Sealing (Latter Day Saints)
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In Mormonism, a sealing is an ordinance (ritual), performed in temples by a person holding the sealing power. The purpose of this ordinance is to "seal" familial relationships, purportedly making possible the existence of family relationships throughout eternity.
Sealings are typically performed as marriages or as sealing of children to parents. They were practiced for a few years prior to the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. (the main founder of the Latter Day Saint movement), and are currently performed in many Latter Day Saint denominations, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other denominations, such as the Community of Christ, view sealing as an artifact of Smith's practice of plural marriage.
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[edit] Sealings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS faithful believe civil marriages are dissolved at death if they are not later solemnized with a sealing, but that a couple who has been sealed in the temple will be married beyond physical death if they remain righteous. An illustrative difference in the marriage ceremony performed in LDS temples is the replacement of the words "until death do us part" with "for time and all eternity".
The LDS Church recognizes other monogamous, heterosexual marriages, both civil and religious, although they believe that such marriages will not continue after death because "Eternal Marriages" must be performed by a Priesthood authority. 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.
Couples who have children born to them before the couple is sealed, may have their children sealed to them after the couple is sealed. Couples who have children after being sealed do not have to have their children sealed to them in a separate ceremony. Children born to sealed parents are "born in the covenant" and are automatically sealed to their parents. Adopted children may be sealed to their adoptive parents once the adoption has been legally finalized.
Divorce rates for sealed couples are far lower than national rates. [1] Although a divorce legally dissolves a civilly-recognized marriage, the Church still recognizes a sealed couple as being sealed. A couple who has been sealed may request to have their sealing "cancelled", but this is uncommon, occurs only under special circumstances and is only granted by the highest LDS officials. Some refer informally to a "cancellation" as a “temple divorce”, but the terminology designated by Church leaders is "cancellation of a sealing".
A cancellation typically follows after a civil divorce when a woman seeks to be sealed to another man. The Church's requirements for divorced men are equally strict, and even sometimes more so. A man must apply for a sealing clearance if he seeks to marry another woman after he has been civilly divorced. He is still required to receive a sealing clearance, even if he has already received a cancellation of sealing (see Church Handbook of Instructions, page 72, "Sealing Policies").
The view that the LDS Church’s policy on sealings and cancellations reflect its doctrine of plural marriage is incorrect. Some believe that although the doctrine of plural marriage is currently prohibited from being practiced in the Church a man can be sealed to multiple women, but women can only be sealed to one man. A common misconception is that a man sealed to one or more women, but civilly divorced or a widower, may be sealed to another woman assuming the couple is worthy and the union is permitted by Church authorities and that although a woman can only be sealed to one man, she can be married civilly to another man and have that marriage recognized by the Church. However, in many circumstances, woman may also be sealed to more than one man. According to Church policy, after a man has died, he may be sealed by proxy to all of the women to whom he was legally married while he was alive. The same is true for women, however, if a woman was sealed to a man while she was alive, all of her husbands must be deceased before she can be sealed by proxy to another man (see Church Handbook of Instructions, page 72, "Sealing Policies: Sealing of a Husband and Wife").
Church doctrine is not entirely specific on the status of men or women who are sealed by proxy to multiple spouses. There are at least two possibilities:
- Regardless of how many people a man or woman is sealed to by proxy, they will only remain with one of them in the afterlife, and that the remaining spouses, who might still merit the full benefits of exaltation that come from being sealed, would then be given to another person in order to ensure each has an eternal marriage.
- These sealings create effective plural marriages that will continue after death. However, the Church does not teach that polyandrous relationships can exist in the afterlife, so this possibility would probably not apply to women who are sealed by proxy to multiple spouses.
The union of a sealed couple is regarded as valid only if both individuals have kept their religious commitments and followed LDS teachings. A sealed couple who have successfully kept their religious covenants, and whose sealing remains in force after death is said to have their sealing “sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise”. The sealing of a sealed couple whose union has been disrupted by a civil divorce (amicable or acrimonious) is not likely to remain in force. Just as deceased individuals may refuse any temple ordinance (such as a sealing) done by proxy on their behalf, couples, parents and children who were sealed to each other during their own life may exercise their agency to refuse to accept a sealing of which they were a part. No one will be sealed to any one with whom they do not want to be sealed.
Since the LDS Church rejects same-sex marriages, these unions are not performed in temples nor recognized by the LDS Church.
Excommunication voids all ordinances performed for a person, including sealings. If an excommunicated member rejoins the Church, he may have these blessings restored.
Only worthy members of the LDS Church, who hold current valid temple recommends, can attend and witness sealings. Non-member family and friends generally wait in the temple waiting room during the sealing ceremony.
[edit] Recognition of sealing
Not all countries recognize marriages that are performed by non-government representatives or by clergy outside of the state religion. In these cases, temple marriages are not seen as legally binding, and a civil marriage officiated by a government representative must be performed for the marriage to be recognized. In other cases, marriages must be performed in a public forum for any to witness or to formally object in a ceremony (in most cases, this is strictly a historical law). In this case, government representatives or authorized clergy will perform the civilly-recognized public wedding, prior to a temple sealing. In many cases, those who wish to be married in a religious ceremony in these countries would be civilly married by a government representative first and afterward go to their clergy to have a religious ceremony performed.
- In the United States and some countries, Bishops and temple sealers have the civil authority to perform marriages. In these cases, marriages performed in the temple by a duly authorized temple sealer are recognized by the government.
- In Argentina, all marriages are performed at the local municipality by a registrar who is duly authorized to perform marriages. In these cases, the couple will then go directly to the temple to have the sealing ordinance performed.
- In Brazil, all marriages must be performed in the state in which the couple resides. Since not all Brazilian states have a temple within their boundaries, the couple may then have their sealing performed at the nearest temple upon completion of the civil marriage.
- In Britain the law requires that a marriage be performed at a public ceremony (the same also holds true for Austria). Since attendance at a temple sealing is restricted, a couple will be married locally by a person who is duly authorized to perform marriages. This person will usually be a registrar of marriages. The marriage can be performed at the local registrars office, or in some cases at an LDS chapel. Some Bishops or Branch Presidents have been officially given the title of a deputy registrar, and as such are legally able to perform a civil ceremony in the chapel. The couple will then travel to the nearest LDS temple (London or Preston) for their temple marriage.
