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ontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-normal--s54Wf ontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-text--QmNJR ontend-pencraft-Text-module__lor-sendary--WRADg ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ ontend-pencraft-Text-module__body4--Pl3xY">Other</div></button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="post-hear"><h1 class="post-tle unpublished">"A Weldg Lk of Some Kd"</h1><h3 class="subtle">Explorg a possible theology of same-sex marriage sealgs</h3><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-directn-lumn--Rq7pk ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-bottom-16--KVxKv"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-directn-lumn--Rq7pk ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-y-16--ohCEm"><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt 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ontend-pencraft-Box-module__borr-radi-12--AmQy9 social-preview-box post"><div class="social-image-box"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" /><img src=" siz="100vw" alt loadg="lazy" width="120" class="ontend-ponents-rponsive_img-module__img--Pgjj2 social-image" /></picture></div><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt ontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-directn-lumn--Rq7pk ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-y-8--exiCC ontend-pencraft-Box-module__paddg-left-12--eE6bp"><h4 class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__size-16--fFowu ontend-pencraft-Text-module__le-height-20--p0dP8 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-bold--Ps9DB ontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-text--QmNJR ontend-pencraft-Text-module__lor-primary--ud4Z0 ontend-pencraft-Text-module__ret--dW0zZ">"A Weldg Lk of Some Kd"</h4><div class="pencraft ontend-pencraft-Box-module__ret--VfQY8 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Today’s post will be the most si of si Mormon baseball, for which I apologize to non-Latter-day Sat rears (and to Latter-day Sat rears exhsted by such discsns). What follows is the text of an say that I have been workg on for some time that explor the theologil possibily of same-sex marriage sealgs wh Latter-day Sat theology. My goal is to show that given the history and current practice of temple sealgs wh the Church, the regnn of same-sex marriage sealgs would be a ls theologilly radil move than many (cludg myself) have assumed. Warng: much theologil and lurgil oteri follows.</span><br /><br /><span>For non-Latter-day Sats who might be followg along, “sealgs” are a class of ruals performed Latter-day Sat templ that clus marriag. The theologil unrstandg of the ruals is, I believe, the key to makg sense of the Church’s long-time — and my view rrosive — opposn to same-sex marriage.</span><br /><br /><span>For those who would like a more say-like format, here is a lk to </span><a href=" rel>a PDF versn of the say</a><span>. As always, please feel ee to forward this email to anyone that you thk might be terted. Other wise, I’ll see you next time.</span><br /><br /><span>Nate Oman</span></p><div><hr /></div><h3 class="hear-wh-anchor-widget">“A Weldg Lk of Some Kd”: A Mimalist Theology of Same-Sex Marriage Sealgs<div id="§a-weldg-lk-of-some-kd-a-mimalist-theology-of-same-sex-marriage-sealgs" class="hear-anchor-widget offset-top"><div class="hear-anchor-widget-button-ntaer"><div href=" class="hear-anchor-widget-button"><svg xmlns=" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="hear-anchor-widget-in"><path d="M10 13a5 5 0 0 0 7.54.54l3-3a5 5 0 0 0-7.07-7.07l-1.72 1.71"></path><path d="M14 11a5 5 0 0 0-7.54-.54l-3 3a5 5 0 0 0 7.07 7.07l1.71-1.71"></path></svg></div></div></div></h3><p><strong>Nathan B. Oman</strong></p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk is-viewable-img image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="443" height="389" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" fetchprry="high" /></picture><div class="image-lk-expand"><svg xmlns=" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="#FFFFFF" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round" stroke-lejo="round" class="luci luci-maximize2"><polyle pots="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyle><polyle pots="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyle><le x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></le><le x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></le></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><span>            The purpose of this say is to explore the theologil possibily of same-sex marriage sealgs a way that requir mimal theologil change and matas maximum ntuy wh Church practic. By focg on the limatns of our knowledge and the history of sealg practic, one n see a place for same-sex marriage sealgs that is te to the ongog work of the Rtoratn. I will not rehearse the tortured history of the Church wh homosexualy and same-sex marriage.</span><a href="#_ftn1" rel>[1]</a><span> Suffice to say that the pa and anxiety around the issu is havg a rrosive effect on Latter-day Sat fai and on the abily of the Church to reta members and ga nverts. In part this om creasg tensns between Church teachgs and a culture the veloped world that has bee more welg of gay and lbian relatnships. It would be a mistake, however, to thk of this issue terms of great and spac buildgs and fgers of srn (cf. 1 Ne. 8:26-28). Moral tensn between the Church and society is evable and often healthy. The Church’s moral teachgs on chasty were creasgly out of step wh social norms the send half of the 20th century, but this was an era of unprecented Church growth and high youth retentn rat.  Rather, nflict around same-sex marriage has proven rrosive bee of the ternal tensns wh our theology.</span><a href="#_ftn2" rel>[2]</a><span> The Church teach that married fay life is the bt kd of life to live and that gays and lbians mt be exclud om that life. Homosexual orientatn, however, is unchosen, immutable, and more or ls evenly distributed through the populatn. Hence, gay and lbian Latter-day Sats, their fai, and their iends ntually crash agast this basic nflict Church teachgs.</span><a href="#_ftn3" rel>[3]</a></p><p>            The Doctre and Covenants teach that a “stupor of thought” n be a prelu to revelatn (D&C 9:9). I believe this scrib the prent posn of the Church. The same revelatn teach that the way forward is to study a qutn out one’s md and then ask the Lord if the answer arrived at is rrect (see D&C 9:8). This say is an exercise such studyg out. Askg the Lord if the answers offered here – or somethg like them – are rrect li wh those who have eccliastil thory that I lack.</p><p><strong>Two Theologi of Homosexualy</strong></p><p>            The re of the Church’s theologil opposn to same-sex marriage flows out of the ordanc of the temple and the theology that we e to unrstand those ordanc. Stated as clearly as possible, here is what I take to be that theology: The procs of exaltatn nsists followg the example of God so as to have the kd of life that he has. God, however, is not alone. Rather we are the leral spir children of heavenly parents. Exaltatn requir that human begs enter to heterosexual marriag blsed by the sealg thory the temple. Those who through accints of birth or circumstanc are unable to ntract such marriag mortaly are promised that they will be able to ntract them the eterni. Wh this unrstandg, same-sex marriage is impossible bee marriage properly unrstood is an imatn of the dive, heterosexual unn of heterosexual heavenly parents. A rollary of this theology is that homosexualy – unlike heterosexualy – is an accintal rather than a necsary characteristic of one’s spirual inty. Hence, beg gay or lbian is a mortal ndn but one that will be rrected the eterni. There will be no gays and lbians the celtial kgdom not bee they will be exclud by God but bee he will e them to cease beg gays and lbians. Let’s ll this the theology of heterosexual exaltatn.</p><p>            I thk that the theology of heterosexual exaltatn is a fair summary of current Church teachgs. However, I know om numero nversatns over the years that many members of the Church dissatisfied wh s stance on same-sex marriage reject the teachgs. Most of this opposn isn’t very theologilly reflective.  It’s ntent to note the stctive nsequenc of Church teachgs the alienatn of gay and lbian Latter-day Sats and to affirm the love of God. However, “love is love,” while a pellg slogan, is not an aquate rponse to the theology of heterosexual exaltatn. Rather, often amounts to a rejectn of any theology more fe than a belief benevolent theism. This strik me as too th of a theologil foundatn for Church teachgs and practic.</p><p>            There have also been more staed efforts at articulatg a theology of same-sex relatnships. The approach I’ve most often heard is to sist that, ntrary to the theology of heterosexual exaltatn, homosexual orientatn is an eternal characteristic. This approach is tuively appealg to many gay and lbian Latter-day Sats. It acrds wh their own experience of their sexualy, which seems herent to their inty rather than a temporary ndn. Given the nstutive role of sexualy inty formatn this is unsurprisg. As a heterosexual male, I nfs that I have difficulty makg sense of what would mean for me to ntue to be me but stead be a gay man. Such a person seems, would be not me but someone else. Unrstandably, many gay and lbian Latter-day Sats feel the same way about their sexual orientatn. Furthermore, for many gay and lbian Latter-day Sats the hope of sexual transformatn held out the eterni is not particularly attractive. Aga, as a heterosexual man there is nothg pecially appealg to me about beg transformed after ath to a gay man. I unrstand why a gay man might have a siar reactn to the prospect of post-mortal sexual transformatn. If sexual orientatn is an eternal characteristic, so go the argument, then same-sex unns should be sealed the eterni, and we mt re-image the imatn of God whout any mment to the unique necsy of heterosexual marriage. Call this the theology of eternal homosexualy.</p><p><span>            One of the strikg thgs about the two theologi is their certaty. They both rt on a specific visn of the role of sexual orientatn the eterni. They also go well beyond any teachgs that are explicly ntaed the Standard Works. This is easit to see the se of the theology of eternal homosexualy. It reasons theologilly om gay and lbian experience but lacks any clear revelatory warrant. There is simply nothg the nonized revelatns of the Church to suggt that homosexual orientatn is eternal. Perhaps ls obvly, the theology of heterosexual exaltatn rts on a siarly th foundatn the non. The ia of heavenly parents is not ntaed the scriptur.</span><a href="#_ftn4" rel>[4]</a><span> The sexualized, procreative visn of dive spirual parenthood is nowhere explicly set forth. To be sure, referenc to God as father are ubiquo, but the theologil apparat of spir birth and leral eternal parenthood implic the theology of heterosexual exaltatn isn’t to be found.</span><a href="#_ftn5" rel>[5]</a><span> Ined, J’s tle of “only begotten son” (e.g. John 3:16) is the one place scripture where a procreative rivatn om God is explicly stated, and ’s exclive to Christ.</span><a href="#_ftn6" rel>[6]</a><span> Rather, the Doctre and Covenants speaks of uncreated telligenc wh no reference to ias of spirual procreatn (see D&C 93:29).</span></p><p>            Instead of fendg one of the posns, I want to explore the implitns of sayg “We don’t know.” Both of the theologi sketched above rt on the assumptn that we have a fairly clear unrstandg of what sexualy and relatnships the eterni look like.  They assume that this tight visn of the eterni should rm how we thk about marriage mortaly and the ordanc that we perform the temple. I want to suggt that this assumptn is mistaken. Rather, what rms our sealg practic is a basic uncertaty about the precise nature of eternal relatnships. In the remar of this say, I will argue that this uncertaty li at the heart of our current sealg practic. I will then argue that when the qutn of same-sex marriage sealgs is seen through the lens of our uncertaty that there is a better way forward for the Church, one that uld amelrate the stctive ternal ntradictns our current teachgs, give to righteo same-sex upl the blsgs of the temple, and tegrate their sealgs to the great work of Elijah and Malachi.</p><p><strong>Kgdom, Leage, and Fay</strong></p><p><span>When asked today to expla the signifince of temple sealgs, Latter-day Sats will rpond by speakg terms of happy nuclear fai. Our greatt joy this life om the love of hbands and wiv, parents and children. Through sealg ordanc hbands and wiv are bound together for eterny. Likewise, by beg born the venant or through adoptive sealgs, children are nnected the eterni to their parents. Th, the earthly joys of fai are rried forward after ath and to exaltatn. For all of s hope and tth, this is an plete scriptn of how sealg ordanc functn, both historilly and today. Rather, they have never neatly mapped onto a mol of the nuclear fay. Careful attentn to temple practic reveals that over the urse of the Rtoratn there have broadly speakg been three distct approach to temple sealgs.  We n refer to them as kgdom, leage, and fay.</span><a href="#_ftn7" rel>[7]</a><span> While there is nsirable overlap between them and no ia is ever fully abandoned, the three approach follow a roughly chronologil orr, wh kgdom domatg om the 1840s to 1894, leage domatg om 1894 to about 1955, and fay domatg om 1955 to the prent. Each era has blsed temple sealgs that part om a mol of the nuclear fay.</span></p><p>            For much of the 19th century sealg ordanc centered on what n be lled kgdom theology. The foc was on g the sealg power to kn together post-mortal prithood kgdoms. The basic ia was that exaltatn nsists of prithood kgship wh the goal of nnectg everyone back to God as the dive kg through a seri of nted kgdoms created by works of sealg ordanc. This n be seen most clearly two now abandoned sealg practic: plural marriage and the law of adoptn. Contemporary Latter-day Sats tend to assume that 19th-century Mormon polygamists shared wh them a visn of eternal nuclear fai but simply multiplied fai. While some 19th-century polygamists spoke the terms, is at bt an plete acunt of their theologil visn. One of the ma reasons people performed plural marriage sealgs was to secure a place an exaltg prithood work. This n be seen the mon practice of non-njugal plural marriage sealgs. Th, women were sealed posthumoly to Joseph and other ad Church lears as plural wiv. Some women were sealed polygamoly to Joseph or Brigham while remag married to another man. Fally, some women were sealed polygamoly whout havg any substantial earthly nnectns to their “hbands.” In all of the s, the sealgs were ls a matter of formg nuclear fai than of beg part of a royal prithood work.</p><p>            The law of adoptn had a siar functn. Instuted the Nvoo Temple shortly after Joseph’s martyrdom, this was the practice of sealg non-blogilly related adults to Church lears as adopted sons or dghters. After the abandonment of Nvoo, no new law of adoptn sealgs were performed until the ditn of the Sat Gee Temple 1877. Th, while the law of adoptn works operated as important social uns durg the Exod, for s the law of adoptn was maly a theologil ia for unrstandg sealg ordanc. Like plural marriage sealgs, the adoptive sealgs referenced a fay relatnship, but their purpose was to extend exaltg prithood works by providg a way of beg sealed to the eternal kgdom of a high prithood lear.</p><p>            While vtig of kgdom theology rema the morn temple, most notably the language of the endowment ceremony and the words of the sealg ceremony, temple theology unrwent a revolutn the 1890s unr the directn of Print Wilford Woodff. Most famoly, he issued the 1890 Manifto, which began the procs of abandong the practice of plural marriage. Ls well known, but some ways more signifint for temple practice, the April 1894 General Conference, he announced a revelatn endg the law of adoptn and unseled Latter-day Sats to rearch their fay history and perform sealg ordanc for anctors along fay l.</p><p><span>            The emphasis this new sealg theology was on leage rather than kgdoms. The goal, acrdg to Print Woodff was to “[h]ave children sealed to their parents and n this cha through as far as you n get .”</span><a href="#_ftn8" rel>[8]</a><span> This was a new ia 1894.</span><a href="#_ftn9" rel>[9]</a><span> The emphasis on the primacy of leage n be seen two ways. First, adoptive sealgs along non-fay l were abandoned. When requted to do so, Print Woodff went so far as to formally ncel prev law of adoptn sealgs to allow sealgs based on fay leag. Send, while there was an emphasis on tergeneratnal chas of sealgs, there wasn’t an effort to ensure that sealg ordanc mirrored the stcture of nuclear fai. Until well to the 20th century, for example, the First Princy did not routely e s thory to ncel maral sealgs s of divorce or remarriage after the ath of a spoe. Rather, both men and women uld be sealed a send time whout a ncellatn, regardls of genr or of how the earthly marriag end. The same le was applied to posthumo temple sealgs. The rult was numero suatns where men and women were enmhed works of multiple marriage sealgs that did not rrpond to mortal fay stctur (cludg even polygamo hoeholds).</span></p><p>            In the 1920s and early 1930s, when l erng multiple marriage sealgs were tightened unr Print Grant, the Church aga did not seek to mirror nuclear fai. Rather, l harked back to 19th-century kgdom theology, wh multiple sealgs permted to widowed or divorced men, but wh a newly add requirement that women had to receive a ncellatn of sealg after beg divorced or widowed before a send temple marriage was possible. The obv mol here was 19th-century polygamy, and the rultg works of sealed relatnships did not mirror the stcture of monogamo, nuclear fai. After 1934, the same le was applied to proxy sealgs.  Men were to be sealed to all of the women to whom they had been married while alive, but women were to be sealed only to their first hbands. Th, throughout the post-1894 perd, the emphasis was on ter-generatnal ntuy rather than a tight rual mirrorg of an ial nuclear fay stcture the eterni.</p><p>            After World War II, the Church began earnt an amb program of ternatnal expansn. At the center of the succsful missnary msage of the send half of the 20th century was the nuclear fay. The Church placed an creasg emphasis on strong marriag between hbands and wiv mted to sacrificg together for the welfare of their children. The temple beme central to the msage that fai n be together forever. This n be seen most dramatilly after 1955 when the Church dited s first overseas temple Swzerland. Prr to the 1950s, regular temple attendance was not emphasized as a part of Latter-day Sat votnal life. It was mon for a member of the Church to vis the temple only once or twice his or her lifetime. The ternatnal templ of the 1950s signaled an aspiratn that regular temple worship be put wh the reach of all Latter-day Sats, regardls of where they lived. The emphasis on temple worship went hand--hand wh an emphasis on eternal nuclear fai.</p><p>            There was an irony, however, how the new emphasis on temple worship and eternal fai impacted sealg practic. When temple worship went om an ocsnal to a regular feature of votnal life, the Church faced a logistil challenge. Temple work is only possible if the templ have the nam of ceased persons for whom patrons n perform ordanc. However, by the early 1960s the templ were nng out of nam. The Church rpond wh the name extractn program. The problem was that at sle was impossible to ensure that sealg ordanc followed the 1934 proxy sealg l. Wh many of the genealogil rerds, for example, one nnot know if a woman has prevly been widowed or divorced when she married the hband the rerd beg harvted. In 1969, the prsur led Print McKay to change the proxy sealg l to allow men and women to be sealed to all of the spo to whom they had been married life, even though such sealgs n create works of polygyno and polyandro sealgs that do not rrpond to mortal fay relatnships. When faced wh a choice between mass temple work and sealgs that mirrored some ial fay stcture, Print McKay chose mass temple work.</p><p><strong>The Complexy of Marriage Sealgs</strong></p><p>What are we to make of the layerg of l and theologi that ern marriage sealgs? There are two sourc of ambiguy. The first is the bte fact of multiple marriage sealgs that seem to imply eternal works that do not mirror nuclear fai. Such multiple sealgs are not an exceptnal part of temple practice. Millns of such ordanc have been and ntued to be performed for the livg and the ad. There are a variety of possible rpons. Although s populary has waned sce the Manifto, one might affirm eternal polygamy on a massive sle. This is not theologilly attractive to most ntemporary Latter-day Sats and has been rejected by many high Church lears. (Print McKay explicly stated his belief that polygamy was not an eternal prciple.) In any se, leav unanswered the qutn of the stat of multiple maral sealgs by women. The ntemporary Church has emphasized three pots answer to the qutns. First, God lov his children and will orr the hereafter his fe wisdom for their happs. Send, no one will be forced the eterni to a relatnship that they do not sire. Third, spe the uncertati, performg temple ordanc is val to the Lord’s work. The pots, while affirmg the love of God and hope for the hereafter, do not provi any clear picture as to the nature of post-mortal relatnships. In effect, the answer to the qutn of what eternal fai will look like is “We don’t know.”</p><p>            The send source of ambiguy is the diverse theologil goals that have been offered for sealg ordanc. Sealgs have been ed to create non-faial works of prithood kgdoms centered on high Church lears. They have been ed to create huge polygamo hoeholds. They have been ed to nnect l of scendants and anctors that mirror fay – if not always geic – leag. Fally, sealg ordanc have been ed to ntue the happs of nuclear fai on earth to the eterni. Contemporary sealg l to one extent or another reflect all of the theologi. None of them standg alone acunts for the totaly of sealg practic. It is not clear that the goals are all nsistent wh one another. At least the s of the law of adoptn and plural marriage, Print Woodff very publicly announced revelatns reversg earlier practic. On a quieter level, Print Grant ma major chang to sealg l that were partially reversed by Print McKay.</p><p>            The theology of heterosexual exaltatn also do not f closely wh sealg practic. That theology, rell, se temple marriage as the solely legimate imatn of a dyad of heterosexual heavenly parents. Right now we regularly perform sealgs our templ that do not reflect this mol of a heavenly dyad. Consir one example: Widowed men n be sealed to multiple spo while livg. Likewise, women n be posthumoly sealed to multiple men. Image Joe marri Jill the temple and then Jill di. In the meantime, Jane marri John the temple, and John then di. Jane and Joe then marry, and after their aths their children seal them together wh a proxy ordance.</p><p>         </p><div class="ptned-image-ntaer"><figure><a class="image-lk image2" target="_blank" href=" data-ponent-name="Image2ToDOM" rel><div class="image2-set"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" /><img src=" width="407" height="214.6" data-attrs="{"src":"" class="sizg-normal" alt srcset=" 424w, 848w, 1272w, 1456w" siz="100vw" loadg="lazy" /></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p> </p><p><span>Such a scenar is explicly allowed unr current l and prumably has happened numero tim.</span><a href="#_ftn10" rel>[10]</a><span> In this example, Joe is sealed to Jane and Jill, who is sealed only to Joe. Jane is sealed to Joe and John, who is sealed only to Jill. All of the sealgs are equally valid. Whatever else n be said about such sealgs, they do not, taken their entirety, reflect the dyad envisned by the theology of heterosexual exaltatn. They nnot even be renciled wh such a theory by endorsg post-mortal polygamy bee the multiple sealgs are symmetril rather than asymmetril by genr. At bt the theology of heterosexual exaltatn n affirm that some way that we do not unrstand this tangle of sealgs will be rolved to heavenly dyads to everyone’s satisfactn the hereafter, although if we assume that all three of the earthly marriag were happy and succsful, ’s difficult to see precisely how this would happen.  We jt don’t know.</span></p><p>            The proponent of the theology of heterosexual exaltatn might be tempted at this pot to affirm that Church lears are fallible and reject sealg practic that diverge om that theology. Hence prev ordanc that diverge om the theory of heterosexual exaltatn were simply wrong, as are current sealg l that rult works of apparently equally valid sealgs rather a sgle heterosexual dyad imatn of heavenly parents. Such an approach would renr much of the sealg work of the Rtoratn valid. Lerally lns of ordanc have been performed unr the l. It would also be radilly nsistent wh current sealg polici which are not – and never have been – premised on the requirement that only sealgs mirrorg a dyad of heavenly parents are permissible. Rather, the Church regularly performs multiple sealgs of var kds that do not nform to a mol of heavenly parents and says effect, “We do not know the precise signifince of the ordanc the hereafter.”</p><p><strong>“A Weldg Lk of Some Kd”</strong></p><p>            If we put both a fah the necsy and power of sealg ordanc and the huy of “We don’t know” at the center of our theology of temple sealgs, what might our visn look like? The Rtoratn began earnt wh the vis of Moroni and the translatn of the Book of Mormon. Both emphasized the fal verse of Malachi which the prophet says that the earth will be cursed unls the hearts of the children turn to their fathers and the hearts of the fathers turn to their children (see JS-H 1:39, 3 Ne. 25:6, Mal 4:6). Toward the end of his life, Joseph terpreted this verse an epistle to the Church subsequently nonized as sectn 128 of the Doctre and Covenants. “It is sufficient to know this se,” he wrote, “that the earth will be smten wh a curse unls there is a weldg lk of some kd or another between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or another” (D&C 128:18). In the epistle, he went on to associate the need weldg lk wh baptism for the ad. However, on other ocsns, Joseph associated the weldg lk wh the sealg power, and after his ath succeedg prophets extend the logic of proxy baptisms to all temple ordanc, which are now available to both the livg and the ad. The level of abstractn at which Joseph begs is strikg. Notice that D&C 128, the weldg lk is sgular. Baptisms for the ad are part of the lk, but they are not the lk s entirety, a fact emphasized by the later troductn of other proxy temple ordanc. Ined, the weldg lk is not a reference to any particular ordance. Rather “a weldg lk of some kd” among all of humany is necsary to the salvatn of God’s children as a whole, otherwise “the earth will be smten wh a curse” (D&C 128:18).</p><p>            Latter-day Sats are acctomed to thkg of the sealg power terms of two distct ordanc: marriage sealgs and adoptive sealgs. As we have already seen, however, differg theologil meangs have been assigned to the sealgs over the history of the Rtoratn. An adoptive sealg between an adult man and Heber C. Kimball the Nvoo Temple had a very different meang than the sealg of small children to their recently nverted parents a morn temple. Likewise, my temple marriage to my wife 1999 had a very different meang than a mid-19th-century polyandro sealg of a married woman to Joseph or Brigham as a plural wife. The most explic discsn of the sealg power the Standard Works suggt that s spe is far more expansive than our current disurse suggts. The Doctre and Covenants speaks of “all venants, ntracts, bonds, obligatns, oaths, vows, performanc, nnectns, associatns, or expectatns” as g wh the power to “seal by the Holy Spir of promise” (D&C 132:7). The revelatn go on to talk about a particular kd of sealg – plural marriage – as an stance of this broar power. Jt as sealg practic manift great diversy wh the tegori of marriage and adoptn, scripture seems to ntemplate a multiplicy of different kds of sealgs.</p><p>            If we thk of dividual sealgs as fg part of the sgle great weldg lk of which Joseph wrote, then the sprawlg multiplicy of sealg practic be ls bewilrg. Law of adoptn sealgs, plural marriage sealgs, sealgs of marriag that end divorce, multiple morn marriage sealgs for the livg and the ad; none of the ordanc are wasted. Each be another nnectn the great lk that will weld all of the children of God together and save them om the curse of their alienatn and mutual fetfulns. The answer of “We don’t know” ceas to be a dodge that leav the efficy and necsy of every sealg hangg. Rather, be an acknowledgement that every sealg ntribut to the weldg lk even if we do not know the precise nfiguratn of post-mortal relatnships. Such a view need not imply the abandonment of eternal fai and the hope that doctre holds out, but do give meang to the mass of other temple sealgs that have been performed over the urse of the Rtoratn. They too have a role fg the weldg lk. This approach leav the precise mechanics of salvatn ls clear than the theology of heterosexual exaltatn, but has the virtue of better ftg current and past sealg practice and not relyg on elaborate extra-scriptural ias.</p><p><strong>Same-Sex Marriage Sealgs</strong></p><p>            This brgs to the qutn wh which we began: same-sex marriage sealgs. Agast a background of the history of sealg practic, is not te that one needs a precise acunt of a sealg’s meang the hereafter to be able to perform a marriage sealg. We already regularly perform sealgs the temple whose fal eternal signifince we do not purport to precisely unrstand. Ined, the meang and spe of marriage sealgs has changed over the urse of the Rtoratn. We have not had a sgle mol of marriage. Furthermore, the sealg thory extends to “[a]ll venants, ntracts, bonds, obligatns, oaths, vows, performanc, nnectns, associatns, or expectatns” (D&C 132:7). The Church has never sealed same-sex marriag s templ, but such unns uld f unr the tegori of “venants,” “bonds,” “vows,” and “nnectns.” As to the precise theologil stat of sexual inty the eterni, the Church uld say, “We don’t know.” The Church currently performs marriage sealgs where the precise meang of the unn the eterni is unknown, but we are nfint that “the power of godls” (D&C 84:20) manifted the ordance will bls the uple, and the ordance self forms a part of the great latter-day work of creatg the weldg lk of which Joseph prophized.</p><p>            My hope prentg the ias is that they might provi a possible path forward for the Church that rolv the stctive nflict wh our current practic and teachgs around same-sex marriage. I long for a way which gay and lbian Latter-day Sats n live wh the kd of fahful, venanted, and mted pannship that the Church rightly holds out as the good life. Same-sex marriage sealgs uld enfold such liv to the Church and bls them wh the power that through temple ordanc. At the same time, I take very serly the need for ntuy and loyalty to the Rtoratn. The ias prented here also seek to engage rpectfully wh the theology of heterosexual exaltatn whout endorsg the theology of eternal homosexualy. Rather, my goal is to acmodate uncertaty on the precise eternal stat of homosexualy. There needn’t be nsens on that issue orr to bls same-sex marriage sealgs. It is enough to say that all sealgs ntribute to the great weldg lk and we do not know the tails of the eterni. This is somethg that we already do other ntexts.</p><p>            This say has been long, but the change ntemplat uld be easily and simply explaed. The Church uld say:</p><blockquote><p>For many years we have stggled wh how bt to mister to gay and lbian Latter-day Sats while affirmg the importance of chasty outsi of marriage, fily to hbands and wiv, the prry of children, and the promis of eternal fai ma the temple. After pleadg wh the Lord, we have received a revelatn that same-sex upl may be sealed the temple. Throughout the Rtoratn chang have been ma unr prophetic directn temple ordanc and practic. Today’s change is the latt chapter that ntug story. Like prophets gog back to Nephi we “do not know the meang of all thgs” (1 Ne. 11:17), but we know that today’s cisn will bls the liv of those who live worthy to be sealed the temple and that all of the ordanc – past, prent, and future – performed the Lord’s Hoe ntribute to his great plan for the human fay. The Church ntu to affirm that sexual relatns outsi of marriage vlate God’s mandments, and same-sex upl are subject to the same standards of behavr as oppose sex upl.</p></blockquote><p>Whether this is what the Lord wants for his Church is not my qutn to answer. I believe that the Church’s current posn creat rrosive ntradictns that pose an existential threat to the ntued valy of the Lord’s work. In the past, the Lord has blsed dramatic chang Church practic when the ntuatn of those practic threatened the future of the Lord’s Kgdom. I pray that he will do so aga.</p><div><hr /></div><p><a href="#_ftnref1" rel>[1]</a><span> I will also not addrs the public policy qutns prented by same-sex marriage or the moral qutns prented by homosexual relatns. I have wrten about such issu elsewhere. Suffice to say, that I do not fd the claim that same-sex marriage pos a threat to the flourishg of earthly fai or the valy of marriage as an stutn persuasive, and I believe that homosexual acts wh the ntext of an ethic of chasty anized around marriage are moral.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref2" rel>[2]</a><span> In many ways the current suatn mirrors that prr to the 1978 revelatn on the prithood. This parison is often ma an unhelpful way, particularly by those who glibly equate the Church’s teachgs on marriage wh vic homophobic anim.  However, at several pots the unrlyg stcture of the suatns is siar. An creasg awarens of the evils of racism the Uned Stat created enormo tensn between the Church and the broar culture. The Church’s exclnary posn threatened the viabily of the Church pecially racially diverse societi such as Brazil. Fally, the Church’s posn created a terrible ntradictn between the racist theologi ed to jtify the ban and the clear scriptural teachgs that all of God’s children are equal his sight (2 Ne. 26:33).  The three elements are also prent the Church’s current posn: A shift moral attus, a threat to the ntued valy of the Lord’s work, and a wrenchg ternal ntradictn our theology.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref3" rel>[3]</a><span> Ironilly, the Church often prents s teachgs on same-sex marriage as part of the Lord’s plan of happs.  For most Latter-day Sats directly impacted by the teachgs – gay and lbian members and their fai – the teachgs create grief and unhapps.  They are sometim grimly accepted as a tt of allegiance to the thory of the Church and s teachgs, but I seldom see them joyfully celebrated.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref4" rel>[4]</a><span> For example, there are no referenc to Heavenly Mother the Standard Works.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref5" rel>[5]</a><span> The ia of a “spir birth” which human spirs arise through a procreative procs volvg heterosexual heavenly parents that is analogo to pregnancy seems to have first been articulated by Brigham Young as part of his Adam-God teachgs.  It do not appear the scriptur, was never tght by the Prophet Joseph, and is almost never explicly articulated official Church materials. For more on the historil background, see Jonathan A. Stapley, “Brigham Young’s Garn Cosmology,” </span><em>Journal of Mormon History</em><span> 47, no. 1 (January 2021): 68–86.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref6" rel>[6]</a><span> Even this is doubtful.  “Only begotten” translat the Greek word “monogenhs” (“monogen”), which do not necsarily have a strong nnotatn of sexual generatn or procreatn.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref7" rel>[7]</a><span> Elsewhere, I have provid a more prehensive history of the velopment of maral sealg l wh acpanyg documentatn.  My summary here is based on that rearch.  See Nathan B. Oman, “The Development of Morn Latter-day Sat Marriage Rul” (William & Mary Law School, July 12, 2022), </span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref8" rel>[8]</a><span> Brian H. Stuy, ed., </span><em>Collected Disurs Delivered by Print Wilford Woodff, His Two Counselors, the Twelve Apostl, and Others</em><span>, 5 vols. (Woodland Hills, Utah: B.H.S. Publishg, 1987-1992), 4:73.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref9" rel>[9]</a><span> Prr to Print Woodff’s revelatn, the practice was to adoptively seal non-Latter-day Sat anctors eher to a righteo Latter-day Sat scendant or else to a high Church lear.  Seekg out one’s kdred ad was seen terms of performg proxy baptisms rather than creatg eternal nnectns via sealg ordanc that mirrored fay l.</span></p><p><a href="#_ftnref10" rel>[10]</a><span> See The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, </span><em>General Handbook: Servg The Church of J Christ of Latter-Day Sats</em><span> (Salt Lake Cy, Utah: Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, 2021), 38.4.1.7.</span></p><div class="subscriptn-widget-wrap"><div class="subscriptn-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p>Thanks for readg Thoughts om a Tamed Cynic! 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gay temple marriage

California voters will be asked to affirm gay marriage rights on the 2024 ballot followg Prop. 8 ncerns about the state nstutn.

Contents:

POLICY CHANG ANNOUNCED FOR MEMBERS GAY MARRIAG, CHILDREN OF LGBT PARENTS

Children of parents who intify themselv as lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr may now be blsed as fants and baptized The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats whout First Princy approval, Print Dall H. Oaks announced Thursday morng, April 4. * gay temple marriage *

Children of parents who intify themselv as lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr may now be blsed as fants and baptized The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats whout First Princy approval, Print Dall H.

Children of parents who intify themselv as lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr may be baptized, if the ctodial parents give permissn for the baptism and unrstand both the doctre that a baptized child will be tght and the venants he or she will be expected to make, said Print Oaks.

NEW CEREMONI FOR GAY UNNS

Uned Methodist clergy who oppose same-sex marriage won't be required to officiate gay weddg ceremoni if the nomatn chang s stance on LGBT issu, acrdg to a clergy panel. * gay temple marriage *

Instead the “immoral nduct heterosexual and homosexual relatnship will be treated the same way, ” he said. “I want anyone who is a member of the Church who is gay or lbian to know I believe you have a place the kgdom and I regnize that sometim may be difficult for you to see where you f the Lord’s Church, but you do.

“There are many polil, legal, and social prsur for chang that would change the fn of marriage or -emphasize s importance, nfe genr, or homogenize the differenc between men and women that are sential to acplish God’s great Plan of Happs. Oaks almost immediately drafted a memo argug that “the terts at stake the proposed legalizatn of so-lled homosexual marriag” were “sufficient to jtify a formal Church posn and signifint efforts opposn. In 2021, after several high-profile cints at BYU — cludg a valedictorian g his graduatn speech to pronounce that he was “proud to be a gay son of God” and dozens of stunts lightg the school’s famo mountasi Y wh rabow lors — popular apostle Jefey Holland chastised BYU faculty members for “supportg ias that many of feel are ntradictory to gospel prcipl.

Someday, gay marriag (sealgs) WILL BE performed Mormon templ. CES jt issued a letter attemptg to clarify s removal of the Honor Co sectn entled “Homosexual Behavr. And look, even if we want everythg we do to lead toward eternal marriage, our gay and lbian (and, I assume, transgenr) brothers and sisters are not head that directn as long as we ntue to lim temple marriag to oppose-genr upl.

CLERGY WON'T BE FORCED TO PERFORM GAY WEDDGS IF UMC CHANG S STANCE, PASTORS PANEL SAYS

We’ve stopped enuragg our gay and lbian members to get to straight marriag as some kd of cure: a signifint number of s, those marriag are damagg to both partners. “Homosexual behavr vlat the mandments of God, is ntrary to the purpos of human sexualy, distorts lovg relatnships, and priv people of the blsgs that n be found fay life and the savg ordanc of the gospel, ” stat the Handbook of Instctns of the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats. Homosexual behavr n be fiven through scere repentance.

Packer, referred to homosexualy throughout a sharply word sermon as “wrong, ” or “basilly wrong, ” “wicked, ” “impure, ” “unnatural, ” “immoral, ” “agast nature, ” “evil, ” and as a threat to civilizatn. I tled my addrs, “Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price, ” based on the notn that homophobia is pervasive throughout society and we are all at risk of experiencg s harmful effects. She ultimately exprsed how much my words had moved her, and through her sobs, told me the story of how her stepson, a young gay man, had killed himself three years earlier.

CALIFORNIA VOTERS WILL BE ASKED TO REAFFIRM GAY MARRIAGE PROTECTNS ON 2024 BALLOT

“I have a ne-year-old son, whom I am que certa is gay, ” she told , as tears also streamed om her ey.

Speakg up about assumptns people ma about him, Mason Temple wrote, "People had always eher A: assumed I'm straight bee they had observed me datg femal or B: assumed I'm gay bee ( high school) I was a skny, Asian (therefore feme the ppls ey), theatre kid who also ed to tap dance and don't play hockey so I obvly mt be gay. Below, we've llected ceremoni, some officially sanctned, some wrten by the uple, that have been ed to bls gay unns different fahs.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY TEMPLE MARRIAGE

UMC pastors panel says gay weddgs won't never be mandatory | Church & Mistri News .

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