Ann Romney banned her parents from her wedding ceremony.

[RandySF]

The Mormon Church forbids any non Mormon from entering its temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.

When Mitt Romney was married to Ann, his wife, she needed to be converted, but her parents were not allowed in the Mormon Temple for her marriage, and had to stay outside.



http://www.theprogressiveprofessor.com/?p=17473

[DCKit]

1. Please change your title to reflect what the OP actually says. nt

[Fumesucker]

2. Are you saying that Ann Romney didn't know her parents would not be allowed at her wedding?

[RandySF]

11. And there is a patter of how they treat non-Mormon loved ones.

First, her parents were disallowed from the ceremony. Then her atheist father was baptized into the LDS after he died.

[Fumesucker]

19. I just learned that a few minutes ago about the father..

That was despicable and shows a profound disrespect for her father, IMO.

[jberryhill]

27. Most Mormons can't go in the temple either

So a lot of loved ones who ARE Mormons can't attend sealing ceremonies either.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

13. Actually, by choosing to go into a place where they were not allowed, she effectively banned them

She should have denied going into that place and had her parents participate in the wedding fully.

[jberryhill]

25. Yes, but one can only get an eternal marriage by doing the temple thing

And, by the way, most Mormons can't go in a temple either.

[Lex]

47. "can't go" because they're banned

due to dogma

[jberryhill]

56. Yes, that's correct

You runs yer religion and you makes yer rules.

[pnwmom]

48. Why? The poster drew a logical conclusion, and there's no rule about how to write titles. n/t

[RZM]

3. He should have had the wedding on the temple grounds and not the inner sanctum

I've been there. It's a tourist destination and you most definitely don't have to be Mormon to go there.

BTW, I recommend EVERYBODY visit SLC and go to Temple Square. Really interesting stuff.

[jberryhill]

9. Marriages for eternity must be sealed INSIDE the temple

However, Mormons can have temporal wedding ceremonies anywhere else.

The temple ritual in question here is one of two types of marriages recognized by Mormons.

[RZM]

12. What's the other one? n/t

[jberryhill]

21. I mentioned them both

Temporal - "until death do us part", i.e. for time.

Eternal - forever

Mormons treat temporal marriage the same as anyone else. Most Christian doctrine holds to the exchange in which Jesus was asked about whether marriages last forever, and he responds with something along the lines of, no, people aren't married in Heaven.

In the Mormon system, there is an "eternal" type of marriage, in which the woman (or women) is eternally bound to the man. This is critical to their larger cosmological/spiritual system in which divinity works like an Amway distributorship. This also explains why Utah is the world capital of multi-level marketing systems.

[RZM]

23. So the Romneys had the real deal

The eternal version.

Good thing Cheryl David wasn't Mormon, since Larry always pictured himself single in the afterlife

[coalition_unwilling]

38. Bwa-ha-ha. "Divinity works like an Amway distributorship." OMG, LMFAO. - n/t

[DallasNE]

55. How Does This Work When The Spouse Dies

Say the 26 year old husband/father was killed in, say, Iraq. If the woman is eternally bound to the man it would suggest that she could not remarry.

[jberryhill]

58. She can remarry temporally

This is where things get a little icky. But, "terrestrial" and "celestial" marriages don't have to match up.

However, this is one of the reasons for baptizing the dead into Mormonism. They too can be sealed to husbands in the celestial realm, so that polygamous arrangements can be worked out in the afterlife.

Many Mormon men practice what is known as serial polygamy, and this contributes to Utah's outstandingly stellar divorce rate.

[CreekDog]

26. It's eternal unless the husband decides not to bring his earthly wife along with him

however, he can choose from among his other wives he's sealed to "eternally" but not married to terrestrially.

I'm not required to defend this stuff, nor keep it a secret.

[jberryhill]

28. Yeah... I was trying to keep it simple

The vast majority of non-Mormons don't have a clue about the whole "sealing" thing either.

But, yeah, he is given the name to use in order to call her forth.

[CreekDog]

32. With all due respect, that's not keeping it simple --it's omitting something horrendous for women

that if their husband so chooses, they *may* enter heaven with him and in addition, if they are allowed to enter, they may become one of many wives, a heavenly polygamy.

and if he doesn't take her, she don't go, unless she is sealed to another, and that man decides to take her.

is it any wonder there are Mormon women who live their married lives in depression that they can't disagree or argue with their husband for fear that he'll leave her behind?

a simple argument or disagreement can have eternal consequences.

what a burden to bear.

[FreeState]

37. That's actually wrong on many levels

The husband can call his wife to resurrection (LDS believe I a literal reserection of all beings). If he does not however do so Jesus would.

One only has to be married to enter the highest kingdom of heaven, and in fact even unmarried murders go to heaven in the LDS faith.

[CreekDog]

41. Nope, I'm right, you didn't point out anything that I said inaccurately

you presented alternate cases and sanitized language to make it sound better.

"The husband can call his wife to resurrection" ---OR HE MIGHT NOT

"Plural" marriage thing --true, not negated by you.

That men decide what women go to heaven and with whom they are ultimately eternally with is also true.

I decided a few years back to not defend in my beliefs or others, what I couldn't convince myself was defensible.

[FreeState]

44. You don't have to be married to go to LDS heaven

Your husband doesn't call you into heaven in LDS beliefs, he calls you to reserection - two totally different things.

I am not Mormon anymore - I'm not defending but rather correcting miss information. I have been through the temple, many many times, so I'm well aware of what the teachings are regarding marriage and the top kingdom of the Celestial Kingdom (there are three kingdoms in LDS beliefs, all three are part of heaven - only the highest requires being sealed in the temple).

The men do not decided who goes to heaven, your actions do, and are judged by Heavenly Father.

(once again to reiterate these are not in any way my beliefs I'm an athiest)

[CreekDog]

63. You need to be "eternally" married (not earthly married) to be called to heaven, yes

a woman's fate is determined by the man that is sealed to her, yes or no? yes.

what life she is being called to in heaven, if or to whom she is called by, is not known to her, she could be called as a plurally married, eternally sealed wife among dozens, hundreds of other women and one man (whom she may never have met).

you keep dodging the questions and presenting your faith in a tricky way.

one thing that drove me crazy about the Mormon faith was the most "faithful" of their members (or so they thought) sold their religion through obfuscation.

obfuscation of your religious tenets and theology is not being faithful to your religion (it is what it is --deal with it) and it's not being a good person.

people should be deciding to join or not join your church based on knowing what is involved. i have had friends who left the mormon church say, "I wish they had told me what I was expected to believe before I joined and got further involved." I have been told that they didn't realize that women's roles would be largely home economics and that their spiritual life, dictated by men would largely explain why.

being a good person and a good member of your church means not trying to gloss over these points. they are what they are, the more you try to hide them, the more you appear to be ashamed of them.

[aquart]

53. HIS choice? HIS?

So the "sealing" isn't worth spit, in fact.

[jberryhill]

59. Yes, but...

He needs wives in the afterlife to populate his world with spirit babies.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

16. I was there. No one is allowed in the Temple who is not Mormon, but they have a place where they

have an imitation of a few rooms in the Temple. SLC was interesting.

[RZM]

20. Did you watch the movie they show?

I respect other religions and I've known a lot of wonderful people who were Mormons. But that film absolutely cracked me up.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

29. I watched it. It was interesting. nt

[emilyg]

4. Unrec.

[uponit7771]

5. Why? This seems pretty hartless and extreme in religion not to share a life milestone with parents

[emilyg]

17. Headline very misleading.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

18. I agree that it's heartless. nt

[FreeState]

33. They had a ceremony for the family the day before - hardly what the OP says n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

61. Maybe it's because my family is tight. NO WAY would I exclude my mom and dad

from any ceremony. End of story.

[Cali_Democrat]

57. I don't think Ann cared

I think she did it for the money.

[jberryhill]

6. This is marginally misleading

Many Mormons have two weddings.

The first wedding, held in an ordinary ward, or anywhere else people have weddings, is considered to be temporal - i.e. for this life; "till death do us part" etc.

If the parties are both temple-recommended (i.e. have temple access privileges), then they can have a second ceremony in which they are married for eternity.

That second one is crucial in order to be re-united after death and open a franchise in which the happy couple (trio, etc...) can produce spirit babies to populate their own world.

Additional spirit wives can be posthumously sealed to a dead Mormon man, to increase production.

However, the second marriage ceremony can ONLY be done in a temple, and NOBODY gets into a temple without being temple-recommended.

[savalez]

14. Did they?

[jberryhill]

22. Of all the ones I knew...

...and I lived for a spell in Utah....

It is typical to have a temporal wedding first, since not even all, or even most, Mormons are temple-recommended.

[pinboy3niner]

24. See #10. nt

[CreekDog]

34. I dont' really think it's misleading --the most important ceremony is in the Temple

in that faith, all the spiritual significance is within the Temple and only Mormons who have "Temple Recommends" are permitted to attend.

[LiberalFighter]

35. We need to propagate a religion that uses their belief against them.

Kills off all their spirit babies. Their franchise is a piece of the sun.

[Mimosa]

43. I try to be open minded

But that stuff is wacky patriarchal. It could only have sprung from the minds of MALES much like the nuttier extremist sects among Islam.

Sort of sad for a religion which was born in America. Quakers were waaay better.

[eShirl]

50. actually Quakerism wasn't born in America

(if that's what you meant)

[Ian David]

7. It's okay. Her parents will become Mormon after they die. n/t

[HangOnKids]

15. They already had the deceased Dad baptised. Even though he said he did not want them to do it.

I guess Ann didn't honor her deceased Dad's wishes.

[Riley18]

8. Anything for money. At least her parents didn't

sell out. The more I read about her and hear her speak on TV the less I like her.

[SunSeeker]

51. She's a lot like Mitt in that way.

Both of them do not improve with familiarity.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

10. To be more specific...

Mitt and Ann Romney had a beautiful civil wedding at Ann's rich parent's home where her non-mormon family and all their friends were able to attend. THE NEXT MORNING, they hopped on daddy's jet and flew to SLC to be sealed. Mitt tells the media that the church has a policy that if there is not a temple close and it's a hardship to get there, that is allowed.

Of course it is Mitt

Ann's parents were not permitted to attend the sealing.

[dsc]

30. actually it is

My aunt is Mormon and when her daughter got married she had one ceremony for non Mormon family and friends and a separate one the next day at the temple (local not SLC).

[FreeState]

31. It is very common - even when the temple is local to have a ring ceremony

Which is what they did. The OP is off base and a huge stretch IMO.

(former member here)

[riderinthestorm]

36. Ick. Just really cultish demeaning-to-women bullshit. Thanks for the info but just ick. nt

[LiberalFighter]

39. Don't want them to seal you in their church?

Looks like according to the article that if one is homosexual they are banned.

How many want to be id as homosexual so they remove your name from their genealogical records?

[FreeState]

40. They don't

Former Mormon here that just so happens to be gay.

[elfin]

42. A Mormon friend could not be married on the "Temple"

For the singular reason that her Mormon parents had not tithed, despite being directly descended from the original Brigham Young settlers. Her husband was a convert and has since made mega- bucks. Their son did the missionary thing and because his parents have tithed, was married IN the temple.

ALL about the money. The "church" makes it so basic to ALL important rites, that I am not surprised Ann's parents were excluded. Bet if they joined and were retroactively baptized before the ceremony AND tithed and pledged 10% of all future income, they could have attended.

Mormoms = Money. Very well thought out and very productive.

Interstingly, she is a Lib, her convert husband is not.

[FreeState]

45. It's based on your tithe not your parents

You can have non-member parents, aka Anne Romney, and still be married in the temple.

To gain entrance in the temple one must only have two interviews and answer these questions:
http://www.lds-mormon.com/veilworker/recommend.shtml

[Major Hogwash]

46. Winning!!

Not only can you not get in if you are not a Mormon, but if you are a Mormon, but you haven't been fervent in practicing Mormonism, then you're not allowed in either.

[lynne]

49. Other source says married in her parents house in civil ceremony -

- and then marriage was sealed in Mormon temple. Her parents could not attend the sealing but they hosted the actual civil service wedding.


http://marriage.about.com/od/politics/p/mittromney.htm

[RFKHumphreyObama]

52. Not an issue IMO

There's enough to excoriate Mitt and Ann over without having to include this aspect of it

Various religions and cultures have various practices and social norms which have to be accepted by those who enter into them. Some religions and cultures prevent the bride and groom from attending the wedding together, some religions and cultures have various procedures that the bride and groom have to go through before and after marriage and so on. I don't have to agree with all the practices of the various religions and cultures but, so long as they are not harming either the people involved, I will by and large respect them. If the Mormons don't allow non-Mormons into their temple, well I may not like the rule but I will generally not criticize them for it

Ann actually converted to Mormonism a while before Mitt and her got married (in fact she briefly broke up with Mitt even after converting to Mormonism) so getting married in a Mormon Temple was obviously in accordance with both their beliefs and they had to adhere to the traditions and practices of that Temple. They held a celebration shortly later that included Ann's family. I don't see the big deal

[Fumesucker]

54. I can understand someone brought up in Mormonism taking it seriously..

But for an evidently reasonably rational adult to actually convert to Mormonism I cannot fathom, it's practically Flying Spaghetti Monster nuts and the FSM is a satire..

[jberryhill]

60. Good point - Hasidic weddings - any takers?

[barbtries]

62. a close friend's brother turned mormon

same story at his wedding. i think they had some kind of area where the non mormons waited or something like that.