Question for LDS "Do you Marry the dead?"

[rock17]

I was recently told that on top of baptising the dead you perform marriage ceremonies for the dead. Is this true? And do you marry people who devoted thier life to celebacy?

 

[gatewood1988]

It is true they call it “sealing” It is done inside the temples.
Wikipedia actually explains it nicely:

However, “Eternal Marriages” are also performed vicariously for the deceased so that once all the prior temple ordinances are completed for a deceased individual, couples who were not sealed during their life may accept the proxy sealing to each other and their children.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealing_(Mormonism

 

[gatewood1988]

I was recently told that on top of baptising the dead you perform marriage ceremonies for the dead. Is this true? And do you marry people who devoted thier life to celebacy?

Unfortunately celibacy isn’t theoretically an option in the Mormon faith. Men have to be married in order to obtain Celestial glory and one major thing in the mormon faith is to be fruitful and multiply.

 

[rock17]

So how do you choose who marries who?
It would be hard to believe it is for love.

 

[gatewood1988]

So how do you choose who marries who?
It would be hard to believe it is for love.

You can choose whomever (as long as they are Mormon), on the other hand my mother tried to arrange a marriage for me Now when it comes to the dead, if they were married in life then they could be sealed after death. Children who died could be sealed to their parents and so on and so on.

 

[rock17]

You can choose whomever (as long as they are Mormon), on the other hand my mother tried to arrange a marriage for me Now when it comes to the dead, if they were married in life then they could be sealed after death. Children who died could be sealed to their parents and so on and so on.

Sorry I did not mean how do you choose who marries who here on earth or about Mormons because I know that they are sealed but my question comes from a conversation I had about the two men who where being executed on either side of Jesus. Jesus told one of them that he would be with Him in heaven that day, so I asked how he could be if He was not baptised or married. They responded with “we probably have already done those sacraments for him.” so i was wondering how does marriage of the dead work? And is there no respect for those who led celebant lives like the nuns and priests?

 

[Esdra]

Sorry I did not mean how do you choose who marries who here on earth or about Mormons because I know that they are sealed but my question comes from a conversation I had about the two men who where being executed on either side of Jesus. Jesus told one of them that he would be with Him in heaven that day, so I asked how he could be if He was not baptised or married. They responded with “we probably have already done those sacraments for him.” so i was wondering how does marriage of the dead work? And is there no respect for those who led celebant lives like the nuns and priests?

laugh
They said that they have baptised him (the robber crucified with Jesus)?
That doesn’t make sense. Jesus lived 2000 years ago, same with this robber. And the LDS Church is only 100 years old.
So did they mean, as according to them, Mormons always have existed (cf. Nephites and Lamanites in the BoM) have baptised him?
Or did they mean that they baptised him some years ago in a temple ceremony?

 

[rock17]

laugh
They said that they have baptised him (the robber crucified with Jesus)?
That doesn’t make sense. Jesus lived 2000 years ago, same with this robber. And the LDS Church is only 100 years old.
So did they mean, as according to them, Mormons always have existed (cf. Nephites and Lamanites in the BoM) have baptised him?
Or did they mean that they baptised him some years ago in a temple ceremony?

I believe they ment in a temple ceremony they baptised and performed a marriage for him and alot of other people in history, it seems that the mormons believe that salvation is dependent on record keeping so they can know everyone who ever lived on this planet so they can baptise and marry them.

 

[gatewood1988]

Usually when someone wants a baptism, sealing, or endowment done in the temple for someone who has passed on they will submit their name to the temple so that the work can be done for that person. That is why the Mormons focus so much on genealogy work. I remember sitting at my grandma’s feet working on genealogy projects and research with her at a young age. I still love that kind of research but not for religious purposes. But anywho, I digress. My mother has told me that people like the two men next to Jesus most likely had their basic temple work done and even the founding fathers of America had their stuff done, and the list goes on.

 

[rock17]

Usually when someone wants a baptism, sealing, or endowment done in the temple for someone who has passed on they will submit their name to the temple so that the work can be done for that person. That is why the Mormons focus so much on genealogy work. I remember sitting at my grandma’s feet working on genealogy projects and research with her at a young age. I still love that kind of research but not for religious purposes. But anywho, I digress. My mother has told me that people like the two men next to Jesus most likely had their basic temple work done and even the founding fathers of America had their stuff done, and the list goes on.

And when you say stuff does that mean the lds church baptised both lets say George Washington and Martha Washington and then married them in the temple? And how do you baptise someone without the body and I still don’t understand how you marry two dead people who where not married before for example if they where to baptise Pope John Paul II than who would be his wife?

 

[gatewood1988]

And when you say stuff does that mean the lds church baptised both lets say George Washington and Martha Washington and then married them in the temple? And how do you baptise someone without the body and I still don’t understand how you marry two dead people who where not married before for example if they where to baptise Pope John Paul II than who would be his wife?

Well my mother told me that yes George and Martha were indeed baptized by proxy (someone standing in for them) in the temple as well as married. If someone like JP2 was baptized obviously he didn’t have a wife so they would do all they could by proxy which would include baptism, confirmation, and endowments. But for the marriage they wouldn’t be able to do it. Now they could seal him to his parents so that they are a recognized family in heaven for eternity. However JP2, according to the Mormon faith, would not receive the highest level of heaven because he was not married.

 

[rock17]

Well my mother told me that yes George and Martha were indeed baptized by proxy (someone standing in for them) in the temple as well as married. If someone like JP2 was baptized obviously he didn’t have a wife so they would do all they could by proxy which would include baptism, confirmation, and endowments. But for the marriage they wouldn’t be able to do it. Now they could seal him to his parents so that they are a recognized family in heaven for eternity. However JP2, according to the Mormon faith, would not receive the highest level of heaven because he was not married.

So just to be clear the LDS Church only performs marriages of the dead to people who where married here on earth? Therefore barring people who decided to be celebant and focus on a life of faith from God. And to your point about Geneology, does the Church have records on everyone who ever lived and is it even possible to do that, I mean what about all of the native African tribes people for all of those generations and the native Aulstralians? I would be very impressed if records where kept of these people.

 

[gatewood1988]

So just to be clear the LDS Church only performs marriages of the dead to people who where married here on earth? Therefore barring people who decided to be celebant and focus on a life of faith from God. And to your point about Geneology, does the Church have records on everyone who ever lived and is it even possible to do that, I mean what about all of the native African tribes people for all of those generations and the native Aulstralians? I would be very impressed if records where kept of these people.

To answer your first question, yes. And so far as barring those who were celibate, my honest guess is yes (though they probably won’t tell you outright). Now you also have to look at the Mormon idea of Heaven (it has 3 levels and the highest level also has 3 levels) so that way if you were a pretty good person (just not mormon) you can still make it to heaven by good works and believing in Jesus Christ. They claim they have records complete to the best of their knowledge. I know my grandmother claims to have completed a family line all the way back to Adam (took her over 60 years apparently to do).

 

[Inquiringperson]

To answer your first question, yes. And so far as barring those who were celibate, my honest guess is yes (though they probably won’t tell you outright). Now you also have to look at the Mormon idea of Heaven (it has 3 levels and the highest level also has 3 levels) so that way if you were a pretty good person (just not mormon) you can still make it to heaven by good works and believing in Jesus Christ. They claim they have records complete to the best of their knowledge. I know my grandmother claims to have completed a family line all the way back to Adam (took her over 60 years apparently to do).

How did it take your grandmother 60 years to figure out that she had a family line way back to Adam? Don’t all humans share that bond of being part of Adam’s blood?

 

[ParkerD]

And when you say stuff does that mean the lds church baptised both lets say George Washington and Martha Washington and then married them in the temple? And how do you baptise someone without the body and I still don’t understand how you marry two dead people who where not married before for example if they where to baptise Pope John Paul II than who would be his wife?

Rock17,

I suppose that I should clarify a couple of points for you.

First, if you have understood the words “by proxy”, that means that youth age 12-21 or so are usually the “proxies” for an ordinance called “baptism for the dead”, where they are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and the Melchizedek priesthood holder doing the baptizing in the temple uses the words “for and in behalf of” and then says the name of the person who had died. Then that youth is completely immersed in the water. It is often a spiritual experience for the youth who do this service.

George Washington was among those who appeared in a dream or vision to one of the early LDS prophets and asked for their temple work to be done such as baptism for the dead and the sealing of husband to wife, as you had asked about. So in other words, they expressed in that dream or vision that they wanted their ordinance work to be done in the temple, and also said they had been faithful in the work that was assigned for them to do on the earth in the preserving and founding of the freedoms in the United States of America.

If a person would have married based on their desires in life, but didn’t have the opportunity, such as those killed in wars or youth and children who died young, then they will have the opportunity for a sealed marriage which will be done at some point during the Millennium. There will be communication between resurrected beings, spirits in the spirit world, and the people living on the earth during the Millennium, so that ordinances still needing to be completed will be completed, and so that records of all who have ever lived can be revealed and all the necessary ordinances be completed, such as for those examples you mentioned.

By the time of the end of the Millennium, people will have received according to their heartfelt desires–what they lived for by their actions as well as their thoughts and the longings of their heart.

God is as benevolent in all of this as we can possibly imagine, and more benevolent than most people would ever imagine. Through the Savior’s marvelous atoning grace, His benevolence is truly unbounded.

 

[ParkerD]

How did it take your grandmother 60 years to figure out that she had a family line way back to Adam? Don’t all humans share that bond of being part of Adam’s blood?

Inquiring Person,

It means tracing one’s “roots” or “pedigree” and identifying all the names of the ancestors. Often that just means the paternal line when someone says they have it “back to Adam”, but they may be exaggerating in reality. Often it means they tied into a royalty line at some point in their ancestry.

 

[Inquiringperson]

Inquiring Person,

It means tracing one’s “roots” or “pedigree” and identifying all the names of the ancestors. Often that just means the paternal line when someone says they have it “back to Adam”, but they may be exaggerating in reality. Often it means they tied into a royalty line at some point in their ancestry.

I see what you mean. I get it now. Now that I think I about it, Gatewood’s Grandmother is extremely fortunate that she found the name of all her ancestors. Many would have died before knowing all of this.

 

[twopekinguys]

Rock17,

If a person would have married based on their desires in life, but didn’t have the opportunity, such as those killed in wars or youth and children who died young, then they will have the opportunity for a sealed marriage which will be done at some point during the Millennium. There will be communication between resurrected beings, spirits in the spirit world, and the people living on the earth during the Millennium, so that ordinances still needing to be completed will be completed, and so that records of all who have ever lived can be revealed and all the necessary ordinances be completed, such as for those examples you mentioned.

Let me make sure I understand what you are saying: A person would only be sealed to another person if “a person who would have married based on their desires in life”.

If that is in fact the case/procedure, can you explain why St. Damien (who worked with lepors in Hawaii), who was a celibate priest (choice obviously made), was sealed to some unknown woman after his death?

 

[lax16]

Rock17,

I suppose that I should clarify a couple of points for you.

First, if you have understood the words “by proxy”, that means that youth age 12-21 or so are usually the “proxies” for an ordinance called “baptism for the dead”, where they are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and the Melchizedek priesthood holder doing the baptizing in the temple uses the words “for and in behalf of” and then says the name of the person who had died. Then that youth is completely immersed in the water. It is often a spiritual experience for the youth who do this service.

George Washington was among those who appeared in a dream or vision to one of the early LDS prophets and asked for their temple work to be done such as baptism for the dead and the sealing of husband to wife, as you had asked about. So in other words, they expressed in that dream or vision that they wanted their ordinance work to be done in the temple, and also said they had been faithful in the work that was assigned for them to do on the earth in the preserving and founding of the freedoms in the United States of America.

If a person would have married based on their desires in life, but didn’t have the opportunity, such as those killed in wars or youth and children who died young, then they will have the opportunity for a sealed marriage which will be done at some point during the Millennium. There will be communication between resurrected beings, spirits in the spirit world, and the people living on the earth during the Millennium, so that ordinances still needing to be completed will be completed, and so that records of all who have ever lived can be revealed and all the necessary ordinances be completed, such as for those examples you mentioned.

By the time of the end of the Millennium, people will have received according to their heartfelt desires–what they lived for by their actions as well as their thoughts and the longings of their heart.

God is as benevolent in all of this as we can possibly imagine, and more benevolent than most people would ever imagine. Through the Savior’s marvelous atoning grace, His benevolence is truly unbounded.

Hi Parker - Finally a little sunshine!

It seems by your post that you are saying that all people will be married during the Millennium who did not get the opportunity to do so in their lives, correct?

Is it possible that some people never wanted to be married and that they will not choose that during the Millennium?

Is marriage necessary for all?

 

[Prague]

I have found my Uncle, a priest, given an wife. He was celebate and not married. The idea of this after death baptism, etc. is just too much for me to ever believe.
The LDS waste their time.