PAFS Pardon My Ignorance - Sealed/Baptized/Endowed ?

And It Makes Me Shine · Post by **And It Makes Me Shine** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:53 pm

I have came across a few sites with Personal Ancestry files on the web. They confirm details I already have for relatives going back to 1620. My question is on the sites it mentions a couple of things that confused me.

1.She/He was sealed to his/her parents in 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple.
2.He/ She was baptized in 1928.
3.He/She was endowed on 26 Sep 1928 in the Mesa Arizona temple.

It is obviously a LDS thing but I was wondering if anyone could explain

Post by **joette** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:37 pm

Certainly we believe that the family is an eternal unit going back to Father Adam & Mother Eve.
If somebody has died without benefit of baptism-when a child reaches the age of reason ie knows the difference between right & wrong then he/she is baptised by immersion for remission of sins-we believe that children are born innocent so if they die before this then no baptism is required.Usually after you reach eight.
They then become members of the Church.We believe that a person who has died has the same chance to accept/reject membership & we do proxy baptism for the dead in our temples.
Endowment is when you make further covenants & promises especially re charity & chastity.We believe you are endowed with various gifts if you stay faithful.
Sealing is when a man & a woman are sealed as husband & wife for all eternity & where this relationship stretches back as far as you can find in your family & forward as your children are "born in the covenant"& hopefully are sealed in the Temple to their husband/wife.
I have stood as proxy in endowments only & it is a lovely experience & you can feel so close to the person whose name you are carrying through the temple.
Hope this explains what it all means & why family history is so important to the Church & its members.
Their is a childrens song which sums it up "Families can be together forever through Heavenly Fathers plan,I always want to be with my own family & the Lord has shown me how I can.

And It Makes Me Shine · Post by **And It Makes Me Shine** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:50 pm

Thanks Joette, explained beautifully I understood the churches beliefs in Family. But I now understand the importance of geneaolgy to the faith.

And It Makes Me Shine · Post by **And It Makes Me Shine** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:31 pm

It also explains Endowments for the dead, baptisms for the dead, etc when I look on Family search sources.