Ask a Mormon, Part 3

[Eran of Arcadia]

But what happens in the afterlife with people who are together but not in the mormon way? Are they just not allowed to be together or what?

No, we do it for them. We do proxy sealings just as we do proxy baptisms, in the temple.

 

[ironduck]

How does that work? You really do marriage ceremonies for billions of people who aren't even aware of it? Is it just like a mass-spell kind of thing or do you have to do it individually for each couple?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

We do sealings for couples who were already married, but now deceased. Like all our proxy ordinances, we don;t do them on the living. We have people stand in for those being sealed. And of course, they are done one couple at a time.

 

[ironduck]

How do you know who are deceased? And how do you know if they were a couple?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Genealogy and family history, ie people look it up then do the work for their ancestors. Plus, most people who were born in the 1800s aren't doing too well these days.

 

[The Kingmaker]

Also, right now we just do work for our own ancestors/relatives. We don't just look up random deceased persons.

We figure that the really hard to figure out ones will be sorted out during the Millennium.

 

[bhsup]

Isn't a bit presumptuous to presume they would want such a ritual performed for them?

 

[Firstlady]

Isn't a bit presumptuous to presume they would want such a ritual performed for them?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they get to choose whether or not they want to accept the ordinance performed for them. Definately not entirely sure about that.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Yes, if they say that they don't want the benefits that come from it, they are free to reject them. And, of course, if it turns out that we are wrong about all this than the rituals we perform have no meaning (a fact that no one seems to remember when criticizing them).

 

[bhsup]

Er, I kind of meant doing the ritual for long-dead relatives and so forth.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

It's the same deal. There are two possibilities:

1. We do not have the spiritual authority we claim to have nor speak with God. In that case, our proxy ordinances are no more than meaningless rituals that have no effect on anything.

2. We do have the aforementioned authority and revelation, in which case what we do in temples ends up helping people.

Simple, really.

 

[Firstlady]

Er, I kind of meant doing the ritual for long-dead relatives and so forth.

I would think the answer is still the same.

dang..crosspost of sorts.

 

[ironduck]

Also, right now we just do work for our own ancestors/relatives. We don't just look up random deceased persons.

Right, if you have to do people one at a time you cannot possibly do everyone, and you won't know about a lot of people being together or not since there are not always papers on that.

So what I'm wondering is what happens to all those who don't get this ceremony? Are they just out of luck? No winning lottery ticket for them?

We figure that the really hard to figure out ones will be sorted out during the Millennium.

What millennium?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

So what I'm wondering is what happens to all those who don't get this ceremony?

It will be done for everyone, eventually.

What millennium?

The thousand years after Christ's return.

 

[ironduck]

What will happen in those thousand years?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

We will do the work for everyone who needs it, for one.

I am actually not really that good with LDS eschatology (to be honest, the subject never interested me) so any other member who can answer better, by all means go ahead.

 

[bhsup]

Reading Mormonism for dummies and it's quite fascinating! One question, though. I know y'all are probably tired of discussing polygamy, but the book brings up the possibility of eternal sealings to two spouses in the case of a widower marrying again and getting sealed to a second woman.

The book may cover that later, but are there different views for spiritual polygamy as opposed to earthly polygamy?

EDIT: I confess I am jumping all over different parts of this book. It would probably be better to read it straight through and I'd most likely not need to ask this if I did, but there are so many fascinating topics.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well the idea is the same; that most men will be married for eternity to the woman they married on earth, but some will have more than one wife for eternity. The implication is that more women than men will end up in the highest levels of the afterlife.

 

[Firstlady]

Well the idea is the same; that most men will be married for eternity to the woman they married on earth, but some will have more than one wife for eternity. The implication is that more women than men will end up in the highest levels of the afterlife.

Is it wrong though to want to be my future husband's [being hopeful] only wife? I've always grown up being taught that marriage is one man and one woman.....not one man and a bunch of women. Like if I got married and my husband died I wouldn't marry anyone else. I don't know. Perhaps I still have a lot to learn.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, if it is any consolation every LDS man I know wants only one wife. I gather that having more than one is the exception and only because circumstances make it necessary.