Why are Mormons so Interested in Family History?
This article on Mormonism was written by Rebecca. It is one of a series of posts about the LDS Church –Admin
The Mormon Church has the largest family history library in the world, and many people know that members of the Mormon Church are very interested in finding their ancestors; but why is this something that is so greatly supported by the Church? The reason is that Mormon doctrine teaches that families can be together forever, and members are encouraged to find their ancestors so that they may do their temple work and become sealed to them in the temple.
The Mormon Church teaches that death is not the end of family relationships. The prophet Joseph Smith through revelation from God further explained this doctrine when he stated the “same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [after death and into eternity], only it will be coupled with eternal glory.”1 Through the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood, man has the opportunity again to be with family after death. To do this, a person must enter into the ordinances required by God. These ordinances are baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, covenants made in the temple, and sealing. When all of these things are done, and a couple is righteous and stays true to their covenants, their marriage is eternal, and any children born to them are eternally theirs. However, there were many people who lived without the knowledge of the gospel or who did not have the opportunity to enter into the ordinances of God. This is why family history work is done. Members find names and families and perform ordinances in Mormon temples by proxy for these people. As spirits, those who have died, have the choice of accepting the ordinances and being eternally sealed to their families or of rejecting it.
The Church offers its family history resources to anyone for free, and encourages anyone that is interested to use the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or any of the branch libraries found all over the world. The Church also offers a website called familysearch.org where anyone can use the Church’s resources to search for information about their family history.
Other Links:
Mormon Temples
Eternal Marriage
Family History
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