Sealing Latter Day SaintsEdit

Sealing is a distinctive temple ordinance in the Latter Day Saint movement, central to the belief in eternal families and the idea that relationships forged on earth can persist beyond mortality. In practical terms, a sealing is a blessing in which individuals—often a couple and their children—are bound together by covenant for time and all eternity rather than merely for this life. The rite is conducted in temples by authorized priesthood holders and is surrounded by a body of doctrine about priesthood authority, eternal covenants, and the family as a fundamental unit of salvation. The practice has evolved through the movement’s history, reflecting both theological development and the organization’s responses to social and legal change. Temple (Latter Day Saints) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints eternal marriage

Sealing as a defining feature of temple worship - What sealing aims to accomplish: The core idea behind sealing is that relationships established on earth can endure after death if performed under the church’s priesthood authority. A married couple seated by the sealing ordinance is said to be bound together for eternity, with the possibility of continuing family ties across generations. Children can also be sealed to parents, creating an eternal family unit. This doctrine reinforces a particular view of marriage as a covenant with spiritual significance beyond domestic life. Eternal life Eternal marriage - How sealings are carried out: Sealings are administered by temple priests or other authorized priesthood holders who have the authority to perform temple ordinances. The process typically involves a pairing of spouses (and, if applicable, their children) who have met the church’s standards for temple attendance and participation. Genealogical work often precedes sealings to identify family relationships and ensure the proper lineage is joined. Genealogy Temple ceremony - Distinction from other rites: Sealing is distinct from ceremonies centered on personal faith or missionary activity. It is part of a larger temple program that also includes endowment rites and other covenants. The sealing is specifically about familial eternity and the authority the church claims to hold to bind families beyond mortality. Temple ordinance Endowment (Latter Day Saints)

Historical development and policy shifts - Origins and early theology: The concept of sealing emerged in the early years of the Latter Day Saint restoration, framed by the belief that priesthood authority and temple ordinances enable an eternal family connection. The sealing power is linked to the broader claim of restored priesthood authority and the possibility of posthumous blessings for ancestors. Restoration (Latter Day Saints) Priesthood - Polygamy era and its end: In the 19th century, plural marriage was practiced by some members and was tied to temple sealings in a time-bound sense. As social and legal pressures grew, church leadership explicitly moved to end plural marriages in the late 19th century. The formal 1890 declaration renounced polygamy as a practice, and subsequent policy clarifications constrained sealings to monogamous marriages and the ensuing generations. This history remains a central point of controversy and analysis for scholars and critics, who note a difficult period in which the church’s teachings and actions diverged from contemporary social norms. Manifesto (Latter Day Saints) Polygamy (Latter Day Saints) - Modern practice and governance: Today, sealings are conducted within temples for couples and other family units that meet the church’s standards for temple participation. The church emphasizes ongoing pastoral guidance for members navigating family life and eternal covenants, while maintaining a framework that restricts sacred ordinances to those who are deemed in good standing by local and general church leadership. The overall approach reflects a balance between reverence for traditional family structure and the church’s evolving institutional policies. Church discipline Temple (Latter Day Saints)

Controversies, debates, and defenses - Historical controversy over polygamy: The era of polygamy is the most widely discussed chapter in the history of sealing. Critics point to the way some sealings were tied to plural marriages and to the social consequences for women and children involved. Supporters of the conservative reading of history emphasize that the church later repudiated polygamy, sought to rectify past practices, and reaffirmed a monogamous framework for sealings in the modern era. They contend that the church’s evolution reflects a commitment to aligning doctrine with prevailing civil norms while preserving core theological commitments about eternal families. Manifesto (Latter Day Saints) - Gender roles and priesthood: A live debate in contemporary discussions about sealing revolves around gender and the priesthood. Some critics argue that the structure of temple authority and the gendered organization of temple work reflects unequal dynamics. Proponents, however, view the priesthood and related temple roles as part of a divinely ordered framework that assigns certain religious responsibilities to men while recognizing distinct, meaningful spiritual paths for women within temple life. They argue that the family-centered doctrine of sealing remains a cornerstone of religious liberty and cultural continuity for adherents. Priesthood (Latter Day Saints) - Religious liberty and civil society: From a broad civil-liberties perspective, supporters of sealing emphasize that religious communities have the right to maintain sacred practices within their own religious framework, so long as they do not coerce others or violate public law. Critics may claim that exclusive temple rites discriminate against non-members or dissenters; defenders respond that sealing ordinances are private religious practices performed within a church’s own houses of worship, not state enterprises, and should be protected as part of freedom of religious exercise. This tension is part of the ongoing conversation about how plural societies accommodate deeply held religious beliefs alongside plural moral viewpoints. Freedom of religion - Woke critiques and why some see them as misguided: Critics of traditional sealing practices sometimes argue that it enshrines inequalities or privileges a specific family model. A conservative counterpoint stresses that religious doctrines are claims about ultimate meaning not easily judged by secular egalitarian criteria. The protection of religious conscience, the integrity of voluntary covenantal life, and the historical experience of families who find meaning in eternal bonds are presented as legitimate, deeply rooted values that should not be dismissed as mere social preference. In this framing, criticisms that rely on contemporary political orthodoxy are seen as missing the stakes of religious liberty and the distinct nature of covenantal salvation. Religious liberty

Terminology and related topics - Sealings and family life: Sealing is tightly linked with the broader concept of the family as an eternal unit and with the church’s emphasis on genealogical work and lineage. These ideas shape the way adherents understand kinship, inheritance, and the possibility of continuity beyond death. Eternal family Genealogy - Associated temple practices: The sealing ordinance is part of a larger temple program that includes endowment and related covenants. Understanding sealing requires viewing it within the full temple framework and the religious authority claimed by the church. Endowment (Latter Day Saints) - Historical milestones: Important moments in sealing history include the emergence of temple worship, the shift away from polygamy, and later clarifications that reinforce monogamous sealing practices. These milestones are often discussed in the context of broader church history and religious reform. Church history

See also - Temple (Latter Day Saints) - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Sealing (Latter Day Saints) - Eternal marriage - Polygamy (Latter Day Saints) - Manifesto (Latter Day Saints) - Genealogy

Note: This article presents sealing from a framework that emphasizes church teachings about eternal families, religious liberty, and historical development, while acknowledging the controversies and debates surrounding the practice. The discussion aims to illuminate how adherents understand sealings today and why these rites remain meaningful within their religious tradition.