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LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 11th, 2023, 9:55 am
by Arm Chair Quarterback
BYU professor Charles Harrell notes,
“Though different in certain respects, many similarities can be seen between [the LDS] temple endowment and Freemasonry. For example, the endowment incorporated the same five points of fellowship (since 1990 it has no longer been used in the Mormon endowment), the same kinds of gruesome penalties (also discontinued in 1990), and the same compass and square symbols. The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’ Initiates for Freemasonry also wore ceremonial regalia (aprons, robes, etc.) with instructions that they were ‘never to be forgotten or laid aside.’ BYU humanities professor George S. Tate notes that prayer circles were also conducted by ‘Freemasons of the period [who] arranged themselves in circular formation around an altar, repeating in unison the received Masonic signs.’” (Charles R. Harrell, This Is My Doctrine(Part 2), Kindle edition, Location 2284ff [pp 312-314])
This excerpt is from an article published in 2019 when the church published its essay on "Masonry and Mormonism". The article discusses the main points of the essay in detail. Here's a link:
https://www.mrm.org/masonry-and-the-mor ... t-ceremony
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 11th, 2023, 10:41 am
by gkearney
Arm Chair Quarterback wrote: ↑November 11th, 2023, 9:55 am
BYU professor Charles Harrell notes,
“Though different in certain respects, many similarities can be seen between [the LDS] temple endowment and Freemasonry. For example, the endowment incorporated the same five points of fellowship (since 1990 it has no longer been used in the Mormon endowment), the same kinds of gruesome penalties (also discontinued in 1990), and the same compass and square symbols. The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’ Initiates for Freemasonry also wore ceremonial regalia (aprons, robes, etc.) with instructions that they were ‘never to be forgotten or laid aside.’ BYU humanities professor George S. Tate notes that prayer circles were also conducted by ‘Freemasons of the period [who] arranged themselves in circular formation around an altar, repeating in unison the received Masonic signs.’” (Charles R. Harrell, This Is My Doctrine(Part 2), Kindle edition, Location 2284ff [pp 312-314])
This excerpt is from an article published in 2019 when the church published its essay on "Masonry and Mormonism". The article discusses the main points of the essay in detail. Here's a link:
https://www.mrm.org/masonry-and-the-mor ... t-ceremony
Well he's got a rather major things wrong here, likely he never went through the Masonic degree work..
1. "The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’" While Masonry does want to improve the person the Masonic rituals do not reference Adam as the endowment does. This is a major error on the professor's part and a simple reading of Duncan's Rituals should have prevented him from making such a mistake.
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 12th, 2023, 1:14 pm
by Robin Hood
gkearney wrote: ↑November 11th, 2023, 10:41 am
Arm Chair Quarterback wrote: ↑November 11th, 2023, 9:55 am
BYU professor Charles Harrell notes,
“Though different in certain respects, many similarities can be seen between [the LDS] temple endowment and Freemasonry. For example, the endowment incorporated the same five points of fellowship (since 1990 it has no longer been used in the Mormon endowment), the same kinds of gruesome penalties (also discontinued in 1990), and the same compass and square symbols. The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’ Initiates for Freemasonry also wore ceremonial regalia (aprons, robes, etc.) with instructions that they were ‘never to be forgotten or laid aside.’ BYU humanities professor George S. Tate notes that prayer circles were also conducted by ‘Freemasons of the period [who] arranged themselves in circular formation around an altar, repeating in unison the received Masonic signs.’” (Charles R. Harrell, This Is My Doctrine(Part 2), Kindle edition, Location 2284ff [pp 312-314])
This excerpt is from an article published in 2019 when the church published its essay on "Masonry and Mormonism". The article discusses the main points of the essay in detail. Here's a link:
https://www.mrm.org/masonry-and-the-mor ... t-ceremony
Well he's got a rather major things wrong here, likely he never went through the Masonic degree work..
1. "The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’" While Masonry does want to improve the person the Masonic rituals do not reference Adam as the endowment does. This is a major error on the professor's part and a simple reading of Duncan's Rituals should have prevented him from making such a mistake.
If he's got something that easy to check wrong, the rest of his claims are highly suspect in my view.
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 12th, 2023, 5:24 pm
by Arm Chair Quarterback
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 1:14 pm
gkearney wrote: ↑November 11th, 2023, 10:41 am
Arm Chair Quarterback wrote: ↑November 11th, 2023, 9:55 am
BYU professor Charles Harrell notes,
“Though different in certain respects, many similarities can be seen between [the LDS] temple endowment and Freemasonry. For example, the endowment incorporated the same five points of fellowship (since 1990 it has no longer been used in the Mormon endowment), the same kinds of gruesome penalties (also discontinued in 1990), and the same compass and square symbols. The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’ Initiates for Freemasonry also wore ceremonial regalia (aprons, robes, etc.) with instructions that they were ‘never to be forgotten or laid aside.’ BYU humanities professor George S. Tate notes that prayer circles were also conducted by ‘Freemasons of the period [who] arranged themselves in circular formation around an altar, repeating in unison the received Masonic signs.’” (Charles R. Harrell, This Is My Doctrine(Part 2), Kindle edition, Location 2284ff [pp 312-314])
This excerpt is from an article published in 2019 when the church published its essay on "Masonry and Mormonism". The article discusses the main points of the essay in detail. Here's a link:
https://www.mrm.org/masonry-and-the-mor ... t-ceremony
Well he's got a rather major things wrong here, likely he never went through the Masonic degree work..
1. "The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’" While Masonry does want to improve the person the Masonic rituals do not reference Adam as the endowment does. This is a major error on the professor's part and a simple reading of Duncan's Rituals should have prevented him from making such a mistake.
If he's got something that easy to check wrong, the rest of his claims are highly suspect in my view.
I'm not sure he got it wrong. I think he was alluding to "Adam" as the character who represented man's journey through mortality. In the Masonic rite the character is named "Hirum", however, he represents man the same way Adam represents mankind.
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 12th, 2023, 6:07 pm
by gkearney
Arm Chair Quarterback wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 5:24 pm
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 1:14 pm
gkearney wrote: ↑November 11th, 2023, 10:41 am
Well he's got a rather major things wrong here, likely he never went through the Masonic degree work..
1. "The Masonic ritual included a rehearsal of the ‘periods of creation’ as initiates representing Adam progressed through stages according to their ‘sincere desire to make advances in knowledge and virtue.’" While Masonry does want to improve the person the Masonic rituals do not reference Adam as the endowment does. This is a major error on the professor's part and a simple reading of Duncan's Rituals should have prevented him from making such a mistake.
If he's got something that easy to check wrong, the rest of his claims are highly suspect in my view.
I'm not sure he got it wrong. I think he was alluding to "Adam" as the character who represented man's journey through mortality. In the Masonic rite the character is named "Hirum", however, he represents man the same way Adam represents mankind.
Then why not make it clear the reference is to Hirum Abiff the central figure of the Masonic rituals?
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 12th, 2023, 7:49 pm
by Arm Chair Quarterback
gkearney wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 6:07 pm
Arm Chair Quarterback wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 5:24 pm
Robin Hood wrote: ↑November 12th, 2023, 1:14 pm
If he's got something that easy to check wrong, the rest of his claims are highly suspect in my view.
I'm not sure he got it wrong. I think he was alluding to "Adam" as the character who represented man's journey through mortality. In the Masonic rite the character is named "Hirum", however, he represents man the same way Adam represents mankind.
Then why not make it clear the reference is to Hirum Abiff the central figure of the Masonic rituals?
We're making a critique of only a paragraph of his writings. If we had the entire white paper, it may be more clear why that paragraph didn't include mention of Hirum Abiff.
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 12th, 2023, 7:58 pm
by Peeps
Nor the LDS temple rituals, or the Masonic temple rituals, have anything to do with what went on in the Biblical temple (unless it was one of the many pagan temples King Solomon built for his many wives).
1 Kings 11:
1 "But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.."
So *if* Masonry came down from King Solomon, and his friends from Tyre (God discusses the King and Prince of Tyre in a bad light in Ezekiel 28), it is likely corrupt and pagan.
Acts 7:
41 "And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built him an house.
48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
50 Hath not my hand made all these things?
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."
This is what they were doing in the Biblical tabernacle (representing our mortal body), and the temple ( representing our immortal body).
Re: LDS Endowment: Biblical Temple Restoration or Masonic Copy?
Posted: November 12th, 2023, 10:01 pm
by Juliet
Didn't some of the early saints receive the endowment in a single room of a home?