Question
Gramps,
My ex-husband and I have been civilly divorced for over a year now. He recently asked me for a temple divorce. Will a temple divorce invalidate the sealing of our children to us?
Tracie
Answer
Hi Tracie,
Thank you for your question.
On the Church’s official website, you can find a variety of Q&A sections. In one such section, we find a question almost identical to yours:
“What happens when a couple gets a temple divorce? What happens to the children in the next life?”
In this same article it has a clarification which I would like to quote here:
…we should understand that there is no such thing as a temple divorce. What we refer to as a temple divorce is in fact a cancellation of a temple sealing. When a couple is married in the temple, they not only satisfy the law of the land as to a legal civil marriage, but they are also sealed for time and all eternity in an eternal relationship.
A civil divorce nullifies the marriage so far as the civil law is concerned, but only by a mandate of the president of the Church can the sealing of the couple be cancelled. A cancellation of the sealing is what we are really referring to when we talk about a temple divorce.
Elder James A. Cullimore also had this to share on the matter:
As to the next question, “What happens to the children in the next life when there has been a cancellation of sealing of the parents?” it is understood that in the case of a cancellation of the sealing of the woman to the man, this does not cancel the sealing of the children to the parents, since they were born in the covenant, which is a birthright blessing. They remain in the status of the sealing to their parents and can never be sealed to anyone else. The decision as to with whom they will go will be determined by the Lord in the hereafter.
I would suggest reading the full article above for further clarification.
I would also suggest reading or listening to President Dallin H. Oak’s recent General Conference talk entitled: Trust in the Lord
While we may not understand the ins and outs of everything in this life, we can assuredly trust in the Lord and the love that he has for each of us. Thank you again for your question Tracie.
Warm Regards,
Gramps
