The Law of Adoption - Sealing Men To Men

[ALarson]

I was reading today about the history and info regarding sealings in the church and came upon a section regarding when the church practiced the "Law of Adoption" (the sealing of men to men as sons and Fathers).  

JLHPROF (or anyone), I hope you can answer a couple of questions that came to mind as this seems to have been practiced quite a bit and involved a large number of men (relatively speaking) starting before Joseph Smith's death. 

Brigham Young called it a "great and glorious doctrine".

Here are a couple of my questions:

- Who was the Mother in the sealing (since one man was the Father and the other man the son....sometimes the son was even older than the Father).  What woman ("Mother") was the son sealed to especially if the Father was a practicing polygamist?

- And, why was this necessary if there was temple work done for the dead and the man could have been sealed to his own Father and done the temple work for his Father if he was deceased? 

I have a lot of quotes from Brigham Young and other church leaders on this law, but I initially have these 2 questions.

.

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2016 by ALarson

[The Nehor]

1. There appears to have been no mother.

2. Don't know.

In any case the Law of Adoption ended for a time. The idea behind it was to form a chain back to Adam of priesthood authority and proxy father/son relationships. This will survive in the eternities when those parts of the family tree that do not qualify for that glory are cut out and corrections made to complete that chain. It was done away in this life partially because there was a grasping for status as elders sought to be sealed to the "highest ranking" person they could and adopted sons would squabble and yada yada. Basically the same problem Jesus faced when the mother of James and John wanted to make sure her children got special seats in the coming Kingdom.

I think in this life it was helpful for a lot of adult converts cut off from their families who showed up in Utah to get a surrogate father.

Wilford Woodruff said:
 

Quote

 

We have not fully carried out those principles in fulfillment of the revelations of God to us, in sealing the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. I have not felt satisfied, neither did President Taylor, neither has any man since the Prophet Joseph who has attended to the ordinance of adoption in the temples of our God.  We have felt that there was more to be revealed upon this subject than we had received.... I have prayed over this matter, and my brethren have. We have felt, as President Taylor said, that we have got to have more  revelation  concerning sealing under the law of adoption. Well, what are these changes? One of them is the principle of adoption. In the commencement of adopting men and women in the Temple at Nauvoo, a great many persons were adopted to different men who were not of the lineage of their fathers, and there was a spirit manifested by some in that work that was not of God.... President Young was not satisfied in his mind with regard to the extent of this matter;  President Taylor was not.

When I went before the Lord to know who I should be adopted to (we were then being adopted to prophets and apostles), the Spirit of God said to me, “Have you not a father, who begot you?”  “Yes, I have.”  “Then why not honor him?  Why not be adopted to him?”  “Yes,” says I, “that is right.”  I was adopted to my father, and should have had my father sealed to his father, and so on back; and the duty that I want every man who presides over a temple to see performed from this day henceforth and forever, unless the Lord Almighty commands otherwise, is, let every man be adopted to his father. When a man receives the endowments, adopt him to his father; not to Wilford Woodruff, nor to any other man outside the lineage of his fathers. That is the will of God to this people. I want all men who preside over these temples in these mountains of Israel to bear this in mind. What business have I to take away the rights of the lineage of any man? What right has any man to do this? No; I say let every man be adopted to his father; and then you will do exactly what God said when he declared he would send Elijah the prophet in the last days. Elijah the prophet appeared unto Joseph Smith and told him that the day had come when this principle must be carried out. Joseph Smith did not live long enough to enter any further upon these things. His soul was wound up with this work before he was martyred for the word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ. He told us that there must be a welding link of all dispensations and of the work of God from one generation to another. This was upon his mind more than most any other subject that was given to him.

 

That law has stood ever since as it is explicitly revelation.

[ALarson]

13 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

1. There appears to have been no mother.

So, they are eternally sealed to a Father but not to a Mother?  

I wonder how many of these sealings are still in place from back then (I actually don't know how they would have been removed or cleared unless a sealing cancellation was recorded).  

 

[Guest]

I was adopted and sealed to my adopted father...one day most all of mankind, if not all will be sealed as one human family. The only question will they choose to accept it. 

[ALarson]

7 minutes ago, Pa Pa said:

I was adopted and sealed to my adopted father...one day most all of mankind, if not all will be sealed as one human family. The only question will they choose to accept it. 

And, I imagine you were also sealed to your "adopted Mother", correct?  

The "Law of Adoption" was different than those who are sealed to adoptive parents today.  (And I think your experience is wonderful....my own Father was adopted into a wonderful family.)

[Guest]

Just now, ALarson said:

And, I imagine you were also sealed to your "adopted Mother", correct?  

The "Law of Adoption" was different than those who are sealed to adoptive parents today.  (And I think your experience is wonderful....my own Father was adopted into a wonderful family.)

No...bio-mother and step-father adopted me. 

[ALarson]

1 minute ago, Pa Pa said:

No...bio-mother and step-father adopted me. 

Oh...ok.  Got it.  So you were sealed to both of them  

[Duncan]

I am under the understanding that they stopped doing this when Pres. Woodruff had his April? 1894 revelation and now it was to be sealed as couples and the way it is now. 

[Calm]

If you haven't read them already:

http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_polygamy/The_Law_of_Adoption

http://scottwoodward.org/adoptionintofamilyofGod.html (this has several pages of references that are useful, his commentary is pretty limited)

http://scottwoodward.org/Talks/html/Woodruff,%20Wilford/WoodruffW_LawOfAdoption.html

[ALarson]

3 minutes ago, Duncan said:

I am under the understanding that they stopped doing this when Pres. Woodruff had his April? 1894 revelation and now it was to be sealed as couples and the way it is now. 

Yes, I know that it ended.  But what about all those sealed to Fathers (and apparently no Mothers)?  Was this corrected or is this still how the sealings stand?

Here is what Wilford Woodruff recorded in his daily journals (just to give an idea of numbers)...

- (From the Wilford Woodruff Journals, Vol. 9, page 408):

"I officiated in Adopting 96 Men to Men."

- (From Vol. 8, page 352):

"I had 45 Persons Persons Adopted to me."

 

[CV75]

52 minutes ago, ALarson said:

I was reading today about the history and info regarding sealings in the church and came upon a section regarding when the church practiced the "Law of Adoption" (the sealing of men to men as sons and Fathers).

The sealing power can be exercised in many legitimate ways for their respective legitimate purposes to ultimately tie us into the relationships enjoyed in the Church of the Firstborn. Taboo relationships (e.g. the erotic emotional and sexual union of the same sex) are obviously not part of the Lord's Plan and are not legitimate.

[Duncan]

3 minutes ago, ALarson said:

Yes, I know that it ended.  But what about all those sealed to Fathers (and apparently no Mothers)?  Was this corrected or is this still how the sealings stand?

Here is what Wilford Woodruff recorded in his daily journals (just to give an idea of numbers)...

- (From the Wilford Woodruff Journals, Vol. 9, page 408):

"I officiated in Adopting 96 Men to Men."

- (From Vol. 8, page 352):

"I had 45 Persons Persons Adopted to me."

 

i'd imagine it would stand in the next life just as folks who practiced the law of moses did that stuff and then were brought to a new understanding with the gospel, they just built on to it

[ALarson]

6 minutes ago, CV75 said:

The sealing power can be exercised in many legitimate ways for their respective legitimate purposes to ultimately tie us into the relationships enjoyed in the Church of the Firstborn. Taboo relationships (e.g. the erotic emotional and sexual union of the same sex) are obviously not part of the Lord's Plan and are not legitimate.

But sealing men to men for eternity (as Father & Son, but with no Mother) is part of the Lord's Plan?

The Law of Adoption as it was practiced (and believed to be doctrine) involved no sealing to a Mother (possibly).  Men were sealed to other men (eternal son and Father sealing).  I'm still waiting to see if JLHPROF has more info regarding my question.  But, who is their eternal Mother?  Was that a part of the sealing?

Edited March 2, 2016 by ALarson

[Duncan]

7 minutes ago, ALarson said:

But sealing men to men for eternity (as Father & Son, but with no Mother) is part of the Lord's Plan?

The Law of Adoption as it was practiced (and believed to be doctrine) involved no sealing to a Mother (possibly).  Men were sealed to other men (eternal son and Father sealing).  I'm still waiting to see if JLHPROF has more info regarding my question.  But, who is their eternal Mother?  Was that a part of the sealing?

I don't think it was part of it, the man who other men were sealed to were like godfathers too, just someone to look out for them but the practice kind of fell apart after awhile and then it ended in 1894-I just read a book that included it, Wilford Woodruff and the Development of Temple Doctrine

[ALarson]

3 minutes ago, Duncan said:

I don't think it was part of it, the man who other men were sealed to were like godfathers too, just someone to look out for them but the practice kind of fell apart after awhile and then it ended in 1894-I just read a book that included it, Wilford Woodruff and the Development of Temple Doctrine

I have been reading more about it today too and it is interesting to study.  It seems to have caused some problems and contention (fighting over who would be the Father vs. the son, etc.).

I just wonder who these men are sealed to now (for their Father) and in the sealing records of the church.  And who is the woman they are sealed to for their Mother?

Or were they sealed to 2 Fathers (one with a Mother and one without)?

.

Edited March 2, 2016 by ALarson

[JLHPROF]

1 hour ago, ALarson said:

I was reading today about the history and info regarding sealings in the church and came upon a section regarding when the church practiced the "Law of Adoption" (the sealing of men to men as sons and Fathers).  

JLHPROF (or anyone), I hope you can answer a couple of questions that came to mind as this seems to have been practiced quite a bit and involved a large number of men (relatively speaking) starting before Joseph Smith's death. 

Brigham Young called it a "great and glorious doctrine".

Here are a couple of my questions:

- Who was the Mother in the sealing (since one man was the Father and the other man the son....sometimes the son was even older than the Father).  What woman ("Mother") was the son sealed to especially if the Father was a practicing polygamist?

- And, why was this necessary if there was temple work done for the dead and the man could have been sealed to his own Father and done the temple work for his Father if he was deceased? 

I have a lot of quotes from Brigham Young and other church leaders on this law, but I initially have these 2 questions.

.

 

 

 

1. Adoption sealings just like child sealings were to a Father and Mother.  Generally a specific wife (since this was during polygamy).
Nauvoo temple records back this up.

2. This was considered necessary as part of the Patriarchal order of families and the assumed idea that men who received a higher exaltation could not be sealed to men that received a lower exaltation.

I can try and find teachings to back this up, but wanted to respond before the thread exploded.

Edited March 2, 2016 by JLHPROF

[ALarson]

13 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

1. Adoption sealings just like child sealings were to a Father and Mother.  Generally a specific wife (since this was during polygamy).
Nauvoo temple records back this up.

2. This was considered necessary as part of the Patriarchal order of families and the assumed idea that men who received a higher exaltation could not be sealed to men that received a lower exaltation.

I can try and find teachings to back this up, but wanted to respond.

Thanks (I knew you'd have the answers  )

I'm reading more about the teachings, so it's fine if you don't want to dig up anything.  Those were my main questions....

I'm glad to hear there are records of who the Mother was involved in the sealings.

(Are there records for those sealings that took place after Nauvoo for who the Mothers were, do you know?) 

.

Edited March 2, 2016 by ALarson

[ALarson]

42 minutes ago, Calm said:

If you haven't read them already:

http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_polygamy/The_Law_of_Adoption

http://scottwoodward.org/adoptionintofamilyofGod.html (this has several pages of references that are useful, his commentary is pretty limited)

http://scottwoodward.org/Talks/html/Woodruff,%20Wilford/WoodruffW_LawOfAdoption.html

Thanks Calm!  I read the fairmormon link today, but will look at the other two.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, ALarson said:

Oh...ok.  Got it.  So you were sealed to both of them  

In fact my bio-father married another woman while married to my mother, he was a bigamist. My last name used to be Nation, but a wonderful man married my mother after she divorced my bio-father, and my "Dad" adopted all three of us. The interesting thing was when I got my Pathrearchial Blessing ( hope I spelled that right) I was told that I was born to godly parents and he knew I was adopted and became a Lee. So my adopted father was meant to be. 

[CV75]

54 minutes ago, ALarson said:

But sealing men to men for eternity (as Father & Son, but with no Mother) is part of the Lord's Plan?

The Law of Adoption as it was practiced (and believed to be doctrine) involved no sealing to a Mother (possibly).  Men were sealed to other men (eternal son and Father sealing).  I'm still waiting to see if JLHPROF has more info regarding my question.  But, who is their eternal Mother?  Was that a part of the sealing?

It was certainly a practice, among others that have come and gone, that leads to inclusion in the Church of the Firstborn.

The law of adoption is a doctrine. The sealing practices involving this law can change, and did inasmuch as all applications (practices) were not understood. "By this [sealing] power men will be sealed to men back to Adam, completing and making perfect the chain of the Priesthood from this day to the winding up scene. …It is a great and glorious doctrine, but the reason I have not preached it in the midst of this people, is, I could not do it without turning so many of them to the Devil…" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, page 269)

As time went on and more light and knowledge was revealed on the subject, the sealing (entailing in some cases adoption) practice was distilled into the marriage-based family structure we practice today. No big deal. It doesn't matter that men adopted sons and servants, etc. It all leads to the same place as long as the relationships are not taboo. All righteous relationships will evolve into a more godly expression.

Taboo relationships (e.g. the erotic emotional and sexual union of the same sex) are obviously not part of the Lord's Plan and cannot be sealed (see Brigham Young's quote above) For example, Brigham Young also said in the same breath: "I have known men that I positively think would fellowship the Devil, if he would agree to be sealed to them. 'Oh, be sealed to me, brother; I care not what you do. You may lie and steal, or anything else, I can put up with [and enjoy] all your meanness [taboos], if you will only be sealed to me.' Now this is not so much weakness as it is selfishness. ...Some would go to hell for the sake of getting the Devil [or a follower thereof] sealed to them."

Edited March 2, 2016 by CV75

[JLHPROF]

1 hour ago, JLHPROF said:

1. Adoption sealings just like child sealings were to a Father and Mother.  Generally a specific wife (since this was during polygamy).
Nauvoo temple records back this up.

 

1 hour ago, ALarson said:

I'm glad to hear there are records of who the Mother was involved in the sealings. (Are there records for those that took place after Nauvoo for who the Mothers were?) 

Yes I have them here:

Some names of note sealed to Brigham Young AND Miriam Works Young (with Mary Ann Angel standing proxy) on Jan 25 & Feb 1st by Heber C. Kimball:
- Philo Dibble
- Albert P. Rockwood
- John D. Lee
- William Weeks
- Israel Barlow

Some names of note sealed to John Taylor AND Leonora Cannon:
- George Q. Cannon (later cancelled)
- John Benbow

Some names of note sealed to Hyrum Smith AND Jerusha Barden:
- Howard Coray
- Robert B. Thompson
- Mercy Fielding Thompson

An interesting link - http://www.academia.edu/8858717/Sealing_and_Salvation_The_Law_of_Adoption_in_Early_Mormonism
Some interesting quotes from this article:

• In a departure from the customary practice of having adopted children sealed to a man's first wife Augusta Adams Young stood next to Brigham as the adoptive mother in the case of three adopted couples.
• Priesthood brethren were to seal themselves to their wives in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage.
  They must seal their living children to them.
  Additional children would be born in the covenant.
  Deceased non-member progenitors were to be adopted and sealed as children to their living descendants, who as "Saviors on Mount Zion" had gone into the temple and redeemed them through vicarious work for the dead.

Article also indicates that one record of John Bernheisel being adopted without a Mother participating is considered an anomaly, not the norm.

 

Edited March 2, 2016 by JLHPROF

[SeekingUnderstanding]

3 hours ago, ALarson said:

I was reading today about the history and info regarding sealings in the church and came upon a section regarding when the church practiced the "Law of Adoption" (the sealing of men to men as sons and Fathers).  

JLHPROF (or anyone), I hope you can answer a couple of questions that came to mind as this seems to have been practiced quite a bit and involved a large number of men (relatively speaking) starting before Joseph Smith's death. 

Brigham Young called it a "great and glorious doctrine".

Here are a couple of my questions:

- Who was the Mother in the sealing (since one man was the Father and the other man the son....sometimes the son was even older than the Father).  What woman ("Mother") was the son sealed to especially if the Father was a practicing polygamist?

- And, why was this necessary if there was temple work done for the dead and the man could have been sealed to his own Father and done the temple work for his Father if he was deceased? 

I have a lot of quotes from Brigham Young and other church leaders on this law, but I initially have these 2 questions.

.

 

 

 

As JLHPROF pointed out there was always a mother (with one exception I think in the Nauvoo period who was post humously sealed to Joseph but not a spouse). J Stapely wrote the definitive article on post Nauvoo sealings here: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1885588

Edited March 2, 2016 by SeekingUnderstanding

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, ALarson said:

Yes, I know that it ended.  But what about all those sealed to Fathers (and apparently no Mothers)?  Was this corrected or is this still how the sealings stand?

Probably still stand. One of those things God can either put the Holy Spirit of Promise on or annul after talking with the involved people. Doesn't involve us at this point.

38 minutes ago, CV75 said:

Taboo relationships (e.g. the erotic emotional and sexual union of the same sex) are obviously not part of the Lord's Plan and cannot be sealed (see Brigham Young's quote above) For example, Brigham Young also said in the same breath: "I have known men that I positively think would fellowship the Devil, if he would agree to be sealed to them. 'Oh, be sealed to me, brother; I care not what you do. You may lie and steal, or anything else, I can put up with [and enjoy] all your meanness [taboos], if you will only be sealed to me.' Now this is not so much weakness as it is selfishness. ...Some would go to hell for the sake of getting the Devil [or a follower thereof] sealed to them."

It is kind of creepy that one of our break-offs has taken what was meant to be a father-son type relationship and tried to argue that that is support of a sexually intimate union using that as a precedent.

[JLHPROF]

On a side note, do you know what one of the most out of context quotes in all of Mormonism is:

• Shortly after the Prophet Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young told of a dream in which Joseph visited and instructed him: “Joseph stepped toward us, and looking very earnestly, yet pleasantly, said: ‘Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the Kingdom. … Tell the brethren that if they will follow the spirit of the Lord, they will go right’”

The full story behind this vision and the guidance "what to do and where to go" is actually this:

• [After seeing Joseph Smith, exchanging pleasantries, and pleading to regain his sociality, Brigham Young spoke:] The brethren have a great anxiety to understand the law of adoption or sealing principles; and if you have a word of counsel for me I should be glad to receive it.

  Joseph stepped toward me, and looking very earnestly yet pleasantly said said “Tell the people to humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you ^them^ what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts’ and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build of the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the spirit of the Lord they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Gather in Heaven before they came into the world. Our Father in Heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion.”

  Joseph then showed me the pattern, how they were in the beginning. This I cannot describe, but I saw it, and saw where the Priesthood had been taken from the earth and how it must be joined together, so that there would be a perfect chain from Father Adam to his latest posterity. Joseph again said, “Tell the people to be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and follow it, and it will lead them just right.”[4]

So the practice of the Law of Adoption, even though revoked by a revelation to Wilford Woodruff in 1894, here is confirmed by revelation to Brigham Young.
So I place the Law of Adoption in place with Polygamy and Consecration - a valid law revealed from God but later revoked for the time being but a valid doctrine nonetheless.  It has deeper doctrine behind it than simply sealing to our own parents vs our priesthood heads.
The Grand Council at Adam-Ondi-Ahman will include a huge adoption ceremony of some sort too.

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, JLHPROF said:

So the practice of the Law of Adoption, even though revoked by a revelation to Wilford Woodruff in 1894, here is confirmed by revelation to Brigham Young.
So I place the Law of Adoption in place with Polygamy and Consecration - a valid law revealed from God but later revoked for the time being but a valid doctrine nonetheless.  It has deeper doctrine behind it than simply sealing to our own parents vs our priesthood heads.
The Grand Council at Adam-Ondi-Ahman will include a huge adoption ceremony of some sort too.

I agree and even have some vague suspicions about how it will all fall out but I suppose it is all for the future. I am sealed to my parents and I fully expect them to be exalted so I am okay. If there are other sealings to come and if husbands and wives can love multiple spouses then I can love more parents.

Also, if Joseph Smith is right my parents may get me a free pass to eternal glory. 

I am kidding.....mostly.