Families Can Be Forever The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that each human being lived in a premortal state as a child of heavenly parents. Each one of us comes to earth to gain a physical body and to be tested through the mortal experience. By obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, each of us may return to the presence of God, where we will live eternally in a family organization. A distinctive Latter-day Saint teaching is that marriage can be for eternity. Such marriages must be performed (or later "sealed" if the couple is previously married) in a temple by the authority of the holy priesthood. Latter-day Saint temples are not places of regular Sunday worship. They are erected for these specific, family-centered ordinances. For sealing ordinances to remain in effect, a husband and wife must love and be faithful to each other throughout their marriage and continue to follow a course of Christian service and commitment throughout their lives. For millions of people who lived before the time of Christ, or during the intervening centuries between the death of the Apostles and the Restoration of His Church, temple and other vital ordinances were not available. Even today, millions live and die without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ or without learning the saving principles and accepting the ordinances of the gospel He taught. Provision must be made, then, for those who have died without that opportunity. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all saving ordinances are to be performed on earth in behalf of the dead. Latter-day Saints stand as proxies for their own deceased ancestors in these ceremonies, including baptisms and sealings for husbands and wives, parents and children. All temple work is binding only if it is willingly accepted by each individual prior to the resurrection. Temples are central to Latter-day Saint belief. Performing temple ordinances receives strong emphasis in the Church. Members are taught that they have a religious obligation to trace their own genealogies and perform temple ordinances for their ancestors.