BEWARE THE MORMON ENDOWMENT

[Being There]

BEWARE THE MORMON ENDOWMENT


The corporate Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches its members that one of their ultimate goals in life is to enter into one of its temples, after passing a worthiness exam, and participate in the ordinances thereof. The four main ordinances are baptisms for the dead, the initiatory ordinance of washing and anointing, the endowment, and marriages/sealings of couples and families for time and all eternity; the latter three performed for both the living and the dead. While teens and young adults are able to receive “limited” recommends to participate in baptisms, the church’s primary focus is for adults to participate in the endowment.
However, the endowment as it stands in the church today is not only not based on revealed, canonized scripture, but every aspect of the temple endowment is warned against in the scriptures.

The Scriptural Endowment

The word “endowment” only appears five times in the scriptures, and all five of them are in the Doctrine and Covenants. The word “endowed” appears seven times; again all in the D&C. Section 105 is the first one that contains a combination of the two. Given on June 22, 1834 to the men of Zion’s Camp, the Lord says the following in verses 9-12:

D&C 105:9-12:
“Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion—That they themselves may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which I require at their hands. And this cannot be brought to pass until mine elders are endowed with power from on high. For behold, I have prepared a great endowment and blessing to be poured out upon them, inasmuch as they are faithful and continue in humility before me.” (Emphasis added.)

Verses 18 and 33 also mention an endowment:
“But inasmuch as there are those who have hearkened unto my words, I have prepared a blessing and an endowment for them, if they continue faithful.” and

“Verily I say unto you, it is expedient in me that the first elders of my church should receive their endowment from on high in my house, which I have commanded to be built unto my name in the land of Kirtland.”

Verse 12 refers to the baptized elders. Verse 18 refers to those not yet baptized. And verse 33 refers to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, the first and second elders of the church, as setting the example in receiving the Lord’s endowment after the completion of the Kirtland temple. While the verses in this section refer to the fact that the Lord had prepared an endowment for those who had been baptized, there’s no explanation as to exactly what the endowment was at that time.

To better understand what the Lord defines as His endowment, we need to fast-forward to the Lord’s acceptance of the Kirtland temple in Section 110:9:

“Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.”

Here the Lord is speaking in past tense regarding the promised endowment and is saying that his servants have already been endowed. This revelation took place only a week after the dedication of the Kirtland temple and we know of nothing resembling the current temple Endowment taking place therein. Therefore, what did the Lord refer to? The connecting piece is found in Joseph Smith’s preface of the Section,

“In the afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord’s Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us” (History of the Church, 2:435).

In short, Joseph Smith received the vision after he and the other Presidents partook of the Sacrament. What is the promise given in the Sacramental prayer?

“…that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.”

Or, think of the promise this way:

“…that the Spirit may endow them with power from on high.”

It really is that simple! The Lord promises those who have been baptized and renew their covenants by partaking the Sacrament that they will be endowed by the power of His Spirit to always be with them!

For the sake of completeness, the final mention of “endowment” in the D&C is in Section 124:39:

“Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.”

What is the ordinance of the temple that the Lord told the saints to perform in Nauvoo?
Baptism for the dead.

Even if people disagree with my conclusion of what the Lord’s scriptural endowment is for the baptized members of the church, we can also see that there is absolutely nothing mentioning a new name, garments of the holy priesthood, signs and tokens, and secretive oaths and covenants taken within a special ceremony.
Because of the lack of any sort of mention of the above, members cannot verify if the current Endowment is truly of God or not and the information of its origination is being withheld by the leaders.
However, a search of the scriptures will reveal what they have to say about each aspect of the current Endowment.

The New Name

The “new name” is given to a person as a precursor to the actual Endowment itself. Within the temple, a person is told to never reveal his or her new name until a specific time and place. That new name is also the name of one of the accompanying signs and tokens learned and received during the Endowment.
Even after the ordinance is complete, the person is told to safeguard and never reveal the new name,
but to always remember it.
Here’s the problem: Everyone who goes through the temple that day is given the same new name for each of the men and women, so there is no individuality in the process.

Who was the first to receive a new name after being born into a physical body in the scriptures? The answer is found in Moses 5:31:

“And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain.
Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness.”

That’s right; Cain received the new name of Mahan after swearing a blood oath with Satan in secrecy, also meaning that his new name was to be kept secret as the narrative continues to refer to him as Cain for the remainder of his story.

There are two other examples of people receiving new names in the scriptures: Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel. Both of these men received their new names by the Lord and, the more important point, they did not keep their new names secret. Thus we see that the pattern of receiving a new name within the temple more closely follows that of Satan’s than of God’s.

The “Garments of the Holy Priesthood”

Mormons get a lot of flak for their “sacred underwear” that they have to start wearing after going through the temple. A person isn’t clothed in the garments until after the washing and anointing of the initiatory ordinance; but the garment is considered a part of the Endowment due to its comparison with the coat of skins given to Adam and Eve as a shield and protection.
The scriptures themselves don’t say anything directly regarding something like the garment, but the connection can be made more easily after reading the statement in the First Presidency Letter of November 5, 1996 that the garment is, “an outward expression of an inner commitment.” Or, in other words, wearing the garment is an outward mark or token to separate the members of the church from everyone else in the world.

This raises a warning flag based upon the pattern established in the scriptures. In the Old Testament, Cain was the one marked with a curse for his murder of Abel. And in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were the ones who remained pure and white while the Lamanites were marked with dark skin and even splinter groups from the Nephites marked themselves according to their own pattern. Alma 2:4, 6-10 explains the pattern of the Lord marking people outwardly,

“And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites. … And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. And their brethren sought to destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women. And this was done that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed. Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him.”

Because the Lord is pure and holy, that is how he distinguishes His people: through their pure hearts regardless of their skin colors or previous markings. However, those people who reject the Lord’s covenants end up marking themselves outwardly. The garments themselves would not be a problem, other than the fear and control surrounding their continual use, if they were made of plain cloth and the notion of their protection was symbolic much like Paul’s definition of the armor of God, because baptized members are promised the keys of the ministering of angels and thus protection from guardian angels. However, the notion that the garments and the markings on them themselves will be the protection against spiritual and physical harm is the problem because those markings are Masonic, rather than scriptural in origin.

The Signs and Tokens

Before I go into an elaboration on the various signs and tokens learned and exchanged within the temple, there’s one issue that I need to address. Members are told to explain that these signs and tokens are “sacred” and that they should never be revealed to anyone outside of the temple.
The problem is that they are still kept secret from those who haven’t been through the temple.
Once again, numerous sacred ordinances are outlined within the scriptures for all to see, but the members still respect them in order to not trifle with sacred things as directed.
Anything that is not to be revealed except to the same people within closed walls is a secret, plain and simple.

With that explanation out of the way, here’s what the Book of Mormon says about secret signs and tokens in Helaman 6:22:

“And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant.”

The people referred to in this verse are the Gadianton robbers. In short, secret signs, tokens and names (including new names) are associated with secret combinations in the scriptures.

Where did the temple Endowment signs and tokens come from since there’s nothing regarding them in the scriptures? Non-Mormons will refer to the common argument that Joseph Smith stole the Endowment from a high-level Masonic ritual. These arguments are correct.
There are also common photos of Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson exchanging one of the Masonic/temple token handshakes with Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, both of whom have openly admitted to being members of secret societies.

Presidents of the church openly give one of the temple tokens to government leaders.

Finally, the tokens are not as secret as the church will admit given that published magazine articles have featured the exact same token handshakes as part of the use of chi in martial arts, as shown below:


The Oaths

The first secret combination between Cain and Satan was established thusly in Moses 5:29:

“And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it, they shall surely die; and this that thy father may not know it; and this day I will deliver thy brother Abel into thine hands.”

The Book of Mormon reiterates these same oaths being taken by secret combinations established within both the Jaredite and Nephite societies.

When a person experiences the current Endowment, they perform similar oaths after being told that they will be delivered to Satan’s power if they divulge any of the temple’s secrets. Also prior to 1990, people were also required to pantomime their own ritualistic suicide of slitting their throats, cutting out their hearts, and removing their bowels in order to mimic the suffering of their lives to be taken should they violated those oaths. There is also one particular temple oath that engages into the practice of idolatry by having the members consecrate all of their time, talents and energies to “the church” and not to God, thus violating the directive of the first two of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3-5.

This is the practice that most blatantly violates the scriptures, for Jesus Christ clearly taught both the Jews and the Nephites, “And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white; But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.” (Emphasis added.)




CONCLUSION


Based upon the Lord’s definition of endowment from the Doctrine and Covenants and the warnings against what currently takes place within the temple Endowment ceremony, we can not only conclude that the Endowment is not of God, but is used to deceive Mormons into joining themselves into a secret combination that infiltrated the church in its early days and altered what the Lord prescribed to be done with His holy house.

The Lord warned in D&C 124:47-48:

“And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfil the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord. For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practise before me, saith the Lord.”

Because the church does not what the Lord has said,
every temple it has built after the one in Kirtland is cursed and ripe for destruction due to the blatant mockery of God’s established pattern of openness, no secrets, and the sole teaching of repentance and baptism as the only saving ordinances with more or less coming of evil.

As there is no scriptural evidence in favor of the current Endowment, the members of the church have every right to refuse to recognize it as a legitimate ordinance. D&C Section 26 states that all things within the church are to be done with the common consent of the members.
Thus those members have every right to demand a full accounting of what the leaders, past and present, have kept secret from them. If the church leaders do not come forward to confess and repent of their unjust actions in deceiving the members in this way, they will have no choice but to be exposed and cut off in a manner very similar to the promised destruction of the cursed temples wherein there will not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.

[Luke]

I don’t have a problem with the Temple endowment introduced in Nauvoo (although it has been significantly altered).

I agree that the true endowment is the Holy Ghost.

[Being There]

patriarchal grip








"Pope" Francis' Masonic Handshakes

[Being There]

http://www.mormonthink.com/temple.htm#introduction

The LDS temple ceremony has many parallels to Masonic rites, and for good reason: Joseph Smith introduced the rites into the LDS temple about two months after becoming a Freemason himself, and fourteen years after his brother Hyrum and (possibly 34 years) after his father both became Freemasons. The rituals taken from Masonry cannot have come from Solomon's time (as many Mormons believe) as Masonry did not originate until no earlier than the 1600s AD. Although claimed to be sacred and not secret, the rites within the temple have cult-like trappings (until 1990 initiates were required to make a blood-oath) and actually used the phrase "guarded by solemn covenants and obligations of secrecy" within the ceremony. Many members feel that requiring an entrance fee (in the form of tithing) to get to God's greatest reward is not in keeping with Christ's atoning sacrifice being a free gift to all.

NOTE

Early in 2012, some of the MormonThink editors elected to remove the Temple section from our website in an effort to appease some Latter-day Saints who expressed their reluctance to have any sort of public discussion on any aspect of the temple. However, the current editors of MT decided this information was too important to not discuss openly in light of the fact that Mitt Romney was running for president and many people wondered about the significance that the temple oaths may have on the man having such a powerful position in the world. Also, the section was restored in order to be fair to the critics who claim that the problems with the temple ceremony and Masonic rituals are some of the strongest evidences against Mormonism—even if the Church is reluctant to discuss the topic.

We added several topics including:

A response to the Masonry LDS Endowment issue from an apologist from FAIR who emailed MT.
Additional temple experience.
Added a Covenants discussion.
Added the Second Anointing.
Added a link to a video made by someone using a hidden camera in the temple ceremony.


Some Latter-day Saints have heard that the LDS temple ceremony may have some similarities with Masonry and the reason is that the Masons learned of the temple ceremony from building Solomon's temple during Old Testament times but over the millennia the original ceremony became corrupted. President Heber C. Kimball stated "We have the true Masonry" (see complete quote in following section). Many devout Mormons know that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and many other early leaders of the Church were Masons.

http://www.mormonthink.com/temple.htm


also

https://www.mormonstories.org/truth-cla ... y-masonry/

TEMPLE CEREMONY / MASONRY
LDS temples play an integral part in the Mormon experience, hosting the religion’s most sacred rituals and ordinances. Only members who have participated in a multi-tier personal interview process with patriarchal leaders are granted permission to enter. Therein, Mormons are instructed that the knowledge, tokens, and signs obtained within the temple will provide passage through the veil into the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the early years of the Church, numerous Mormon leaders and members of the Smith family were Freemasons, including Brigham Young, Heber Kimball and Joseph’s older brother Hyrum. Joseph Smith also joined the Freemasons, introducing the LDS temple ceremonies a mere seven weeks after receiving their rituals, secret hand grips, embraces, clothing, tokens, and penalties. The Church has no records or journal entries of revelations regarding temple ceremonies or covenants. For generations, the Church vigorously denied Masonry’s influence while declaring its own ceremonies to be a different, more purifying experience. The Church even went so far as to chastise historians who accurately documented the striking similarities.

Given that the majority of temple ordinances are for the dead, some question why the Church spends billions of dollars on spacious buildings for only the exclusive few. Jesus suggested, “Let the dead bury their dead…come follow me.” Church historian Leonard Arrington said, “I have not yet come to feel the necessity of frequent attendance at the temple. I think I get as much inspiration watching birds, or looking at the mountains and the wilderness, as participating in the rituals there.” [1]





MASONIC HANDSHAKES WILL LOOK FAMILIAR TO MORMONS

MASONIC ORIGINS
Masonic author Mervin Hogan observed, “It must be readily acknowledged that Mormonism and Freemasonry are so intimately and inextricably interwoven and interrelated that the two can never be dissociated.”

Freemasonry formed somewhere between the 10th and 17th centuries in England and, contrary to what one may claim, possesses no link to the Biblical temple of Solomon or temple builder Hiram Abiff that its ceremonies center on. LDS author Greg Kerney writes,“Unfortunately there is no historical evidence to support a continuous functioning line from Solomon’s temple to present. We know what went on in Solomon’s temple; it’s the ritualistic slaughter of animals. Masonry, while claiming a root in antiquity, can only be reliably traced to medieval stone tradesmen.” [2] Even Kerney’s inclusion of medieval tradesman is generous, as the earliest Lodges were primarily composed of aristocratic intellectuals.

During Joseph Smith’s upbringing, Masonry was regarded as a mysterious organization full of secret combinations and viewed as a threat to free government. Scholars note that it may have worked its way into the Book of Mormon, becoming the Gadianton Robber narrative with their secret oaths, covenants, and desires to overthrow a democratic Nephite government. [3]

Joseph Smith Sr. became a Grand Master Mason in 1818. Hyrum Smith affiliated with Masonry in 1825 before running afoul of the brotherhood by not paying his debts, as evidenced by brother Joseph’s 1830 letter of warning to “..beware of the freemasons…who care more for his body than the debt…heard were in Manchester, got a warrant.” [4] Joseph again wrote Hyrum in March 1831, warning that creditors were again pursuing Smith Sr. for unpaid debts, “Come to Fayette, bring father, do not go through Buffalo for they lie in wait for you.” [5]

Oliver Cowdery’s father, at least three of his brothers, and his cousin were Masons. Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow and Newell Whitney remained Masons for life.

Joseph Smith was expedited into Masonry on March 15, 1842, and remained a member for life. Because of his father’s rank as Grand Master, he was raised to the rank of first degree Mason within one day. Smith recorded, “I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons. . . . In the evening I received the first degree in Freemasonry in the Nauvoo Lodge.” [6] Smith also recorded, “I was with the Masonic Lodge and rose to the sublime degree.” [7]

On May 4-5, 1842, mere weeks after obtaining the Masonic rituals, Smith introduced the LDS endowment ceremony to close friends, including Masonry’s nearly identical tokens, signs, penalties, prayer circle, new name ritual, apron, etc. Richard Bushman suggests “He had a green thumb for growing ideas from tiny seeds.” [8]

Mormonism’s bond with masonry ebbed and flowed with the political landscape, but by October 1842, Nauvoo’s 253 member lodge outnumbered the 227 Masons in all other Illinois lodges combined. Nauvoo Masons held a fundraising play on April 24, 1844 to pay Smith’s mounting legal bills. Brigham Young and other LDS Church leaders participated in lead roles. Years later, Heber C. Kimball quipped, “We have the true Masonry…they have now and then a thing that is correct, but we have the real thing.” [9] Smith’s last words when he was murdered in Carthage Jail came as he attempted to jump out of the window, “Oh Lord, my God…,” were the likely the first words of the Masonic cry of distress: “Oh Lord, my God, is there no help for the widow’s son?”

Some of the similarities between Masonry and Mormonism (specifically in the temple) include the following:

All Seeing Eye
Apron
Beehive
Square / Compass
Emblem of the clasped hands
Five points of fellowship
Special garments applied to initiates
Garment markings
Special hand grips
The phrase: “Holiness to the Lord”
A new name given
Blood/death oaths of secrecy with gestures and words describing specific penalties agreed to if secrets are revealed. Mormons going through the temple post-1990 may not be familiar with these.
Location (possession of) Throne of the “Holy of Holies”
Star, Sun, Moon symbols
Tabernacles, Temples
Mormon temple ceremonies have changed significantly over the years, but anyone who has experienced the LDS temple endowment will recognize the Masonic rituals. All the signs and tokens are essentially shared with Masonry or only slightly embellished. Mormon temple ceremonies are so similar that one historian called the endowment Celestial Masonry. [10]

LEARN MORE:

Mormon Expression: Mormonism and Masonry
Scottish Mason Lodge History
Development of Temple Endowment
See Duncan’s Masonic Ritual and Monitor of 1866
Signology.org – Masonic Signs
DENIALS OF MASONIC ORIGINS
Mormonism has long shared an awkward relationship with Freemasonry, unsure when to embrace or shun shun it completely. Prohibited from discussing the temple rituals, many members take it upon faith that ambiguous symbolism and hidden meanings stem from sacred and ancient origins.

The LDS Church has generally adopted the position that its temple rituals remain uninfluenced by Masonry. Efforts to propagate such thinking include the 1934 publication of Relationship of Mormonism and Masonry by general authority Anthony Ivins. The introduction of his book admonishes members to “refrain from identifying themselves with any secret, oath-bound society,” as such affiliation “tends to draw people away from the performance of Church duties.”

The Church’s sensitivity to its Masonic roots eased little over the decades. In 1974, Reed Durham, President of Mormon History Association and Director of Institute at University of Utah, delivered a speech on Masonry at their annual gathering. The Church reacted strongly, forcing him to write an apology before demoting him, effectively ending his career. [11] The Church today suggests that Masonic events and ideas served as a mere catalyst for further revelation.

BLOOD OATH
A penal oath, commonly referred to as a blood oath, was a known Masonic ritual requiring members to swear to surrender their lives rather than reveal the secret tokens and signs given them. Ceremony participants covenanted, “I will never reveal the [token]… Rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken.” The sworn obligation to secrecy and psychologically controlling aspects surrounding the temple experience are textbook indoctrination.

Members grew increasingly unconformable with the cryptic ritual, resulting in declining temple attendance, so the Church conducted a survey in 1988 to gauge member sentiment. The penal oath and explicitly performed penalties – pantomiming slitting of the throat, disemboweling oneself and ripping out the heart – were removed from LDS ceremony in 1990. Though no longer clearly identified in LDS ceremony today, remnants of the signs and penalty motions remain. At one point in the ceremony, temple patrons are instructed during a hand gesture to extend the thumb, which represents the blade with which you cut the throat and belly.

LEARN MORE:

LDS Temple Blood Oath
Mormon temple endowment ceremony transcript
1988 Temple Survey
LDS Temple Penalties
OATH OF VENGEANCE
Soon after Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, Brigham Young added an Oath of Vengeance to the LDS temple ceremony. “You and each of you do covenant and promise that you will pray and never cease to pray to Almighty God to avenge the blood of the prophets upon this nation, and that you will teach the same to your children and to your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.” The sacred practice was not eliminated until the early 1930s.

LEARN MORE:

MormonThink: Oath of Vengeance
SECRET NEW NAME
During the temple endowment ceremony, each member receives a new name which they are instructed to always remember, keep sacred and never reveal, except at a specific place inside the temple. Since January 1, 1965, each male and female who goes through the temple on any given day receives the exact same new name for each sex, regardless of which temple they attend across the globe.

These “secret” names are provided to the temple workers daily during a special prayer meeting. Every temple has a set of placards containing the male and female names, in addition to a number representing the day of the month. The new name each temple patron receives depends only on their gender, whether the ordinance is live or proxy, and the day of the month. An exception occurs if the name of the day coincides with the person’s actual first name, in which case he/she receives the replacement name of Adam/Eve respectively. For endowments given in languages other than English, new names are translated to their nearest equivalent in that language.

GARMENTS
Garments (specially designed underwear initially resembling long johns, and now t-shirts and boxer briefs) are to be worn at all times, day and night, to serve as a constant reminder of the covenants made within LDS temples. Members are provided specific instruction regarding how to care for the underwear, when it may be removed, and that they should not alter it in any way.

PHYSICAL PROTECTION
Early temple endowment practices had much more to do with polygamy than eternal families, and William Law’s public accusations brought the contentious issue to a head. Before coming out of hiding and surrendering to authorities, Smith instructed those who accompanied him to remove their garments. [12] Joseph, Hyrum and John Taylor removed their garments, while Willard Richards retained his. As the mob rushed into the small cell, Willard hid behind the heavy door and thus avoided harm. Folklore spread about how Smith’s death resulted from his not wearing garments.

Historian D. Michael Quinn writes, “In Mormon folklore the temple garment sometimes functions as a classic amulet that has power in itself. To some Mormons, the garment has power to protect only what it touches.” [13] Testimonies of physical protection powers occurred prior to Smith’s death, but accelerated dramatically thereafter. The Church has also promoted the physical protection aspect of garments. Bill Marriott declared in a 60 Minutes interview that his underwear protected him from certain harm, while Mike Wallace displays his professionalism during the exchange.



Paul H. Dunn also claimed that garments protected him in battle. As many of his sports/war stories were revealed to be fabrications, it became a turning point away from LDS literal protection claims.

Today, Mormons are offered ambiguous notions of spiritual protection and covenant reminders by wearing their temple garments day and night. By 1998, the Church was officially discounting the idea that garments offer physical protection, but that they merely guard against temptation and evil. [14]

LEARN MORE
LDS Endowment Timeline
IRR.org – Mormon Temple Endowment
My Temple Experience
Why So Many Duplicate Ordinances Performed?
[1] Leonard Arrington, Writing of Mormon History, 132.
[2] LDS author on FAIR and Mason.
[3] No Man Knows My History, 281.
[4] Smith to Colesville Saints, Dec 2, 1830.
[5] Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith.
[6] History of the Church, Deseret Book, 1978, Vol.4, Ch. 32, p. 550.
[7] History of the Church, vol 4, ch 32, 552.
[8] Rough Stone Rolling, 436, 449.
[9] Salt Lake City, Nov 9, 1858.
[10] Leonard Arrington, Writing of Mormon History, 257.
[11] Leonard Arrington, Writing of Mormon History, 259.
[12] Heber Kimball journal, Dec 21, 1845.
[13] Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, 276.
[14] Church Handbook of Instruction, Book 1, 69.

[Being There]

http://www.ldsendowment.org/timeline.html

Timeline of Changes

The timeline below summarizes the endowment's historical development.

1842 Two months after his initiation into Freemasonry, Joseph Smith administers the first endowments on the upper floor of his Nauvoo store. The rite consists of washing, anointing, clothing in the garment, and instruction in the signs, tokens, and keywords of the holy priesthood.
1843 Eternal marriage (sealings) and the second anointing are instituted.
Women receive the endowment for the first time.
1845 Under Brigham's Young leadership, the endowment is performed in the Nauvoo Temple as a ritual drama, with a Creation Room, Garden Room, Telestial Room, Terrestrial Room, and Celestial Room.
1877 The first recorded endowments for the dead are performed.
Brigham Young produces the first written text of the endowment, for use in the St. George Temple.
1893 Church leaders order minor alterations to the language and procedures of the endowment, trying to ensure greater consistency in how the endowment is administered in different temples.
1904-1906 The endowment is publicly scrutinized during Congressional hearings to determine if senator-elect Reed Smoot has taken a treasonable oath. Of particular concern is the "oath of vengeance," added to the ceremony after Joseph Smith's death.
1919-1927 A committee appointed by Heber J. Grant produces a revised endowment to be used in all temples. Changes include:
Eliminating the oath of vengeance.
Omitting graphic descriptions from the penalties.
Reducing the number of times the robes of the priesthood are changed from one shoulder to the other.
Discontinuing temple choirs (who had formerly performed the hymn chosen by Lucifer's preacher), in favor of congregational singing.
1923 The Church approves a shorter garment for optional use outside the temple (extending to the elbows and knees rather than the wrists and ankles). However, the longer garment remains mandatory for use in the temple.
1936 A codified explanation of the symbolism of the marks on the veil is added to the endowment.
1945 The endowment is administered in Spanish in the Mesa, Arizona temple, the first time the ceremony is administered in a language other than English.
1950s The first filmed versions of the endowment are made, for use in the Swiss and New Zealand temples (with different casts for different languages).
1960s Film becomes the standard medium for presenting the endowment. Filmed endowments take on a theatrical quality (with costumes, scenery, music, etc.) and are dubbed from English into other languages.

As the filmed endowment makes congregational singing awkward, the preacher's hymn is discontinued.
1970s Revisions are made to the portion of the ceremony involving Lucifer's preacher: Lucifer no longer specifies the amount of the preacher's salary, and a reference to Satan's having black skin is omitted.
1975 The long, pre-1923 garment becomes optional in the temple and is eventually discontinued.
1978 The lifting of the priesthood ban on blacks makes the endowment available to all Latter-day Saints, regardless of race.
1990 Following surveys of Church members' feelings about the endowment, major revisions are made:
All penalties, the five points of fellowship, and syllables purported to having meaning in the Adamic language are omitted.
The part of the preacher is eliminated, as well as a reference to Lucifer's "popes and priests."
Women no longer covenant to obey the law of their husbands.
Language which faults Eve for initiating the Fall is dropped.
Many references to Adam are replaced with references to Adam and Eve.
The lecture at the veil is discontinued.
Orders from Elohim are repeated fewer times for brevity's sake.
2005
Procedures for the initiatory are revised such that initiates clothes themselves in the garment before entering the washing room, thus eliminating the final vestiges of ritual nudity (which had been curtailed by introduction of the shield, probably during the 1920s). Water and oil are applied to the head only, not to multiple parts of the body.

2008
Possibly out of consideration for the elderly and disabled, initiates are no longer instructed to stand while making covenants.

Much of the information for this timeline was taken from David John Buerger, The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship (San Francisco: Smith Research Associates, 1994).

[Being There]

Nazis VS Freemasons – The robbing of the lodges
A film by JEAN PIERRE DEVILLERS, written by ERIC GIACOMETTI & JACQUES RAVENNE
Produced by ADLTV

http://www.lucky-you.tv/program/nazis-vs-freemasons/


Synopsis

Paris, June 14, 1940 – German troops parade on the Champs Elysees. The same day, special units loot the headquarters of French Masonic Obedience. By order of Alfred Rosenberg, the Nazi Party theorist, obsessed with the Judeo-Masonic conspiracy theory, they collect tons of archives and precious books and they ship them to Berlin. The aim is threefold: identifying all French Freemasons, highlighting the anti-fascist political networks and finding a hypothetical esoteric secret held by freemasons.

Why Nazis, the day they invaded Paris, made the looting of archives in the two main Masonic lodges one of their main priorities?

Why, later on, the powerful KGB decided, by order of the Kremlin, to steal this unusual loot from the Germans?

To run the investigation and elucidate the facts, Emmy-award winner Jean-Pierre Devillers will rely on two journalists and a group of freemasons and historians. In particular he will follow the work of American expert Patricia Kennedy Grimsted. The past episodes will be illustrated through animated archives and interviews.

The film will bring to light a little known story full of geopolitical drama and esoteric issues…



Hitler doing masonic handshakes and signs
https://big-lies.org/hexzane527/hitler- ... signs.html

So, why would Hitler do masonic handshakes and signs, if he was for real? Why was the supreme chief of the Nazi party, someone who was supposed to be an extreme anti-mason, doing masonic handshakes and signs?
The answer is simple and obvious: because Hitler was a mason of course (and a jew).
He was not what he seemed to be.
He was in fact a jew put in power to allow Jewish leaders to create Israel and have a lot of Jews going to it.

Of course, it could be fake photos, made by Jews in order to be "debunked" one day or another and thus to ridicule the theory that Hitler was a jew. Jews like to do things like that (for example, the African DNA of Hitler). However, all those photos have been well known for decades. Thus, such a thing would be very improbable. There would be two versions of the photos. This would be easy to find. This manipulation would have been identified quickly.

Publié par hexzane527 à 04:06

[Baurak Ale]

No use in responding to each item presented above. It would take too long and it’s all been refuted elsewhere. Simple rebuttals would suffice for almost any point. Cain had the first new name therefore it’s evil? Michael’s new name was Adam, Abram’s new name was Abraham, Jacob’s new name was Israel, etc. But I don’t want to waste energy on this thread besides to offer my own experience as a testimony to the truthfulness of the temple ordinances.

Holy writ is mute on elements of sacred mysteries; if they weren’t they would not be mysteries. But I have a book older than all holy writ in my heart: the Holy Ghost. When I was going through the temple for my own endowment ordinance, I was overcome with the most intense feeling of having been through it all before but only having forgotten it. Every gesture and detail came forcefully to my mind as if I had known it all before. It was the most familiar thing in the world to my 19-year-old self who didn’t even know that his parents got their sacred garments in connection with those ordinances. My father was escorting me through for that first time and so I leaned to him and said, “When did I do this before? I already know all these things.” He asked whether I was referring to the story of Adam and Eve. But I responded that I meant the movements, the vestiture, the tokens, etc. I knew that somehow my spirit already knew these things, and the Holy Ghost bore sacred witness to me that it was holy and good.

So are details in the written scriptures? No. But if that was the standard for confirming the truth of the mysteries, there’d be no mysteries. Even the apocrypha, such as the Gospel of Thomas, make only veiled references to these things saying that Christ’s purpose was to enable Adam and Eve to be united in the mirrored bridal chamber. Christ is the center of the temple ordinances for those who have the oldest and holiest book of scripture with them in their hearts: the Holy Ghost.

This is my testimony. I hope it benefits others who will open this thread and wonder if anyone out there really knows that these things are from God. I give my witness that they are.

[Hogmeister]

BEWARE THE MORMON ENDOWMENT


The corporate Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches its members that one of their ultimate goals in life is to enter into one of its temples, after passing a worthiness exam, and participate in the ordinances thereof. The four main ordinances are baptisms for the dead, the initiatory ordinance of washing and anointing, the endowment, and marriages/sealings of couples and families for time and all eternity; the latter three performed for both the living and the dead. While teens and young adults are able to receive “limited” recommends to participate in baptisms, the church’s primary focus is for adults to participate in the endowment.
However, the endowment as it stands in the church today is not only not based on revealed, canonized scripture, but every aspect of the temple endowment is warned against in the scriptures.

The Scriptural Endowment

The word “endowment” only appears five times in the scriptures, and all five of them are in the Doctrine and Covenants. The word “endowed” appears seven times; again all in the D&C. Section 105 is the first one that contains a combination of the two. Given on June 22, 1834 to the men of Zion’s Camp, the Lord says the following in verses 9-12:

D&C 105:9-12:
“Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion—That they themselves may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which I require at their hands. And this cannot be brought to pass until mine elders are endowed with power from on high. For behold, I have prepared a great endowment and blessing to be poured out upon them, inasmuch as they are faithful and continue in humility before me.” (Emphasis added.)

Verses 18 and 33 also mention an endowment:
“But inasmuch as there are those who have hearkened unto my words, I have prepared a blessing and an endowment for them, if they continue faithful.” and

“Verily I say unto you, it is expedient in me that the first elders of my church should receive their endowment from on high in my house, which I have commanded to be built unto my name in the land of Kirtland.”

Verse 12 refers to the baptized elders. Verse 18 refers to those not yet baptized. And verse 33 refers to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, the first and second elders of the church, as setting the example in receiving the Lord’s endowment after the completion of the Kirtland temple. While the verses in this section refer to the fact that the Lord had prepared an endowment for those who had been baptized, there’s no explanation as to exactly what the endowment was at that time.

To better understand what the Lord defines as His endowment, we need to fast-forward to the Lord’s acceptance of the Kirtland temple in Section 110:9:

“Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.”

Here the Lord is speaking in past tense regarding the promised endowment and is saying that his servants have already been endowed. This revelation took place only a week after the dedication of the Kirtland temple and we know of nothing resembling the current temple Endowment taking place therein. Therefore, what did the Lord refer to? The connecting piece is found in Joseph Smith’s preface of the Section,

“In the afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord’s Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us” (History of the Church, 2:435).

In short, Joseph Smith received the vision after he and the other Presidents partook of the Sacrament. What is the promise given in the Sacramental prayer?

“…that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.”

Or, think of the promise this way:

“…that the Spirit may endow them with power from on high.”

It really is that simple! The Lord promises those who have been baptized and renew their covenants by partaking the Sacrament that they will be endowed by the power of His Spirit to always be with them!

For the sake of completeness, the final mention of “endowment” in the D&C is in Section 124:39:

“Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.”

What is the ordinance of the temple that the Lord told the saints to perform in Nauvoo?
Baptism for the dead.

Even if people disagree with my conclusion of what the Lord’s scriptural endowment is for the baptized members of the church, we can also see that there is absolutely nothing mentioning a new name, garments of the holy priesthood, signs and tokens, and secretive oaths and covenants taken within a special ceremony.
Because of the lack of any sort of mention of the above, members cannot verify if the current Endowment is truly of God or not and the information of its origination is being withheld by the leaders.
However, a search of the scriptures will reveal what they have to say about each aspect of the current Endowment.

The New Name

The “new name” is given to a person as a precursor to the actual Endowment itself. Within the temple, a person is told to never reveal his or her new name until a specific time and place. That new name is also the name of one of the accompanying signs and tokens learned and received during the Endowment.
Even after the ordinance is complete, the person is told to safeguard and never reveal the new name,
but to always remember it.
Here’s the problem: Everyone who goes through the temple that day is given the same new name for each of the men and women, so there is no individuality in the process.

Who was the first to receive a new name after being born into a physical body in the scriptures? The answer is found in Moses 5:31:

“And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain.
Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness.”

That’s right; Cain received the new name of Mahan after swearing a blood oath with Satan in secrecy, also meaning that his new name was to be kept secret as the narrative continues to refer to him as Cain for the remainder of his story.

There are two other examples of people receiving new names in the scriptures: Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel. Both of these men received their new names by the Lord and, the more important point, they did not keep their new names secret. Thus we see that the pattern of receiving a new name within the temple more closely follows that of Satan’s than of God’s.

The “Garments of the Holy Priesthood”

Mormons get a lot of flak for their “sacred underwear” that they have to start wearing after going through the temple. A person isn’t clothed in the garments until after the washing and anointing of the initiatory ordinance; but the garment is considered a part of the Endowment due to its comparison with the coat of skins given to Adam and Eve as a shield and protection.
The scriptures themselves don’t say anything directly regarding something like the garment, but the connection can be made more easily after reading the statement in the First Presidency Letter of November 5, 1996 that the garment is, “an outward expression of an inner commitment.” Or, in other words, wearing the garment is an outward mark or token to separate the members of the church from everyone else in the world.

This raises a warning flag based upon the pattern established in the scriptures. In the Old Testament, Cain was the one marked with a curse for his murder of Abel. And in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were the ones who remained pure and white while the Lamanites were marked with dark skin and even splinter groups from the Nephites marked themselves according to their own pattern. Alma 2:4, 6-10 explains the pattern of the Lord marking people outwardly,

“And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites. … And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. And their brethren sought to destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women. And this was done that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed. Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him.”

Because the Lord is pure and holy, that is how he distinguishes His people: through their pure hearts regardless of their skin colors or previous markings. However, those people who reject the Lord’s covenants end up marking themselves outwardly. The garments themselves would not be a problem, other than the fear and control surrounding their continual use, if they were made of plain cloth and the notion of their protection was symbolic much like Paul’s definition of the armor of God, because baptized members are promised the keys of the ministering of angels and thus protection from guardian angels. However, the notion that the garments and the markings on them themselves will be the protection against spiritual and physical harm is the problem because those markings are Masonic, rather than scriptural in origin.

The Signs and Tokens

Before I go into an elaboration on the various signs and tokens learned and exchanged within the temple, there’s one issue that I need to address. Members are told to explain that these signs and tokens are “sacred” and that they should never be revealed to anyone outside of the temple.
The problem is that they are still kept secret from those who haven’t been through the temple.
Once again, numerous sacred ordinances are outlined within the scriptures for all to see, but the members still respect them in order to not trifle with sacred things as directed.
Anything that is not to be revealed except to the same people within closed walls is a secret, plain and simple.

With that explanation out of the way, here’s what the Book of Mormon says about secret signs and tokens in Helaman 6:22:

“And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant.”

The people referred to in this verse are the Gadianton robbers. In short, secret signs, tokens and names (including new names) are associated with secret combinations in the scriptures.

Where did the temple Endowment signs and tokens come from since there’s nothing regarding them in the scriptures? Non-Mormons will refer to the common argument that Joseph Smith stole the Endowment from a high-level Masonic ritual. These arguments are correct.
There are also common photos of Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson exchanging one of the Masonic/temple token handshakes with Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, both of whom have openly admitted to being members of secret societies.

Presidents of the church openly give one of the temple tokens to government leaders.

Finally, the tokens are not as secret as the church will admit given that published magazine articles have featured the exact same token handshakes as part of the use of chi in martial arts, as shown below:


The Oaths

The first secret combination between Cain and Satan was established thusly in Moses 5:29:

“And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it, they shall surely die; and this that thy father may not know it; and this day I will deliver thy brother Abel into thine hands.”

The Book of Mormon reiterates these same oaths being taken by secret combinations established within both the Jaredite and Nephite societies.

When a person experiences the current Endowment, they perform similar oaths after being told that they will be delivered to Satan’s power if they divulge any of the temple’s secrets. Also prior to 1990, people were also required to pantomime their own ritualistic suicide of slitting their throats, cutting out their hearts, and removing their bowels in order to mimic the suffering of their lives to be taken should they violated those oaths. There is also one particular temple oath that engages into the practice of idolatry by having the members consecrate all of their time, talents and energies to “the church” and not to God, thus violating the directive of the first two of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3-5.

This is the practice that most blatantly violates the scriptures, for Jesus Christ clearly taught both the Jews and the Nephites, “And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white; But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.” (Emphasis added.)




CONCLUSION


Based upon the Lord’s definition of endowment from the Doctrine and Covenants and the warnings against what currently takes place within the temple Endowment ceremony, we can not only conclude that the Endowment is not of God, but is used to deceive Mormons into joining themselves into a secret combination that infiltrated the church in its early days and altered what the Lord prescribed to be done with His holy house.

The Lord warned in D&C 124:47-48:

“And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfil the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord. For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practise before me, saith the Lord.”

Because the church does not what the Lord has said,
every temple it has built after the one in Kirtland is cursed and ripe for destruction due to the blatant mockery of God’s established pattern of openness, no secrets, and the sole teaching of repentance and baptism as the only saving ordinances with more or less coming of evil.

As there is no scriptural evidence in favor of the current Endowment, the members of the church have every right to refuse to recognize it as a legitimate ordinance. D&C Section 26 states that all things within the church are to be done with the common consent of the members.
Thus those members have every right to demand a full accounting of what the leaders, past and present, have kept secret from them. If the church leaders do not come forward to confess and repent of their unjust actions in deceiving the members in this way, they will have no choice but to be exposed and cut off in a manner very similar to the promised destruction of the cursed temples wherein there will not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.

Thank you for your posts. You have come a long way but, in my assessment, lack the complete picture in order to judge things more accurately. Clearly you have researched and thought a lot about this. I commend you for that. However, I would recommend you to study Nibley more. Ancient history is replete with information regarding endowments and Temples. It is not new teaching. It was restored of old. Even the old anti-christ reveals much about it in the effort to distort and confuse it as you have already observed with masonry. Gnosticism was a jewish anti-christ conspiracy against early Christianity and came before masonry and reveals signs, tokens, names and ciphers performed for the living and dead. The plague of Gnosticism made the councils at Nicaea a necessity to preserve at least the core of Christianity but they had to cut away a lot that was confused by Gnosticism. The order of the Illuminati (1776) is a later jewish anti-christian conspiracy in the gnostic tradition that further weaponized Christian masonry against Christianity. We are both well aware that the man who translated the amazing Book of Mormon with all its warnings against secret combinations was inducted into Christian masonry and that he himself admitted that he was inspired by it even though he was far from all in with it. Distorted and hidden history makes this a complex subject but I can clearly see that you have begun to tackle it. I hope you continue your research with that open mind. Good luck.

[Mindfields]

This single scripture lays waste to the Mormon endowment.

"For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them ball to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

[Hogmeister]

This single scripture lays waste to the Mormon endowment.

"For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them ball to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

The endowment does not prevent anyone from coming to Christ and partake of his goodness by degrees.

Compare the restored gospel with the Talmud religion and then we can discuss.

[Niemand]

This single scripture lays waste to the Mormon endowment.

"For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them ball to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

The endowment does not prevent anyone from coming to Christ and partake of his goodness by degrees.

Compare the restored gospel with the Talmud religion and then we can discuss.

The thing about the Talmud is that it is so big that very few people have ever read it all, and no one could memorise it all. Most Jews won't be familiar with most of it. In fact, a lot of rabbis probably aren't either.

[Niemand]

I can't see myself going back into the temple in the near future. They have banned ward trips to our local one, you have to mask, or did until recently, and you have to prebook in every single activity there now. I often used to work things out on the bus or in the temple itself. I also used to play it by ear on how much energy I had - if I was tired, I would avoid another session, if I was okay, I would go on another one. Looks like that's not going to happen now. Thank you bureaucrats and Covidiots.

They've also closed the canteen there, so there goes any social aspect to it. I used to appreciate bumping into people from other wards or branches, and fellowshipping with them. That's gone now. You can spend a whole day in the temple and never meet certain other people if they are on different sessions.

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

[iWriteStuff]

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

You mean the hack job with the audio/visual splice and dice, new verbiage, and changed covenants that we're not supposed to talk about until they talk about it?

[Hogmeister]

I can't see myself going back into the temple in the near future. They have banned ward trips to our local one, you have to mask, or did until recently, and you have to prebook in every single activity there now. I often used to work things out on the bus or in the temple itself. I also used to play it by ear on how much energy I had - if I was tired, I would avoid another session, if I was okay, I would go on another one. Looks like that's not going to happen now. Thank you bureaucrats and Covidiots.

They've also closed the canteen there, so there goes any social aspect to it. I used to appreciate bumping into people from other wards or branches, and fellowshipping with them. That's gone now. You can spend a whole day in the temple and never meet certain other people if they are on different sessions.

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

I hear you. This is not in the endowment itself though but management issues. That said I am not fond of some of the recent changes in the endowment and that make me wonder about the real motivation behind them. But that has little to do with the ancient history of an endowment as part of true religion.

[Mamabear]

I think Joseph had nothing to do with the endowment….They didn’t build the temple before he died, it was Brigham and the others.
When Joseph spoke of being endowed from on high in the scriptures it was about receiving the presence of the Lord. He wanted to wash and anoint people symbolically so as to bring their minds to that place to prepare them for the Lord’s literal presence. The Lord admonished the brethren in D&C 67 to seek his face but they needed to strip themselves of fears and jealousies.
And again in the latter part of D&C 93 they are chastised for not teaching this doctrine to their families (how to seek the Lord’s face).
The first half of that chapter explains that we can see him in this life….it is referred to as the “fullness” and the “truth and light.”
“And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.”

[Niemand]

I can't see myself going back into the temple in the near future. They have banned ward trips to our local one, you have to mask, or did until recently, and you have to prebook in every single activity there now. I often used to work things out on the bus or in the temple itself. I also used to play it by ear on how much energy I had - if I was tired, I would avoid another session, if I was okay, I would go on another one. Looks like that's not going to happen now. Thank you bureaucrats and Covidiots.

They've also closed the canteen there, so there goes any social aspect to it. I used to appreciate bumping into people from other wards or branches, and fellowshipping with them. That's gone now. You can spend a whole day in the temple and never meet certain other people if they are on different sessions.

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

I hear you. This is not in the endowment itself though but management issues. That said I am not fond of some of the recent changes in the endowment and that make me wonder about the real motivation behind them. But that has little to do with the ancient history of an endowment as part of true religion.

I've been around long enough to hear people explain that the endowment film was made longer so that we could appreciate it more than the previous one. (I remember one man doing six in a day - he was almost dead himself by the end of it!).... and then the same people explaining how it had to be shortened.

Mormons do love to contradict themselves!

The current version, much like many of our buildings, is a "one size fits all" model. They think it can be adapted to various different languages more easily by having pauses in it, etc.

The logical thing would be to have made separate English, Spanish and Portuguese language versions. We have enough members who speak each of those to produce their own versions. Maybe one or two other bigger languages like French... but they had to run with the same film for everyone. Micromanagement.

[Niemand]

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

You mean the hack job with the audio/visual splice and dice, new verbiage, and changed covenants that we're not supposed to talk about until they talk about it?

It feels like a slide show, or some kind of PowerPoint thing (both of which can be done well.)

I used to really enjoy all the footage of nature. Someone had taken great care in sourcing and editing that, and it was beautiful. I liked some of the artwork too.

I did have a chuckle once, when a friend of mine said afterwards, "I didn't know John Barry was a Mormon." (The music did sound very like John Barry's. I genuinely like a lot of his film scores, even if they are very lush.)

I haven't really moved on from (one of) the old version(s) yet. It's confusing especially if I'm tired. I did so many of them once that I took the women's part once by accident and no one noticed.

[Hogmeister]

This single scripture lays waste to the Mormon endowment.

"For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them ball to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

The endowment does not prevent anyone from coming to Christ and partake of his goodness by degrees.

Compare the restored gospel with the Talmud religion and then we can discuss.

The thing about the Talmud is that it is so big that very few people have ever read it all, and no one could memorise it all. Most Jews won't be familiar with most of it. In fact, a lot of rabbis probably aren't either.

Strictly speaking non jews are forbidden to study it. I wonder why? For this reason it was translated into English only recently. Martin Luther studied it though.

[ransomme]

I think Joseph had nothing to do with the endowment….They didn’t build the temple before he died, it was Brigham and the others.
When Joseph spoke of being endowed from on high in the scriptures it was about receiving the presence of the Lord. He wanted to wash and anoint people symbolically so as to bring their minds to that place to prepare them for the Lord’s literal presence. The Lord admonished the brethren in D&C 67 to seek his face but they needed to strip themselves of fears and jealousies.
And again in the latter part of D&C 93 they are chastised for not teaching this doctrine to their families (how to seek the Lord’s face).
The first half of that chapter explains that we can see him in this life….it is referred to as the “fullness” and the “truth and light.”
“And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.”

I would say that it's what the creation story teaches, what the endowment teaches. I think what and how we teach about the endowment got perverted. Our understanding of the endowment and it's meaning has been distorted.

[Mamabear]

I think Joseph had nothing to do with the endowment….They didn’t build the temple before he died, it was Brigham and the others.
When Joseph spoke of being endowed from on high in the scriptures it was about receiving the presence of the Lord. He wanted to wash and anoint people symbolically so as to bring their minds to that place to prepare them for the Lord’s literal presence. The Lord admonished the brethren in D&C 67 to seek his face but they needed to strip themselves of fears and jealousies.
And again in the latter part of D&C 93 they are chastised for not teaching this doctrine to their families (how to seek the Lord’s face).
The first half of that chapter explains that we can see him in this life….it is referred to as the “fullness” and the “truth and light.”
“And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.”

I would say that it's what the creation story teaches, what the endowment teaches. I think what and how we teach about the endowment got perverted. Our understanding of the endowment and it's meaning has been distorted.

Yes, it could be that it is what it teaches. But I’m not so sure anymore. We don’t even teach this doctrine in church. It’s the same doctrine that Christ taught his disciples of old and the same thing that Joseph taught the people.
I read in one of the manuals that the doctrine of the second comforter should not be discussed. Why? Because the 15 don’t have it (per Oaks) therefore everyone else should be kept in the dark. It’s wrong.
The true church of Christ would teach this doctrine to every member. Joseph said the least saint could obtain this blessing. What we have today is a replacement, counterfeit doctrine to deceive the saints.

[buffalo_girl]

I can't see myself going back into the temple in the near future. They have banned ward trips to our local one, you have to mask, or did until recently, and you have to prebook in every single activity there now. I often used to work things out on the bus or in the temple itself. I also used to play it by ear on how much energy I had - if I was tired, I would avoid another session, if I was okay, I would go on another one. Looks like that's not going to happen now. Thank you bureaucrats and Covidiots.

They've also closed the canteen there, so there goes any social aspect to it. I used to appreciate bumping into people from other wards or branches, and fellowshipping with them. That's gone now. You can spend a whole day in the temple and never meet certain other people if they are on different sessions.

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

We have had a reprieve from all the covid restrictions here. I could not hear a thing with the mask wearing of other workers along with the injunction to “use your temple voice”. Glad that has passed for now!

Personally, my favorite place to be is in Initiatory. I love the promises given to each person - living & dead. There is scriptural precedent for “washing, anointing, & clothing” ordinances.

As ‘the Gentile Church’, we no doubt have a lot to learn yet. We haven’t proven ourselves anymore than did Ancient Israel.

The indigenous people in our region do give family members ‘new names’ based on personality, visions, distinguishing acts as their lives unfold.

Many northern tribes did make & wear Holy Garments during the late 19th century Messiah movement during which time Shoshone men & women helped build the Logan Temple & were amongst the first members to do work for their kindred dead.

People seem to like embellishing things for some reason. I wonder at the reasoning behind extravagant adornment of temples. I wonder how the Ukraine Temple is faring.

The temples are good places to “think about eternity”. It’s a quiet place. You also rehearse the reality that NO ONE can get through mortality without the assistance of those along your path & it is living the higher law when we see the need of others and provide whatever assistance necessary.

That’s plain & simple enough as a practicum.

[Reluctant Watchman]

I feel that anything of God can and has been altered for the dark side at least at some point during human history. The LDS temple endowment is a great example of that. I will adamantly state that there is some truth in the LDS endowment, and there is some awful twisting of truth and some down right blaspheme. What has become of the modern LDS “endowment” is not what God intended for His children. Yes, there are signs and tokens that have great significance and remind us of sacred things, but not all of the current signs are of God or point toward the Savior.

I look forward with great anticipation to the day when my children can once again worship in a temple with the pure in heart, but I know this will only occur when the New Jerusalem is built.

[Niemand]

I can't see myself going back into the temple in the near future. They have banned ward trips to our local one, you have to mask, or did until recently, and you have to prebook in every single activity there now. I often used to work things out on the bus or in the temple itself. I also used to play it by ear on how much energy I had - if I was tired, I would avoid another session, if I was okay, I would go on another one. Looks like that's not going to happen now. Thank you bureaucrats and Covidiots.

They've also closed the canteen there, so there goes any social aspect to it. I used to appreciate bumping into people from other wards or branches, and fellowshipping with them. That's gone now. You can spend a whole day in the temple and never meet certain other people if they are on different sessions.

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

We have had a reprieve from all the covid restrictions here. I could not hear a thing with the mask wearing of other workers along with the injunction to “use your temple voice”. Glad that has passed for now!

Personally, my favorite place to be is in Initiatory. I love the promises given to each person - living & dead. There is scriptural precedent for “washing, anointing, & clothing” ordinances.

As ‘the Gentile Church’, we no doubt have a lot to learn yet. We haven’t proven ourselves anymore than did Ancient Israel.

The indigenous people in our region do give family members ‘new names’ based on personality, visions, distinguishing acts as their lives unfold.

Many northern tribes did make & wear Holy Garments during the late 19th century Messiah movement during which time Shoshone men & women helped build the Logan Temple & were amongst the first members to do work for their kindred dead.

People seem to like embellishing things for some reason. I wonder at the reasoning behind extravagant adornment of temples. I wonder how the Ukraine Temple is faring.

The temples are good places to “think about eternity”. It’s a quiet place. You also rehearse the reality that NO ONE can get through mortality without the assistance of those along your path & it is living the higher law when we see the need of others and provide whatever assistance necessary.

That’s plain & simple enough as a practicum.

The Ghost Dance movement.... New Names are common, not just with Cain, but we can also mention Saul-> Paul, Simon-> Peter and others. My favourite place is the baptistery. (Our initatory area is usually undermanned, and so it is very stop-start, which I find annoying.)

Apparently the Kiev Temple is okay from what I hear, although there is damage elsewhere. Turdeau is in Kiev this week, meeting his old friend Zelensky who graduated from Young Global Leaders in the same year he did. Boris Johnson was there before pretending to be brave. So if soft, smug chumps like them can visit the city, it's not so bad.

[Niemand]

I feel that anything of God can and has been altered for the dark side at least at some point during human history. The LDS temple endowment is a great example of that. I will adamantly state that there is some truth in the LDS endowment, and there is some awful twisting of truth and some down right blaspheme. What has become of the modern LDS “endowment” is not what God intended for His children. Yes, there are signs and tokens, but not all of the current signs are of God or point toward the Savior.

I look forward with great anticipation to the day when my children can once again worship in a temple with the pure in heart, but I know this will only occur when the New Jerusalem is built.

I have heard of rumours of Black Endowments or Dark ones, sort of a Satanic parody of the temple endowment. If you believe some people, these have been conducted out in the woods of Utah, or even in one or two temples.

[Cruiserdude]

I can't see myself going back into the temple in the near future. They have banned ward trips to our local one, you have to mask, or did until recently, and you have to prebook in every single activity there now. I often used to work things out on the bus or in the temple itself. I also used to play it by ear on how much energy I had - if I was tired, I would avoid another session, if I was okay, I would go on another one. Looks like that's not going to happen now. Thank you bureaucrats and Covidiots.

They've also closed the canteen there, so there goes any social aspect to it. I used to appreciate bumping into people from other wards or branches, and fellowshipping with them. That's gone now. You can spend a whole day in the temple and never meet certain other people if they are on different sessions.

They've pretty much killed off most of it for me. I'm glad the work for my close relatives has been done. I'm not really a fan of the endowment except the film... but Nelson has even had a go at that.

We have had a reprieve from all the covid restrictions here. I could not hear a thing with the mask wearing of other workers along with the injunction to “use your temple voice”. Glad that has passed for now!

Personally, my favorite place to be is in Initiatory. I love the promises given to each person - living & dead. There is scriptural precedent for “washing, anointing, & clothing” ordinances.

As ‘the Gentile Church’, we no doubt have a lot to learn yet. We haven’t proven ourselves anymore than did Ancient Israel.

The indigenous people in our region do give family members ‘new names’ based on personality, visions, distinguishing acts as their lives unfold.

Many northern tribes did make & wear Holy Garments during the late 19th century Messiah movement during which time Shoshone men & women helped build the Logan Temple & were amongst the first members to do work for their kindred dead.

People seem to like embellishing things for some reason. I wonder at the reasoning behind extravagant adornment of temples. I wonder how the Ukraine Temple is faring.

The temples are good places to “think about eternity”. It’s a quiet place. You also rehearse the reality that NO ONE can get through mortality without the assistance of those along your path & it is living the higher law when we see the need of others and provide whatever assistance necessary.

That’s plain & simple enough as a practicum.

The initiatory part has kind of been my favorite part of the temple work as well. The wording and phrasing of the promises in there really stuck with me and they just really seem to get my 'spiritual' attention.