Nauvoo Roots of Mormon Polygamy, 1841 – 46, p. 9; “…According to the doctrine of celestial marriage, a woman who was “sealed” (married) to a man in a special religious ceremony was united to him and their children, not only for “time”—until death—but for eternity where they eventually could become gods. Implicit in the revelation was the requirement that a man and woman must accept the “principle” of taking plural wives—known as the law of Abraham—in order to gain the highest afterlife, the celestial kingdom. Just as Abraham, David, Solomon and other Old Testament patriarchs took “many wives and concubines,” the patriarchs and elders of the restored church could attain “crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds” and have descendants as “innumerable as the stars.” A woman’s salvation thus depended on entering into a polygamous relationship with a man of high status in the church, because such men were thought to have made the greatest progress towards godhood on earth.” – George D. Smith
In the next 24 hours the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will officially announce that 94 year old, Russell Marion Nelson, Sr., will be the 17th Prophet/President of the Mormon Church.
If someone wanted to look around for notable info on this elderly gentleman, you’d be sure to come across articles about his work as a cardiothoracic surgeon for which he gained a lot of attention and respect from the medical community worldwide. His achievements in the medical field were long, and varied before he was called to the hierarchy of the LDS Church.
