil divorce, but that in eternal life, she will be bound to the “sealed” husband.

Women are encouraged to NOT “unseal” an eternal marriage because, she said, that would cause the children of that marriage to also become “unsealed”.

I asked, “Why in the world would a woman who divorced her husband in this life WANT to be married to him for all eternity in the next?” In response, Emily gave a great example of her own parent’s failed marriage - basically her mom decided that: 1. She wanted to maintain the “seal” in order to keep her children “sealed” 2. She’s hopeful that the bad/hurtful traits of her husband will be overcome in the next life

I don’t believe any of it, but the answers were good. The LDS truly have thought it through.
 
ComeHome2Rome said:
Yes, what you are saying is currently the practice. I found the official LDS website and called the # to speak with an LDS member.

LDS member: Emily from Quebec confirms that:

Only a woman can (& must be) “unsealed” before another “eternal marriage” in the Temple and that the unsealing process includes a request that goes straight to the LDS President for approval or denial.

While men can be receive a “sealing” of an eternal marriage with multiple woman.

Women are encouraged to be married “for a time” after a civil divorce, but that in eternal life, she will be bound to the “sealed” husband.

Women are encouraged to NOT “unseal” an eternal marriage because, she said, that would cause the children of that marriage to also become “unsealed”.

I asked, “Why in the world would a woman who divorced her husband in this life WANT to be married to him for all eternity in the next?” In response, Emily gave a great example of her own parent’s failed marriage - basically her mom decided that: 1. She wanted to maintain the “seal” in order to keep her children “sealed” 2. She’s hopeful that the bad/hurtful traits of her husband will be overcome in the next life

I don’t believe any of it, but the answers were good. The LDS truly have thought it through.
Click to expand...
Good answers?
  • Not if a person doesn’t want anything to do with their ex ever again. Why would a divorced man want to remain sealed to an ex-wife?
  • Not if the children don’t want to be connected to a parent forever.
  • Not if the family is of mixed faith.
It all seems rather bureaucratic to me. Jesus description of marriage in heaven is much simpler. There isn’t any marriage in heaven.

Let me put it this way. My LDS parents believe I am sealed to them, yet because I left Mormonism that is absolutely meaningless. They hope to be gods in a higher heaven, while they believe I’ll be hanging out in a lesser heaven, at best, outer darkness (the Mormon equivalent of hell) at the worst.

On the other hand, I believe that God will judge us for the lives we lived, not for how Mormon we are or not. If God judges us all to be with Him in heaven. Tada! There we are, all together, as a family.

So much for Mormon family values. Their idea of “heaven” is lacking in unity of God’s children. It’s essentially a caste system, where a previous life (this one) determines which eternal caste you’ll belong to.
 
RebeccaJ said:
Good answers?

Let me put it this way. My LDS parents believe I am sealed to them, yet because I left Mormonism that is absolutely meaningless. They hope to be gods in a higher heaven, while they believe I’ll be hanging out in a lesser heaven, at best, outer darkness (the Mormon equivalent of hell) at the worst.
Click to expand...
“good answers” in the sense that they follow a certain logic. Again, I don’t believe any of it at all.

In the LDS mindset, does having a child “sealed” to the parents safeguard the child from falling into the “lesser heaven” or “outer darkness” should that child die outside of communion with the LDS Church? Or does that officially break the “seal”?

Emily had told me that people in the “highest heaven” are able to go down and visit with their family members/friends who end up in the “middle heaven” and “lower heaven”, but that people in those levels will NOT be able to visit with those in the “highest heaven”. It sounds like either way, those who are not sealed will still be able to hang out & communicate with one another?
 
ComeHome2Rome said:
“good answers” in the sense that they follow a certain logic. Again, I don’t believe any of it at all.

In the LDS mindset, does having a child “sealed” to the parents safeguard the child from falling into the “lesser heaven” or “outer darkness” should that child die outside of communion with the LDS Church?
Click to expand...
No
Or does that officially break the “seal”?
Click to expand...
I think a Mormon would word it as breaking a covenant.
Emily had told me that people in the “highest heaven” are able to go down and visit with their family members/friends who end up in the “middle heaven” and “lower heaven”, but that people in those levels will NOT be able to visit with those in the “highest heaven”. It sounds like either way, those who are not sealed will still be able to hang out & communicate with one another?
Click to expand...
That’s the way I understand it.

They’ve also divided God in their belief. Three heavenly kingdoms, each one ruled by a different God, who they call Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

In our Christian context, there is One God, who is a unity of three Persons. One God does not will a divided Kingdom.

Mormons take the Bible quote, “in my house are many mansions”, as support for their idea of three heavens. Christians understand that there is one heaven, with a place for all who will be there.
 
RebeccaJ said:
No

I think a Mormon would word it as breaking a covenant.

That’s the way I understand it.

They’ve also divided God in their belief. Three heavenly kingdoms, each one ruled by a different God, who they call Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

In our Christian context, there is One God, who is a unity of three Persons. One God does not will a divided Kingdom.

Mormons take the Bible quote, “in my house are many mansions”, as support for their idea of three heavens. Christians understand that there is one heaven, with a place for all who will be there.
Click to expand...
It certainly is very bizzarre to me what is believed by the LDS.

At one point during our conversation, Emily reverted to her personal testimony and strongly recommended that I pray over and read their book of Mormon to if I would be convinced of it’s truth like she was so I asked her if their beliefs re: the 3 heavens and sealings are in the book of Mormon and actually said, “No, they’re not.”
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top