I will be quoting from the article Promises Made to the Fathers in this blog post, which basically explains how there needs to be an expanded sense of self-esteem, where you not only ideally esteem your neighbor and Christian brother and sister as yourself as the Book of Mormon teaches, but you need to interdependently interconnect with your deceased relatives and the Jewish fathers of the past (Abraham, Jacob, etc.); thus expanding your sense of self and your identity into belonging to a unified tribe, a great Chain of Being (see The Early Mormon Chain of Belonging by Samuel Brown), as one eternal round of fathers and mothers united as One. The article quotes Joseph Smith saying that
… this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah.
From this perspective, baptism for the dead becomes a psychological mechanism for interdependently connecting with one's ancestors, one's genealogical line both biologically and spiritually (based on one's belief in the Bible and the patriarchs). The article explains that Abraham follows in the line of fathers uniting with the former fathers (Abraham 1:2-5). The article goes on to state
the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever’ (D&C 107:54–55). …
… Abraham ‘sought for [his] appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed’ (Abr. 1:4). He ‘became a rightful heir … holding the right belonging to the fathers’ (Abr. 1:2).
This priesthood with its attendant blessings was ‘conferred upon [Abraham] from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time’ (Abr. 1:3).
… The following are part of the promises to the fathers. Inheritance of land (Abr 2:6), priesthood and gospel blessings (Abr 2:11), innumerable posterity (Abr 3:14), salvation and eternal life (Abr 2:9,11), are among the parts of the Abrahamic covenant. From the beginning this covenant was offered and the blessings were spread through families. Each generation had the opportunity to re-establish the covenant for their own family lines. Some sons chose to enter into the “Patriarchal Order” by accepting the “new and everlasting covenant of marriage”. By having these promises affirmed by God they became Kings and Priests unto God. “The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinance of celestial marriage (see D&C 132:29–33).”
… Brigham Young attempted to explain what these blessings were to the saints. He stated, “We understand that we are to be made kings and priests unto God; now if I be made the king and lawgiver to my family, and if I have many sons, I shall become the father of many fathers, for they will have sons, and their sons will have sons, and so on, from generation to generation, and, in this way, I may become the father of many fathers, or the king of many kings. This will constitute every man a prince, king, lord, or whatever the Father sees fit to confer upon us.” (7)
Note that this explains why Joseph Smith basically argued in the King Follet Discourse that there is never a son without a father; as in, there needs to be a progenitor. The Ultimate Progenitor (the supreme governing power) of this line of fathers and sons is the Deity of Lecture 2:2.
… Abraham became the “father of the faithful” to all who came after him. Regardless of whether you were the literal seed of Abraham or not if you accepted the gospel you were adopted into his family and accounted as his seed. He became the head patriarch of the all the human family who would come after him. …
Who Are the Father’s?
The fathers are those men who reached patriarchal status. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. In short, anytime the priesthood was restored a new head patriarch or high Priest would be established. All living in that dispensation would be adopted into his family and be accounted as his seed. Each man as the patriarch over his posterity. The lead father of the dispensation would then be sealed along with his posterity to the previous fathers or patriarchs.
The Deity, as the Father of lights (Lecture 2:2), a personage of spirit (Lecture 5), was the first father in the chain of being of patriarchal fathers and sons; Jesus being the first of the sons as the Son of the Father), and Jesus then fathers' sons as the first born of many brethren and sisters, as LDS Christians become the children of Christ through partaking of the divine nature (or the seed of Christ which is the divine genome of Father-Jehovah). As we see in this illustration:
LDS writer, Anthony Sweat explains that one of the earliest LDS illustrations of church doctrine was Orson Hyde's diagram below:
The Family of God
[This diagram above] appeared in the Millennial Star and was drawn by Orson Hyde. It helps us catch a glimpse of how this “welding link” will come together. Below is an explanation of the diagram:
“The above diagram shows the order and unity of the Kingdom of God. The Eternal Father sits at the head, crowned King of king and Lord of lords. Wherever the other lines meet, there sits a King and Priest unto God, bearing rule, authority, and dominion under the Father. He is one with the Father, because his kingdom is joined to his Father’s, and becomes part of it.
The most eminent and distinguished prophets, who have laid down their lives for their testimony (Jesus among the rest), will be crowned at the head of the largest kingdoms under the Father, and will be one with Christ, as Christ is one with the Father, for their kingdoms are all joined together; and such as do the will of the Father, the same are his mothers, sisters, and brothers. He that has been faithful over a few things will be made ruler over many things: he that has been faithful over ten talents shall have dominion over ten cities, and he that has been faithful over five talents shall have dominion over five cities, and to every man will be given a kingdom and dominion according to his merit, powers, and ability to govern and control. It may be seen from the above that there are kingdoms of all sizes, and an infinite variety to suit all grades of merit and ability. The chosen vessels unto God are the kings and priests that are placed at the head of these kingdoms. These have received their washings and anointing’s in the Temple of God on this earth; they have been chosen, ordained, and anointed kings and priests, to reign as such in the resurrection of the just. Such as have not received the fullness of the priesthood (for the fullness of the priesthood includes the authority of both king and priest), and have not been anointed and ordained in the Temple of the Most High, may obtain salvation in the celestial kingdom, but not a celestial crown. Many are called to enjoy celestial glory, but few are chosen to wear a celestial crown, or are worthy to be rulers in the Celestial Kingdom.” (10)
Adoption also referred to a necessary order in Gods kingdom where each individual family patriarch need to be sealed to all other patriarchs. By doing this then all would be one.
“These new ordinances reflected the expanding horizon of Joseph Smith’s vision of the Kingdom of God which he saw as an eternal, covenant-bound, patriarchal society. The new ordinances included: a proxy baptism for the dead; a washing and anointing ritual bestowing a promise to become kings and priests unto God; an endowment drama containing lectures, signs and tokens, and oaths and covenants necessary to reenter God’s presence; a sealing ceremony joining families together in eternal patriarchal units; and adoption rite linking men to men in an endless priesthood lineage; and a second anointing confirming the contingent blessings of the initial washing and anointing.” (11)
Joseph Smith received the fullness of the priesthood from God. He became the father of a dispensation. The head patriarch over the dispensation of the fullness of times. The Abrahamic covenant was renewed and confirmed to him by God (D&C 132:30-31,40,45-50). All who accept the gospel in this dispensation are accounted as his seed because he is the dispensation head just as Abraham was in his day. …
… The Quorum of the Twelve led by Brigham Young, experimented with the “Law of Adoption”. They began to use it as a way of creating large family groups. The church had massive numbers of adult converts who did not have parents embrace the gospel. Thus some of these converts were sealed to Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and other leading authorities. By being adopted and sealed to these men they became their sons and daughters. (14)
Adoption practices[through temple sealing] became rare after the 1910’s. …
This may explain why Joseph Smith was sealed to pregnant women in many of his plural marriages, as explained by Don Bradley: so that the motivation was not sexual in these instances, but a matter of seeking to extend the bond of friendship and love that Joseph Smith felt for a particular family, wherein being sealed to the the daughter of a family united them all in a great Chain of Belonging. From a socio-psychological perspective, this Chain of Belonging fits Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that emphasizes our need to belong and feel connected to a group or tribe, to feel more whole and complete through bonding in union with others. As the article quotes the following scripture:
“…for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time…”(D&C 128:18)
Thus, LDS theology is a psychologically empowering theology by expanding one's self-esteem through an expanded sense of self as belonging to something larger than oneself, to God and one's ancestors, and the powerfully expanding Kingdom of God as the great Chain of Belonging.
Suggested Reading & Viewing:
- For the full quote by Orson Hyde explaining his diagram of the Kingdom of God above, see the book The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, page 297 (quoted here).
- See LDS writer Anthony Sweat discussing the earliest LDS image depicted above, in the video "Adjusting our Eyes: Latter-day Saints and their Developing Religious Imagery,” at the 18 minute mark.
