The Latter-day Saint Doctrine of Eternal Marriage

Photo: http://www.mormonwomenstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cropped-MWS-Cover-Photo-Final-1.jpg

 The Latter-day Saint Doctrine of Eternal Marriage

 Many people out there have heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as LDS or mainstream "Mormons"). There are usually many questions people have regarding this religion. In this post, I will be discussing our views of marriage and our doctrine of eternal marriage/celestial marriage. Now, I do not represent the whole of the church, but I will give you a witness to what I know of the doctrines as an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints myself.

One of the doctrines that sets us apart from other religious denominations it the doctrine of eternal marriage. This type of marriage is not "until death do you part." Rather, it is a marriage that allows the couple and their children to be a family even after death has parted them.

Now, in order for Latter-day Saints to be able to receive the blessing of eternal marriage, they must:

• be baptized by the correct authority (by a holder of the priesthood) to receive remission of their sins
• receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
• regularly repent and try to improve
• be active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• live the law of chastity (limit sexual relations between husband and wife only) 
• fully and honestly pay tithes
• live honestly, and keep the ten commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai
• have a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
• make and keep sacred covenants in the temple of God

 Link: http://20mt96468f8vgllyk43cv52z.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TempleSWK-1024x912.jpg

(Sealing Room Photo Link: https://en.elds.org/mormonmusic-org/files/2015/05/Sealing-Room.jpg)
 
Once these requirements are accomplished, a man and woman who wish to be sealed together for time and eternity may do so in the temple in a special ceremony where the couple kneels across from one another at an altar, join hands, and have a special blessing pronounced upon them by a man who holds the priesthood of Melchizedek and has the authority to perform a sealing blessing. As you can see in the image, there are mirrors facing each other on either side of the sealing room. This is to remind the couples who come here to be sealed that this marriage, if covenants are kept, will go on for eternity. There will be no end--just as the reflections of the chandelier in the mirrors go on for eternity (see image below).

Image: https://broadcast.lds.org/crowdsource/mobile/images/1710989/dcfb1fa2f8e6445daa4b3f33833af302/640x412.jpg

(Image Link: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwSzNhOWrQJqygrrIJoP_5prSD2XOyjDNY3pnxWBCiIUmX8lTxI8gt07s84LeNIzP3xsy9e8wyWD4Oue-JEaPnpg_HGk_yyMiuYwugQuPYZ_9H0b34PuVARBpDEAjpdpC_B0DG_dmYfX2/s1600/Eternal+Marriage+meme.png)

 There are some really great blessings that come from seeking a marriage such as this other than the fact that you get to be together for, literally, forever, which is AWESOME! As an example, many couples that my husband and I know typically take extra pains to not only be worthy of a temple marriage at any time (I mean, you never know when you'll meet a truly outstanding person you'd want to be married to for eternity, right?), but to find a spouse they wouldn't mind being sealed to throughout time and eternity. Those who choose this type of marriage are more likely to take their marriage promises more seriously, seeing it as a covenant marriage rather than a contract marriage. Therefore, the couple will try to sort out their differences when they arise rather than walking away when the marriage is not fun anymore (Bednar, June 2006). They are also more likely to take their roles as husbands as wives, who are equal to one another but with different duties, and as mothers and fathers more seriously (see The Family: A Proclamation to the World). They want their families to be together and happy for eternity.

Link: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/67/ab/8b/67ab8b69046a59a75522781ad28c4fdd.jpg

This is why Latter-day Saints take families very seriously and will do anything they can to protect its sanctity. Family--what we all were before we were born, what we seek to have here, and what we hope to have throughout eternity. With the gift of eternal marriage, none of us has to be alone, even after we die. What a blessing!

Link: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c8/bf/fc/c8bffccf8965ff8b54240296bbf2b933.jpg

(For additional viewing, this talk given by Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the Quorum of the Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had some really great advice on things any married couple could use to make their marriages stronger. Follow this link: Covenant Marriage.)

References:

Bednar, D. A. (June 2006). Marriage is essential to his eternal plan. Ensign, June 2006, 83-84. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/06/marriage-is-essential-to-his-eternal-plan.p1?lang=eng

Hafen, B. C. (November 1996). Covenant marriage. Ensign, Nov. 1996. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/ensign/1996/11/covenant-marriage?lang=eng&_r=1  

Hinckley, G. B. (1995, Sep. 23). The family: A proclamation to the world. Ensign, Nov. 1995. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/11/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world.p1?lang=eng