Why are children sealed to their parents?

Post by **_barrelomonkeys** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:58 pm

I didn't really give this any thought at first. The more I learned about the Celestial Kingdom the more I understood the LDS thought on Celestial marriage. I do not understand why the children are sealed? What is the thinking behind this?

I also don't understand the "eternal family" idea. Even if you're sealed you can go to different kingdoms, so what precisely does this mean?

Post by **_dartagnan** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:16 pm

This is one of those epiphany moments that crept up over the years. I suppose it makes sense to children when they're hearing it, but it is logically incoherent once you grow up and try to figure out how all of this sealing business is supposed to play out.

Saturday's Warrior did a lot damage in that regard. Many Mormons seems to follow the erroneous concept that people are actually aged in heaven. The reality of the matter is that there isn't a single Mormon family in heaven sitting around having FHE, as we see them today. You know, with a mommy, a daddy and brothers and sisters sitting around enjoying each other's presence. Everyone appears the same age. And the kids have kids of their own. And their kids have kids. And their kids have kids, etc. But there aren't any actualy "kids" around. It is strange to wrap your mind around it because it is quite different from what we've been taught.

Post by **_Gadianton** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:18 pm

I never understood it either. It "makes sense" to seal a husband and wife because they'll live together in the same Celestial mansion having relations and building planets. But yeah, what's the point of sealing your earth kids to you? As you point out, half of them will be in other kingdoms anyway. But it doesn't even make sense if they all go to the Celestial kingdom. Everyone will be adults and eventually peopling their own worlds or perhaps even their own universe. So what's the point of being sealed to mom and dad? You can still visit. They don't have any jurisdiction over your worlds. There's really no point. It's basically a tool of emotional manipulation for young families, because it sort of conjurs up this image of keeping your kids little forever.

Basically, as a God, you're not going to have time for your fully grown and independent God children anyway. With billions and billions of spirit children and worlds without end, 1/3 of them plotting to overthrow you on an ongoing basis and nearly the rest sitting on the fence, there just won't be time.

Post by **_dartagnan** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:22 pm

Heck, even the sealing of spouses is problematic for me.

The family who introduced me to the Church, for example. The Father was actually the step-father. The Father of the five children died when he was hit by a drunk driver while jogging. The deceased was "sealed" to the wife for all time and eternity.

Well, so one thought anyway.

After the kids grew up and went away to college or got married, the Mom decided she would break the sealing and get resealed to the step-father.

What the heck?

When I found out about it I was shocked. I didn't even know this was possible. I mean what about the poor guy who died? His only crime was to go jogging at night and "wallah," his eternal family is stripped from him. And so the kids are sealed to the Mom and the biological Father but the Mom is sealed to the step-father?

That annoyed me.

Post by **_Who Knows** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:27 pm

A related question:

Do they do sealings for the dead - in terms of sealing kids to their parents? In other words, lets say my friend and his family (wife and 2 kids) were not members of the church, and they were all killed in an airplane crash. I know they would all be baptized, and have their endowments done - and perhaps the husband and wife would be sealed together - but would the kids be sealed to their parents?

Another question, if hypothetical single 40 year old dies, are they sealed to anyone? Or do they just have their endowments done?

Post by **_Gadianton** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:35 pm

I believe the answer is "yes" and for the other, a spouse will be appointed. You both are showing that the general rule of Celestial marriage doesn't make sense when given all the possible scenarios. I don't disagree. But what I'm saying about children being sealed to the parents is that it doesn't really make sense in any scenario. With the exception of the off-chance (and boy, it really is an off chance) that some parents will raise their kids who died young during the millenium.

Post by **_Seven** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:53 pm

Great question and one that I questioned many times as a Chapel Mormon.

A person only needs to be baptized to enter the Celestial Kingdom so our children don't need the sealing to be with us in heaven.

Endowments and the sealing ordinance are only necessary for the other 2 levels.
(there are 3 levels to the Celestial Kingdom) So our children do not need to be born in the covenant to receive Celestial glory.
The new and everlasting covenant is about sealing husband and wife together so they can create their own world, endless spirit children and so on. Our children will have to marry their own spouse and enter into that covenant (polygamy) if they desire exaltation. If I recall correctly, the second level of the Celestial Kingdom is for those couples that don't enter plural marriage and they will not become Gods or have eternal increase there. If one makes it to the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom, they will be polygamists there and have eternal increase, fulfilling the new and everlasting covenant.

The sealing of children to parents is just a marketing tool and makes no sense in the big picture to me.

Post by **_barrelomonkeys** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:20 pm

Well if it doesn't "make sense" and doesn't fit into the LDS theology why is it done? How is it even explained? Do LDS understand that they're going to have their own worlds and populate their own planets? If they know this how do they fit this in with their own children being sealed to them? In other words what is the justification?

Why aren't there more LDS posters here? Can't a few just pop in to explain this.

Post by **_asbestosman** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:56 pm

Gadianton wrote: there just won't be time.

I disagree. With an eternity you'll have plenty of time to do everything. I don't see why God can't multitask and spend nanosecond at one place and then a nanosecond at another place, and so on.

Post by **_The Nehor** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:23 pm

A problematic question because no one seems to know much about heaven. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Virtually all LDS art on the subject is depressing. They portray people walking around in droves in a park talking. It looks like an eternal family picnic (i.e. hell).

One explanation I have heard that has some merit is that those sealed to righteous parents or born in the covenant have privileges and rights extended to them through that covenant.

Another possibility is that the Celestial Kingdom is organized much more along familial lines though I do not think familial ties will enforce a superior/inferior relationship on each other.

A final possibility is that God told us to do it for some reason he either hasn't explained at all or that can't be explained to us in any way we can currently understand.