"Saved by Sex": A Critical Look at Polygamy, Exaltation, and Salvation in Mormon Theology
"Saved by Sex" was a blunt, memorable expression often used by Thelma "Granny" Geer, an elderly Latter-day Saint woman, to describe her Mormon heritage. Raised in the faith, she later became a vocal critic after becoming a Christian. The phrase captured the church's heavy emphasis on polygamy as essential to the highest form of salvation—exaltation.
Exaltation and the Requirement of Eternal Marriage
According to the LDS Church's Gospel Principles manual (page 275), "Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives." It involves becoming like God, possessing all knowledge, power, and glory, and continuing to create and have spirit children in the eternities.
Page 278 stresses that "we must be married for eternity" to achieve this. A temple sealing (celestial marriage) is required for the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. Without it, individuals can still be saved but will remain "ministering angels" without eternal increase or godhood.
This teaching stems directly from Doctrine and Covenants Section 132, a revelation Joseph Smith recorded in 1843.
Doctrine and Covenants 132: The New and Everlasting Covenant
Section 132 opens by addressing "the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines," referencing biblical patriarchs like Abraham.
Key verses make strong claims:
- Verse 4: Rejecting this covenant leads to damnation. "For no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory."
- Verse 6: "He that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned."
- Verses 15–20: Only those sealed by the priesthood in the "new and everlasting covenant" can have their marriage endure beyond death and receive exaltation with eternal posterity.
The revelation explicitly commands polygamy under certain conditions. In verse 54, it warns Joseph Smith's wife Emma: "But if she will not abide this commandment, she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord..."
This was a false prophecy: Joseph Smith was killed in 1844, while Emma Smith rejected polygamy, lived until 1879, and died of natural causes at age 74.
Early Leaders' Teachings on Polygamy
Early LDS leaders taught polygamy as an eternal practice.
Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle, wrote in Mormon Doctrine (page 578, under "Plural Marriage"): "...the holy practice will commence again after the Second Coming of the Son of Man and the ushering in of the millennium."
Heber C. Kimball, a member of the First Presidency under Brigham Young, spoke vividly in the Journal of Discourses (4:209):
"In the spirit world there is an increase of males and females, there are millions of them, and if I am faithful all the time, and continue right along with brother Brigham, we will go to brother Joseph and say, 'Here we are brother Joseph...' 'Where are your wives?' 'They are back yonder; they would not follow us.' 'Never mind,' says Joseph, 'here are thousands, have all you want.'"
This reflects a common 19th-century Mormon view: faithful men could receive multiple wives in the afterlife if their earthly ones refused to follow.
Modern LDS Position vs. Scriptural Continuity
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially discontinued the practice of polygamy in 1890 (Official Declaration 1) and reinforced this in 1904. It is grounds for excommunication today.
However, Doctrine and Covenants 132 remains LDS scripture. The church still teaches celestial marriage as essential for exaltation. Many members view polygamy as an eternal principle that was commanded for a time, suspended, and may return in the future.
If polygamy was an "everlasting covenant" whose rejection brought damnation, why was it suspended? And why was it a requirement for godhood?
A Biblical Contrast: Grace vs. Works
The text contrasts this with the New Testament's teaching on salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 states:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
This ends with a period. Christianity emphasizes salvation as a free gift received by faith alone, not dependent on specific marriage practices, temple rituals, or ongoing ordinances required for the highest heaven.
Tying exaltation so tightly to polygamy (or even monogamous celestial marriage) shifts the focus from Christ's finished work on the cross to human performance and priesthood rituals.
Summary
The phrase "Saved by Sex" was Granny Geer's way of highlighting what she saw as a works-based system centered on marriage and procreation. In classic Mormon theology, eternal marriage—and historically, its plural form—was presented as non-negotiable for full exaltation and becoming like God. D&C 132 frames this as an everlasting law and promises damnation for rejection.
While the modern LDS Church no longer practices polygamy, the underlying scriptures and teachings about celestial marriage remain foundational. For Thelma Geer, this emphasis was a departure from the simple gospel of grace found in the Bible. For Mormons, it represents restored truths about eternal families and divine potential.
