Do “mainstream” Mormons (Latter Day Saints) believe in polygamy in the afterlife?
If man can be sealed to his wife in the afterlife, I believe Jacob will be married to both Rachel and Leah. I believe today a widower sealed to a second wive will be married to both. I do not believe that a man has more than one wife to be happier, but rather to bring them happiness and blessings.
Within the ranks of Mormonism there is some speculation on this issue. I’ll share my opinion and my opinion only. In the afterlife, there will be some instances of polygamy. That said, most of the “weirdness” of polygamy comes from jealousy and physical relationships. When people have eternity to deal with, having enough time with your spouse isn’t really an issue. Only the righteous will be married, therefore only some of the righteous individuals will be in polygamous relationships. I don’t believe anyone will be forced to be in a polygamous relationship. Additionally, I don’t think there will be any unhappy or disgruntled people at that point. I think it falls into a category of things that we may have a difficult time understanding. Further, I think it may be similar to the law of consecration (communal living). I think it’s a more difficult law to obey and a higher way of living, however, when everyone is able to live it and live it right, everyone will be better as a result. Fran
Some of these answers make me laugh. The Mormons did NOT teach that polygamy was an abuse of women – quite the contrary. Nor is there a teaching that a man is limited to two wives in heaven. Polygamy was a blessing in early Utah when many women were widows with children, trying to live off of bare land, Indians were a threat, and there was a lack of forts or barricades for protection. Men who could afford it and were kind-hearted enough to do it would marry some of these women and care for them and their children. They did not live in communes, nor abuse the women. In many cases, the wives had their own homes separate from the husband and were grateful just to be provided for and watched over. The RLDS and FLDS are no part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The RLDS have changed their name to Community of Christ and finally stopped using the LDS name, and the polygamists of today are NOT Mormons (they are excommunicated or have never been members). They use the “LDS” n
I am an active member of the LDS church. Though we do not practice polygamy in the traditional sense, to argue that we do not believe in it at all, or that some will not practice in the “afterlife” is simply wrong. An immediate and well documented example of this are the marriages of Harold B. Lee. A former President of LDS church, Lee was sealed to two women. When his first wife, Fern Tanner, passed away, he married his second wife, Freda Jensen, in a temple sealing as well. Do we want to claim that one of these two women will not really be sealed to the man the love in the afterlife, after receiving the promise that they would in the temple? Of course not. While, the LDS church does not practice polygamy in the traditional sense (in this life), we do continue to seal multiple women to one man – for the afterlife – in the temple. And as has been shown in the biblical references above, God does permit, and even expect – when He commands it, for polygamy to be practiced under controlled
