I've kept in touch over the years with my first girl friend. We dated (that's what I call it, but it was mostly just sneaking off to make out) for several months and then just remained friends. Anyway, we get together ever few years for lunch when I go back home. I have kids and grand kids, she has kids and grand kids - that's what we mostly talk about.

She belonged to the Assembly of God church. I went once and it just scared the shit out of me. Made moism look almost normal. We really didn't care that our religions were different - like I said, we were mostly interested in making out.

Anyway, she always says how great it is that I've left the church, and always brings this up: She knows for a fact that the "secret teachings" of the LD$ church require all couple to bring at least six souls to earth in order for them to attain the top most part of heaven.

I tell her that I went through the temple and pretty much did it all, and I'd never been taught that, and that the only person who has said this was her. Has anyone here ever heard this? The only thing that I might believe is that maybe it's part of the second anointing program.

Never heard anything like that before, although it's probably related to the fact that birth control has historically been frowned upon in the church. Also, to me there does seem to be a correlation between the large size of Mormon families and their (perceived) "righteousness."

(Tom Phillips, who posts here from time to time, could confirm whether there is anything in the second anointing that addresses this subject.)

There is no requirement on number of children.

Thanks for responding. I thought it was pretty unlikely that number of children would be relevant in the second anointing, but I knew you could answer the question definitively.

: )

Old joke:

Mormons are commanded to multiply and replenish the earth.

Replenish takes 2.
Now multiply takes another 4.
Total 6.

Not doctrine and not that funny since some Mormons expect to have a family of 6 children.

Or more.

Did she tell you why she believes this about mormons? Likely, it's a story that went around in her church group. My DH grew up in the Church of God and believed strange things about mormons, Catholics and other churches. For example, they all thought nuns were killed when they were too old to work and it was done by hitting them with bars of soap wrapped in dish towels.

Yeah, I suspect that she heard it from other "christians", but claims everyone knows this.

Oooo. Bars of soap wrapped in dish towels sounds kind of kinky.

It's a true story! Old enough to remember those soaps that hung in the shower on a rope? They killed the nuns with the "Pope on a Rope".

I know a fundamentalist who claims (I've never verified this with their sect) that there are three degrees of glory within the CK, the uppermost being "exaltation". She claims a man must have 3 wives to reach exaltation. One wife would be sufficient for the lowest level in the CK, and two wives gets you the middle. 2 kids each wife is 6...

Can't go to the highest degree of glory without three wives following their man from their earthly life together.

I'm safe...

People seem to interpret the 'multiply and replenish the earth' idea differently, depending on where they live or what is trendy. To some it seems to mean have as many kids as possible, to others I've noticed it super trendy to have 4 or 5. My TBM sister follows trends like crazy. It is very trendy where we live to have 4. And while she can barely support the 3 she has, I know she is going to have a fourth because of the trend. Ick! I know in other areas (based on what my other TBM siblings say) it's perfectly acceptable for TBMs to have only 2 kids.

I think the reason people believe there's a required number of children Mormons have is because for so long, birth control was strongly discouraged by the leadership. In fact, I once believed birth control was completely banned because Mormons, like devout Catholics, tend to have larger than average families. I have since learned that birth control isn't banned at all, but that officially, it's between the couple and God to decide.

My parents had a baker's half dozen (7) kids, and there was nothing celestial about it all.

Are you sure she didn't say that you needed to -sleep- with 6 different women to get up dere? Like, try to have 6 kids, but spread it around?

That would work out better for me. If you don't mind.

I'll just update my bucket list, and tell the DW that I'm on a mission from gawd..,

The pickup lines just write themselves.
"Hey young lady, wanna help an old man get to heaven tonight?"

Please get back to me asap on this clearification.
Time has not been kind to this ol' fella, and I'm gonna need to get a prescription (probably, well, best to be prepared), and a hard hat.

Well, I guess the time between time of my divorce/leaving the church and my current marriage made it possible to make it to the CK. However, none of those encounters proved fruitful, so I still may not qualify. :(