Mormon question?

Question

This question has kept me from the church for 20+ years now and it is obviously still bothering me so I thought I would ask and hope I get some sort of reasonable answer from someone (once I wade through the garbage answers of course);

Why is it that a man can be sealed to more than one woman but a woman can only be sealed to one man?

Answer 1

What a sensitive mind you have, as this bothered me for about 18 years as well (say 1981 to 1999). I can give you a few ideas and then give you my opinion on the matter. I sure hope you will come back into the Church after studying this out, because your talents are probably missed more than you know.
What I was told growing up was that in the early days of the Church there were more faithful women than men, and it was unfair to deny temple and Priesthood blessings to women who had been faithful but were unable to be sealed to someone in their lifetime. When you go to trace genealogy, it is much easier to trace things when children were fathered by one man through one or two wives (as an example) than to try to figure out who fathered children if a woman was married to (or has lived with, considering unfortunate modern-day trends) more than one man. Someone pointed out that there is a lot of confusion if you have to stop and figure out who was the father of what child (I'm sure you can think of some cases in the news right now where that applies). As far as sealing more than one woman to a man, it is my opinion, and there is an emphasis on opinion, that in the long-term scheme of things, there is actually only one man for one woman, and when we get to the Millennium, there will be time to get all the family connections worked out. I have posted my opinion about polygamy before, that it was a temporary principle. In my opinion, in the 19th Century, if the Civil War had never happened, there would have been a certain number of men who would have joined the Church and married the "extra" women, so to speak, who were sealed in polygamous marriages to the fraction of Church members who were living that principle up to the year 1890. The reason I believe that to be the case is because while researching Church history in 1999 to write a musical play, I found at least 1 or 2 cases where women decided not to be a polygamous wife anymore and married soldiers who came through Utah later on (don't ask me for the references, as it was just in passing, and it was about 8 years ago). It is important to have faith in the mercy and justice of God, that there is such a thing as the law of compensation. That is to say, if someone died in a war in this life (or some other way) and did not have the chance to be married, those blessings will be extended to that person at some point in time. Again, we have the entire Millennium to work out family connections. But the more I study marital patterns around me, the more I see a plan for everyone. It may mean that some sealings will be undone in the Millennium in order to get everything straightened out, but since there are specific blessings associated with a sealing, until that is all worked out, it appears that sealings are left in place for now. Again, we have to go back to the original pattern of marriage as delineated in the Book of Mormon, in Jacob 2:26-30, and note that polygamy has only been a temporary thing. I have a few great-uncles who have died in wars or before being married, and another cousin who was shot and killed at a young age, and I firmly believe there is someone reserved for them, although we may not know in this life for now who they are. But after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection, I am sure that we will be delighted and amazed by who has chosen to stay with whom, and again, all the family connections will be worked out.
P.S. I think jungle84025 missed the point I was trying to make. That is, we might hear a lot of different reasons, true or not, but what I feel after studying it out is that there really is one person for everyone, and we will find out one way or another during the Millennium after the Resurrection.

Answer 2

This is a tough question to respond to in such a limited place. But, according to my understanding (and everything understands differently, because we're human), it all comes down to the sealing power of the Priesthood.

Just as Christ gave His apostles the power to seal in heaven what they sealed on earth in the Bible, the Priesthood continues to be used for this reason. In order for one to return to God's presence (what Mormons call the Celestial Kingom) and become more like God, they must receive certain sealing ordinances on earth, one of which is marriage. What we create on Earth is like a chain, with the links being held together by the Priesthood; there can be no breaks in this chain. When a man and women are sealed in the temple, the chain is complete. When a man and women get divorced (in the worldly sense), they are not immediately divorced in the temple, unless they demand it. This is because the Church doesn't want to see the link broken. The church will discourage the woman from getting a temple divorce until she has found a new husband, someone who's Priesthood can create a new link. Because, especially as people age, there is a less liklihood of getting remarried, they often don't get a temple divorce. When the husband is the surviving spouse, they may find another woman to marry, and may or may not get sealed in the temple. I have known both (one of my grandfathers got sealed again and the other got married civily). As someone above stated, I'm not sure we know exactly how it will work itself out in the end, but what is important is that we get back to God's presence, and we must have a continual chain back. There are many things we don't understand, but I believe there are many ways this chain I speak of can be complete, but I do believe it's necessary. I also know that men aren't getting sealed to multiple women because they wan't to have multiple wives in heaven, but only because they are advised against getting temple divorces, because it will effect the chain linking the other to heaven.

I'm sure I could have been clearer, but it's still early. I would be glad to answer any other questions or clarify myself. Good luck. The Church is true.

Answer 3

You will probably only have a satisfying answer to this question if you are sealed in the temple. Once you receive your endowments, make the covenants and are married for eternity, you will get an answer from Heavenly Father. Once you go through those steps it will be obvious why a woman is sealed to only one man.

It may take longer understand how a man could be sealed to more. There are scriptural references to the Patriarchs. There are biological considerations. There is obeying a commandment. These are explanations but not personal reasons to accept the principal. The woman who lead me to the church married a widower. She was a convert that was previously put off by the principal. When she feel in love and was sealed, she began to see. She was a step-mother to the children of her husband's first wife. She had to think every day of the sister with whom she shared a husband. Today she has a testimony beyond what I would. She feels she has more love not half.

Answer 4

Well first, let's consider WHY a man would be sealed to more than one woman in the first place. When polygamy was practiced in the early days of the church, my understanding is, first and foremost it was a commandment from the Lord, there were few male members but many women and all wanted to be able to receive the temple endowment and covenants. That is my opinion. There is no 'doctrine' stating WHY that certain commandment was given.
OK, now, this is also just my opinion...I think the main reason men can be sealed to more than one woman is because they hold the Priesthood, they are expected to be the "head of the family". It seems much more possible I guess for a man to have several wives than a woman to have several husbands...I can't imgaine having more than one husband, but I could see my husband having more than one wife. Now, that doesn't mean I want him to go out and get another wife right now...but let's say I died and we had 4 children together. He remarries and they have a few children...now when all is said and done, how would he choose which woman to be with for eternity? That would be so hard to choose... Well, he wouldn't have to and I really believe that once we are in the Celestial Kingdom, we will understand and lovingly accept the multiple wife thing...there will be no jealousy or anything like that. Also, just because it is possible does not mean every single male member will have plural wives. I do know a few people though that their first wife died and were sealed to another. I honestly think it is mainly because the man is expected to be the "head" of the family, we as women follow our husband's counsel about the family and church as he follow's the Lord's counsel. We all have divine responsibilities and men are given different ones than women.
I suggest you go to your Heavenly Father in prayer. Ask Him to enlighten your mind on the subject, read what the apostles and church leaders have said on the subject too...Maybe read in the Doctrine & Covenants where the commandment was given and maybe you will understand it a little better.

Answer 5

The shortest answer to your question is "That is what Joseph Smith wanted". The Bible of course says something completely different about all of these topics.
A more involved answer to the question is that they can't be sealed to more than one woman according to the Bible.
-It is one man and one woman only. There is no additional parties that can enter into such a deal.

Answer 6

The true first church "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (There are multiple break offs) does not believe in polygamy anymore, they no longer do this And the cause of doing it in the first place was never known (it was revelation given to joseph smith)

My opinion was so that they were able to have more children and keep the church alive while they were being persecuted. I hope you guys know many mormons were killed in the early years because of their belief. Perhaps this was necesarry to keep the church alive. Is anything wrong with that? I dont think so...

Answer 7

Previous answer is somewhat incorrect. You can no longer have one wife while alive, true.

But if your wife dies and you remarry, then you can be 'sealed' to both of them.

But not the other way around.

Mormons will tell you that this is due to some fundamental aspect of 'the priesthood'.

Almost all christianity, and nearly all other ancient religions, have little pro-masculinity easter eggs in them.

Odd isn't it, when men were the ones in charge, eh?

You must decide what of this you believe and what you won't.

Answer 8

Aaaahhh that is a tough one, and can only be answered through the 19th century view of women as experienced by Joseph Smith. Women were treated as more than property in the 19th century, but weren't considered to be of value when thought was involved. There are many questions about the Mormon faith that are perplexing, like where are the moon people? Where is John the Revelator? and Where are the Golden Tablets that were given to Smith to translate?

Answer 9

Don't even believe the, "There were more women than men in the early church" argument. The census records of the early church reveal that the opposite was true. There were more men than women.

Answer 10

Not true... my grandmother was sealed to two men... both her husbands! That's true...

Church reality is... in the celestial kingdom they believe there will be polygamy... men will have more than one wife, women only one husband....