Question
Gramps,
If a man and a woman are both active temple-endowed people and the woman were to conceive a child from adultery, is that child considered to be born in the covenant? Or would that child need to be sealed to them?
Richard
Answer
Richard,
According to the doctrine and policies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a child conceived through adultery may still be considered born in the covenant. This might surprise some people, but the Church’s policy focuses on the mother’s existing temple sealing rather than simply on who biologically fathered the child.
In Latter-day Saint belief, being born in the covenant means that a child is born after their mother has been sealed to a husband in a temple. These children are considered part of an eternal family and do not need a separate temple sealing to their parents.
But what happens when both the husband and wife are endowed, the couple has been sealed in the temple, and the wife becomes pregnant through an adulterous relationship?
The answer is found in the Church’s General Handbook.
The Church’s General Handbook, section 38.4.2.1, explains that children born after a woman has been sealed to a husband in the temple are born in the covenant of that sealing. It specifically addresses situations in which a woman who has been sealed to one man later has children with another man.
The policy explains that these children are born in the covenant of the woman’s most recent sealing, unless the sealing was canceled or withdrawn under the circumstances described in the handbook. In other words, the fact that another man biologically fathered the child does not automatically mean that the child is excluded from the covenant. This means that, in the situation described, if the woman remains sealed to her husband when the child is born and neither of their temple blessings has been withdrawn under the Church’s policy, the child would generally be considered born in the covenant. The child would not need a separate sealing to the couple simply because the child was conceived through adultery.
It is important to understand that being born in the covenant does not establish biological parentage or change who the child’s father is. The temple sealing ordinance concerns eternal family relationships. Biological parentage and the Church’s policy concerning a child’s covenant status are separate matters.
It is also important to remember that the child is not responsible for the circumstances of conception. In Latter-day Saint teaching, children are not to be blamed or punished for the sins of their parents. The child deserves love, care, and the opportunity to grow in faith just like any other child.
The fact that the child may be born in the covenant does not make adultery acceptable or remove its spiritual seriousness. Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that sexual relations outside marriage violate the law of chastity. Adultery can cause tremendous pain, damage trust, and seriously affect a marriage and family.
If a husband or wife commits adultery, questions of repentance, Church membership, and possible membership restrictions are handled separately from the child’s status under the sealing policy.
The Church teaches that repentance is possible through Jesus Christ. Genuine repentance involves recognizing the seriousness of sin, taking responsibility, seeking forgiveness, and making necessary changes. Depending on the circumstances, Church membership leaders may need to become involved.
However, the consequences of an adult’s choices should not be confused with the child’s status under the Church’s sealing policies.
Under the policy described above, a child who is born in the covenant does not need a separate sealing to parents. The General Handbook, section 38.4.2.2, also explains that children who are not born in the covenant can become part of an eternal family by being sealed to their natural or adoptive parents. The Church teaches that these children can receive the same blessings as children born in the covenant.
If there are unusual circumstances involving a sealing, membership status, parentage, or questions about how the policy applies to a particular family, the appropriate course is to speak confidentially with the bishop. The bishop can consult the stake president, who can seek further guidance from Church headquarters when necessary.
The Church’s policy should be applied to the actual circumstances rather than assuming that every situation involving adultery has the same outcome.
According to current Latter-day Saint policy, a child conceived through adultery can still be born in the covenant if the mother was sealed to her husband in the temple and the applicable conditions of that sealing remain in effect. The child would not ordinarily need to be sealed to the couple separately. The biological father being another man does not, by itself, change that policy.
Most importantly, the child should never be viewed as less worthy, less loved by Heavenly Father, or responsible for the actions of the adults involved. Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that God is both just and merciful, and that every child deserves love and the opportunity to receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gramps
