Please note: Most of my knowledge of the LDS faith comes from having read long long threads on these boards. I’m just looking to fill in a little gap for my own curiosity’s sake. It is my understanding that Mormon couples who are “eligible” are married in a private ceremony held in the temple that can only be attended by those Mormons who have a “temple recommendation” (that may not be the right word). Any children born to this couple is also sealed to their parents. The idea is that the family is bound together in this life and the hereafter, as opposed to the idea of “till death do us part.” Obviously, if I’m mistaken in my initial knowledge, then the questions will sound really dumb!
Scenario: A devout Mormon couple is married and sealed to each other in the private temple ceremony. They have a child together, who is also sealed to them. Tragically, the husband dies in a car accident two years later. The widow mourns her husband, but then falls in love again with another Mormon man, and they decide to get married.
When they marry, is the temple sealing performed again (provided that they are eligible for the ceremony)? If they choose to have children, are they sealed to their parents as well? Is the wife un-sealed from husband #1 before being re-sealed to husband #2? How would that affect the sealing of child #1 to Mom and Dad?
I’m going on beliefs that were held many years ago. If I’m wrong in any of my statements, I’m sure a current LDS poster will be along to correct my perception.
If a woman suffers the loss of a husband, she must obtain a “sealing cancellation” by the general authorities of the church before being sealed to a new husband, whether by divorce or death. The children will remain sealed to her and her first husband until the sealing cancellation is complete. Then they will be sealed to the new husband, provided they all are “worthy” to participate in the ceremony.
Reverse the situation. If a man loses his wife, he can be sealed to another woman without obtaining a cancellation of the first sealing. This is a by-product of the LDS beleif in polygamy, although they renounced the doctrine for the living in 1890, they still apply it to the “sealing for all eternity” - so a man can be sealed to multiple wives - just one at a time while he’s living.
This is only a partial answer, but the thought of a question I can help answer coming up within a few days of registering just seemed too good to pass up.
An individual of the LDS faith who is living a sufficiently “virtuous” life can be granted a temple recommendation. Only folks with TR’s may enter an LDS temple. One of the reasons you might want to enter the temple is for the purpose of being sealed to your family, which is held to apply for eternity (none of this “till death do we part” nonsense).
A “temple divorce” is certainly possible - I’m not clear on the specifics of it, but my aunt outlived her husband, remarried, and was divorced of her original husband so that she could be sealed in the temple to her second husband.
There was a bit of a to-do over this, and I’m into speculation territory, but I believe she had to justify the temple divorce to church authorities.
This is the only time I’ve heard of this happening, it don’t believe its very common at all.
