Today, the church teaches that all marriages must be performed in the temple in order to have exaltation. Despite the fact that today 'exaltation' is said to mean to be with God, the Doctrine and Covenants explicitly states that exaltation means to become a god with all power and dominion.

Since the abandoning of Polygamy (plurality of wives) the church has claimed that 'celestial marriage' is simply to be married and sealed in the temple. Most people believe that this is true. The church uses this to enforce its will upon the membership by claiming that they will lose their eternal family if they are disobedient or is they leave the faith.

A carefull reading of section 132 clearly states that plurality of wives is the ONLY way to secure an eternal life, exaltation and to become a god. This is why we have Fundamentalist Mormons. This is also why it is not a valid tool of coercion! Every Priesthood leader who tells you that you are losing your eternal family has already lost his unless he gets sealed to at least one additional wife during his life time.

Today the church will tell you that this is no longer in effect. The Official Declaration 1 clearly states that it is a political move to discontinue the practice and teaching of plurality of wives. It also provides excerpts of sermons that claim the Lord showed exactly the consequences if the practice was not stopped. And so it has stopped as far as the living.

HOWEVER- there was no revelation given, nor voted upon and canonized that changed the rules of Celestial Marriage and Exaltation. Therefore, if the revelation given in 132 is true, then the church is unable to provide the salvation and exaltation it promises. Its threats are empty, its teachings are moot.

Further, if the practice is suspended for the time being, then all who have lived since OD-1 was given have lost their promise.

Much is said about the church being true IF the Book of Mormon is true, but in reality the most important claims of divine authority lie within the contents of D&C 132. Were it not so, the lord would have had it ammended in scriptural form, instead of a mere suspension of the practice. The Law was never rescinded.

A few short but key verses from the Law of Exaltation and of becoming gods:

Doctrine and Covenants 132

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded 12 July 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant, and also the plurality of wives (see History of the Church, 5:501–7). Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.

1 - Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines—

2 - Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.

3 - Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.

4 - For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.

17 - For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

19 - And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

AND THE PROMISE---

20 - Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.

63 - But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.
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So the next time that a Priesthood leader or family member condemns you or tries to frighten you regarding your eternal family or your living with God in the Celestial Kingdom, remind them that unless he the Priesthood holder lives longer than his wife and is sealed, he too will forfeit the promise, and the same for the women in our lives who hold these threats over our heads- unless she die before her husband and he is sealed in his lifetime, she too will lose out.

Let's review verse 17 again--For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

If D&C 132 is true doctrine, then you must leave the LDS church and become a Fundamentalist or be damned.

If D&C is not binding as it is written, then you can walk away with a clear conscience and without fear, for the promise is false.

Oh my gosh JoD! Have you been reading for comprehensions sake again?

Great post.

Looking back I find that it was my lack of interest because we just knew that it was all true therefore one could be utterly lazy when it came to reading the scriptures with a critical eye.

When I started reading for comprehension that’s when I started to see things I had never seen in the texts before. They were always there staring you right in the face, but because of the “it is all true so why should I try to find flaws” thinking, coupled with the “faithful omission” presentation you never picked up on the plethora of issues that are blatantly obvious.

I mean come on! Emma’s supposed free agency, the thing we fought a war over and won, yet in D&C132 gets completely destroyed. According to the theology even God cannot do that. I am still bonking my head against the wall asking myself how it was possible that I never saw that before.

Well I was blinded by my own, taught to me by the church, ignorant arrogance, because when you have the “Truth” then what’s the point of questioning or finding truth elsewhere? It’s all good. Let’s go home and have dinner.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2011 12:51PM by AmIDarkNow?.

"...When I started reading for comprehension that’s when I started to see things I had never seen in the texts before. They were always there staring you right in the face, but because of the “it is all true so why should I try to find flaws” thinking, coupled with the “faithful omission” presentation you never picked up on the plethora of issues that are blatantly obvious..."
Yes, and it was also because our study was done following church guides (Seminary, Institute student manuel, etc). The thing that got me on the internet is taking the d&c institute manual opening it at random (during a pause in dusting my bookcase) and ending up on the explanation of the section when "the lord wants to chastise his people for not having started the building up of his house of prayer, order, etc. aka temple, only 6 months after the revelation of asking them to build it". That was a WTF? moment. And I wondered how come I had not realized that before. Suddenly, I saw that 'the lord' of d&c was exactly like 'the god' in OT'. And I never liked the 'god in OT'. Which brought me on the internet, which brought me on Bob McCue's page, which brought me eventualy to RfM... ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2012 12:48PM by quebec.

Frankly this is why I believe that Brigham Young wrote a huge part of that revelation.

JoD3:360 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If D&C 132 is true doctrine, then you must leave
> the LDS church and become a Fundamentalist or be
> damned.

Upon further considerations, I'll be damned.

Excellent post

63 - But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.


I hadn't caught this before either. Does this mean that the women who married again after Smith's death have "committed adultery, and shall be destroyed."?

Good topic as always, JoD3

That's a good question. As we know, after Joseph And Hyrum died many of their wives were taken by and given to the other leaders, especially once they left Nauvoo.

Of course the main point of this verse is that once you've been claimed by a Priesthood holder (who has been given permission to take you to wife) you are not free to be with any other man, including your fiance. Should you refuse to give yourself to the Priesthood in a polygamous marriage you will be destroyed, for it is your duty to accomodate the brethren.

I think it's there to keep plural wives from leaving their polygamous husband and/or ditching the Principle. "We gotcha now, Sweetie. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"

According to D&C 132, if she is sealed to a widower who is sealed to his first wife, then she hath committed adultery. If she remarries but to a nonsealed man, then it's all peachy.

Current prophet cancels out past prophet, even of the old prophet was quoting God. Mere detail, not relevant.

Okay, steer me again. Where in 132 does it state that a plurality of wives is necessary to receive exaltation? I've always had to piece together other prophetic statements to clear this up. I can't see in 132 alone where it says that.

Ron

A quick look at Van Wagoners “Mormon Polygamy” page 56 tells us that “Salvation became a family affair revolving around a husband whose plural wives and children were sealed to him for eternity under the “New and Everlasting Covenant”.

Many authors, Buerger, Compton, George D. Smith agree that the phrase New and Everlasting Covenant was Josephs code word for plural marriage.

I'm doing a lot of study to connect the dots with polygamy and the endowmment so this is a very interesting thread to me.

are you one of them ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LA_Eusla4o

One of what- a polygamist?

Not hardly.

I agree with you JoD3:360!

D&C 132 is a mess. Clearly its not true, which makes JS a false prophet or at the very least, a fallen prophet.

If D&C 132 were true, then why exactly was this divine law "taken" away? This was never exactly explained, nor was it explain how those at that time living it were now supposed to unlive it. You can't get a little pregnant...

Yet if you try to live plural marriage now, you get excommunicated.

BUT, its still on the books...

Another example of the church trying to have it both ways.

If ANYONE should understand persecution for trying to marry in an alternative fashion, it is the mormon church.

So why can't they understand gay/lesbian marriage???

It was never taken away. It was "advice"
D&C Official Declaration 2: "And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land."

advice like the wow. depends on how they want to use it to persecute the sheep.

more Kittens.

Great post, thanks for sharing! :)

132 verse 17 would be an explicit statement of the necessity of plural marriage in the new and everlasting covenant, IF it referred to couples sealed for eternity by the priesthood.

I wish it did, but it doesn't. It refers only to those couples who marry for time only, and so can not be used to demonstrate the requirement of the covenant and sealing of plural marriage, for exaltation.

Many many years ago, as a young RM, I had this question. I asked the bishop, who referred me to the Stk Prez, who after a week of study, gave me this answer:

D&C 124:49 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.

And that the doctrine while true, is not to be practiced in mortality. Thus, we get to have our cake, and still be accepted by the lord eating it too.

New international version of D&C 132.

Back ground: Jesus speaking


verse 1-60 something

"harken to joseph smith you bitch, or i will kill you."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2012 05:30PM by templenameaaron.

Are we in agreement that 132 has had the Q guys/FP's knickers in a Twist as to application/instruction/ 'interpretation'?


but Wait: ALL the ambiguous, obfuscatory scriptures Can't be interpreted - understood by saints Unless they're 'enlightened'.

So, that's the reason NO Scripture gives life; 'they are testimonies of me'.