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Modern Mormon doctrine emphasizes the need for families to be sealed together for eternity through certain temple ordinances beyond baptism. In this episode we explore what the scriptures have to say about sealing and trace the history of the Law of Adoption that has morphed over time to what is practiced today.
Spoiler alert: Once you listen to this podcast you will know why Utah is the world epicenter of pyramid schemes.
Scriptures cited include:
Mosiah 5:15
Alma 34:35
D&C 68:12, 76:52-53, 1:8-9
Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30
2 Corinthians 1:22
2 Nephi 33:15
Helaman 10:4-11
You say in the podcast that there are no scriptures indicating that we must be sealed to a dispensational head to have eternal life. I’m wondering if the scriptures in Sec. 98:16 & 17 have something to do with this idea. The part that says, “seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children,” has been used to push the genealogical work in the church and seal families to their ancestors or “fathers.” What if “fathers” in this scripture refers to dispensational heads as seems possible in the next scripture that says, “the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews.”
Would you say that the welding link mentioned in Sec. 128:18 is only created through baptism and that the welding link is with the patriarchal fathers? And why does that create a welding link? Again, if not a sealing ordinance, then maybe baptism “seals” us in some way to our “fathers” or dispensational heads and is necessary for our eternal life.
. . . It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.
Hi Joy:
Thanks for your comment. You rightly point out that JS taught that baptism was the “welding link” between the fathers and the children. Personally, I consider that the true doctrine, not some extra ordinance of sealing.
If you have listened to our podcasts on the history of the Church (007 and 008) you will recall the downgrade to the Dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham that took place at the Kirtland Temple. The Patriarchal fathers (Abraham, for example) were all evangelists, meaning preachers of the gospel. As dispensation heads they taught the true gospel of repentance and baptism. Turning our hearts to them means to repent and embrace the true gospel of baptism which they taught.
If find no justification anywhere in Scripture which says that we need to be “sealed” to a dispensation head in order to enter the heavenly realms. The welding link is the 3-part baptismal covenant which seals us into God’s family. That doctrine is consistently taught in Scripture. I don’t believe we need anything beyond that, and certainly not the sealing ordinances as practiced in Mormon temples.
I have come to believe that there is more to that scripture than what we have been taught; I believe the church’s interpretation of “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” actually steers us away from the real meaning. The clue here is the term “the fathers”. When we correctly identify who this is referring to, it becomes quite clear. Think of our entire set of scriptures, how we got them and why they were written. Numerous times in the Book of Mormon the writers declare they are inspired to write and preserve scripture for the sake of future generations; the fathers hearts were turned to their children. Think about Lehi and Nephi, and their successors, and how their lives were devoted to obtaining, learning, and teaching from the records of the fathers. Every time we choose to turn to the scriptures we are turning our hearts to the fathers. Their hearts were turned to us (the children) as they devoted their lives to making, keeping, protecting the holy records. This is how we are welded together, by The Word.
Grateful – I agree that identifying who the fathers are is important. The parallelism in DC 98:16-17 links it to the prophets:
“seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children, and again, the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews.” When the angel announces to Zachariah the coming of John the Baptist in Luke 1:17, he says John “shall go before him [Christ] in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children”. I think it’s significant that John the Baptist was not prophesied at that time to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, just the fathers to the children. Certainly some things to ponder.