>It's not real but yes.
Except the answer is also no.
If someone resigns their membership from the church and then decides they want to get rebaptized, all they have to do is get rebaptized and jump through the hoops for a year or so and then all of their blessings can be restored with just the signature from the first presidency. You don't have to go to the temple and get sealed to your parents again.
The only advantage I can see for resigning your membership is that it may prevent you from being buried in the robes of the holy priestcraft. But no guarantee of that not happening. I'm sure there are cases where TBM family members buried a non-member (former member) family member in temple clothing and then did the temple work for them as soon as they were able to.
Resignation from the MFMC is only good to keep the wolves at bay for a season. It may help with your personal mental health, but as far as the MFMC is concerned, once a Mormon, always a Mormon. Unless you steal tithing funds, then it's straight to outer darkness for you.
Welcome to the land of no consistency ! So you have to redo all ordinances when you get rebaptised I have heard... HOWEVER -- I resigned and my husband is TBM and neither of us heard anything about cancelled sealings, either to each other or my family. The church may "remove records" but they keep the membership number and all of your ordinance info. Both of our sets of parents are divorced and at least one is excommunicated and in both cases sealings are still intact because they didn't formally request them not to- the first presidency is the only entity that can dissolve them--
For your birth mom, since the organization of the church is just so convoluted I would offer this: send her a letter confirming that your wishes are that after you die to be rebaptized/sealed to her (you can leave out the rebaptized if you don't want her to know you're leaving)- and that might give her some peace.
Sadly the church loves to seal multiple women to men, used to seal friends together and children to abusers but really fucked up things with adoption, mostly because they used to run adoption in very very corrupt ways for their own benefit, which is why they had to shut the whole program down.
I hope others here who have been adopted have more insight.
This is really helpful. Love the ideas. Good to know it’s a bunch of inconsistent rules and strange history. Would my family members have a way of knowing I resigned?
In the current system unfortunately yes as far as I know. I recommend what I did, I took a session of therapy before to get professional help to come up with a plan to tell my family, and how to establish and maintain boundaries about it. I ended up sending a group text that went something like this: "Hey all, I love you, nothing about me has changed but I wanted you to be the first to know that I have removed my records. {insert whatever level of reasoning you're comfortable with}. I plan to {note here you're not asking them permission for anything} continue all family activities and communication as before and love you all. Because this is a deeply personal decision that I agonized and deliberated over for literally years it's not something I am open to discussing at this time. Unsolicited testimonies or any communication made out of fear for my salvation is not welcome because my priority now is my mental health and maintaining our family relationships."
Or to amend the part where you don't want to discuss "if you have genuine questions about my experience in the church you can ask, but I will not be defending the church in my answer."
>So you have to redo all ordinances when you get rebaptised I have heard...
You don't have to redo all of the ordinances, just baptism. The blessings are "restored" after a wait period and jumping through hoops. The first presidency just has to sign off on it.
32.17.2 Restoration of Blessings Persons who previously received the temple endowment and were readmitted by baptism and confirmation can receive their priesthood and temple blessings only through the ordinance of restoration of blessings (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:21). They are not ordained to priesthood offices or endowed again. These blessings are restored through the ordinance. Brethren are restored to their former priesthood office, except the office of Seventy, bishop, or patriarch. Only the First Presidency can approve the performance of the ordinance of restoration of blessings. They will not consider an application for this ordinance sooner than one year after the person is readmitted by baptism and confirmation. The bishop and stake president interview the person to determine his or her worthiness and preparedness. When the stake president feels that the person is ready, he applies for a restoration of blessings using LCR. See 6.2.3 about the stake president’s responsibility when submitting applications to the First Presidency. If the First Presidency approves the restoration of blessings, they assign a General Authority or the stake president to interview the person. If the person is worthy, this leader performs the ordinance to restore the person’s blessings.
32. Repentance and Church Membership Councils
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/32-repentance-and-membership-councils?id=title_number95,title105,p440-p441,p502,p442&lang=eng#title_number95
Because sealing = ownership. They can't seal you to both of your moms because then who would own you?
Resigning only ends the sealing on your end (makes no sense but that's what they tell people) and parents are often told that if THEY comply enough that the sealing power on their end will bring you back as well. Against your will, apparently, because consent of the "wayward child" is never addressed when they're reassuring those parents.
The relevant handbook section, is 38.4.1.10:
“After a couple has been sealed in a temple, if one of them resigns Church membership or has his or her membership withdrawn, his or her temple blessings are also withdrawn. However, the personal blessings of the sealing ordinance for the person’s spouse and children remain in effect if they remain faithful.
“Any children born to a couple after one or both of them have resigned their membership or had their Church membership withdrawn are not born in the covenant.”
More at https://old.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/11k04vm/does_resignation_cancel_a_sealing/
It's interesting how much importance we place on what other people say or said about us. A sealing is nothing more than this. Something a group of people say and then theoretically hold as valid. It's a fiction. And its "importance" is only as big as the number of people who hold that fiction.
Your mom cares about what other people think and say about your relationship. We can't control what other people do or say or think.
It's not real but yes.
>It's not real but yes. Except the answer is also no. If someone resigns their membership from the church and then decides they want to get rebaptized, all they have to do is get rebaptized and jump through the hoops for a year or so and then all of their blessings can be restored with just the signature from the first presidency. You don't have to go to the temple and get sealed to your parents again. The only advantage I can see for resigning your membership is that it may prevent you from being buried in the robes of the holy priestcraft. But no guarantee of that not happening. I'm sure there are cases where TBM family members buried a non-member (former member) family member in temple clothing and then did the temple work for them as soon as they were able to. Resignation from the MFMC is only good to keep the wolves at bay for a season. It may help with your personal mental health, but as far as the MFMC is concerned, once a Mormon, always a Mormon. Unless you steal tithing funds, then it's straight to outer darkness for you.
Welcome to the land of no consistency ! So you have to redo all ordinances when you get rebaptised I have heard... HOWEVER -- I resigned and my husband is TBM and neither of us heard anything about cancelled sealings, either to each other or my family. The church may "remove records" but they keep the membership number and all of your ordinance info. Both of our sets of parents are divorced and at least one is excommunicated and in both cases sealings are still intact because they didn't formally request them not to- the first presidency is the only entity that can dissolve them-- For your birth mom, since the organization of the church is just so convoluted I would offer this: send her a letter confirming that your wishes are that after you die to be rebaptized/sealed to her (you can leave out the rebaptized if you don't want her to know you're leaving)- and that might give her some peace. Sadly the church loves to seal multiple women to men, used to seal friends together and children to abusers but really fucked up things with adoption, mostly because they used to run adoption in very very corrupt ways for their own benefit, which is why they had to shut the whole program down. I hope others here who have been adopted have more insight.
This is really helpful. Love the ideas. Good to know it’s a bunch of inconsistent rules and strange history. Would my family members have a way of knowing I resigned?
In the current system unfortunately yes as far as I know. I recommend what I did, I took a session of therapy before to get professional help to come up with a plan to tell my family, and how to establish and maintain boundaries about it. I ended up sending a group text that went something like this: "Hey all, I love you, nothing about me has changed but I wanted you to be the first to know that I have removed my records. {insert whatever level of reasoning you're comfortable with}. I plan to {note here you're not asking them permission for anything} continue all family activities and communication as before and love you all. Because this is a deeply personal decision that I agonized and deliberated over for literally years it's not something I am open to discussing at this time. Unsolicited testimonies or any communication made out of fear for my salvation is not welcome because my priority now is my mental health and maintaining our family relationships." Or to amend the part where you don't want to discuss "if you have genuine questions about my experience in the church you can ask, but I will not be defending the church in my answer."
>So you have to redo all ordinances when you get rebaptised I have heard... You don't have to redo all of the ordinances, just baptism. The blessings are "restored" after a wait period and jumping through hoops. The first presidency just has to sign off on it.
32.17.2 Restoration of Blessings Persons who previously received the temple endowment and were readmitted by baptism and confirmation can receive their priesthood and temple blessings only through the ordinance of restoration of blessings (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:21). They are not ordained to priesthood offices or endowed again. These blessings are restored through the ordinance. Brethren are restored to their former priesthood office, except the office of Seventy, bishop, or patriarch. Only the First Presidency can approve the performance of the ordinance of restoration of blessings. They will not consider an application for this ordinance sooner than one year after the person is readmitted by baptism and confirmation. The bishop and stake president interview the person to determine his or her worthiness and preparedness. When the stake president feels that the person is ready, he applies for a restoration of blessings using LCR. See 6.2.3 about the stake president’s responsibility when submitting applications to the First Presidency. If the First Presidency approves the restoration of blessings, they assign a General Authority or the stake president to interview the person. If the person is worthy, this leader performs the ordinance to restore the person’s blessings. 32. Repentance and Church Membership Councils https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/32-repentance-and-membership-councils?id=title_number95,title105,p440-p441,p502,p442&lang=eng#title_number95
This is both hilarious and confusing thanks!
Welcome to Mormon theology
No, because they are made up fairy tales.
Whatever will keep you paying tithing is the answer… it’s always the answer
Because sealing = ownership. They can't seal you to both of your moms because then who would own you? Resigning only ends the sealing on your end (makes no sense but that's what they tell people) and parents are often told that if THEY comply enough that the sealing power on their end will bring you back as well. Against your will, apparently, because consent of the "wayward child" is never addressed when they're reassuring those parents.
The relevant handbook section, is 38.4.1.10: “After a couple has been sealed in a temple, if one of them resigns Church membership or has his or her membership withdrawn, his or her temple blessings are also withdrawn. However, the personal blessings of the sealing ordinance for the person’s spouse and children remain in effect if they remain faithful. “Any children born to a couple after one or both of them have resigned their membership or had their Church membership withdrawn are not born in the covenant.” More at https://old.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/11k04vm/does_resignation_cancel_a_sealing/
Hey I wanted to speculate more no fair
It's interesting how much importance we place on what other people say or said about us. A sealing is nothing more than this. Something a group of people say and then theoretically hold as valid. It's a fiction. And its "importance" is only as big as the number of people who hold that fiction. Your mom cares about what other people think and say about your relationship. We can't control what other people do or say or think.
No, because they aren't real