Mormonism and temples/Endowment

FAIR Answers Wiki Table of Contents

The Mormon Endowment ordinance

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• Modern and ancient temple rituals
• Mormonism and temple garments
• Mormonism and temple clothing
• Changes to the Endowment ordinance
• The ordinance versus the ritual used to present the ordinance
• Relationship between the Endowment and Freemasonry
• Criticisms of the Mormon endowment ceremony

Modern and ancient temple rituals

Summary: Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum.

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• Question: Do modern temple rituals have analogues in early Christian practice?

Latter-day Saints and temple garments

Summary: Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum.

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• Question: Is the temple garment simply "magic underwear"?
• Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe that the temple garment will protect them from physical harm?
• Question: Is the wearing of the temple garment not supported by the Bible?
• Question: Are sacred garments used in other religious traditions?
• Question: What is the significance of the temple garment worn by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and what is the appropriate way to wear them?
• "Latter-day Saints 101: What Church Members Believe"
• "The Temple Garment: “An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment”"

Mormonism and temple clothing

Summary: Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: If God rejected the fig leaf aprons worn by Adam and Eve, why do Mormons wear aprons representing this in the temple?

Changes to the Endowment ordinance

Summary: Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Why would the Church remove or alter elements of the temple ceremony if these ceremonies were revealed by God?
• Question: Did other ceremonies or practices ever change in the ancient Church?
• Question: Is it ever allowable to modify a religious ceremony?
• Question: Was there an oath in a former version of the temple endowment that required vengeance upon the government of the United States?
• Question: Does the Oath of Vengeance have any biblical precedent?
• Question: Was the "Adam-God" theory ever taught as part of the temple endowment ceremony as something called "the lecture at the veil"?

The ordinance versus the ritual used to present the ordinance

Summary: Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum. Critics of Mormonism often confuse an ordinance with the manner in which the ordinance is administered. They therefore claim that changes to the presentation of the ordinance are not allowed.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Why would the Church remove or alter elements of the temple ceremony if these ceremonies were revealed by God?
• Question: Why were "penalties" removed from the Endowment?
• Question: Why isn't the temple ceremony based upon an earlier version of Freemasonry rather than what existed in Joseph Smith's time?

Relationship between the Endowment and Freemasonry

Summary: Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum. Some critics of Mormonism see similarities between the rites of Freemasonry and LDS temple ceremonies and assume that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason shortly before he introduced the Nauvoo-style endowment he must have plagiarized elements of the Masonic rituals. This viewpoint leads them, in turn, to conclude that the LDS endowment is nothing but a variant form of Masonic initiation and therefore not from a divine source.

Video published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jump to Subtopic:

• "Masonry," Church History Topics: "There are different ways of understanding the relationship between Masonry and the temple"
• Question: What criticisms are associated with the temple ritual and its relationship to Freemasonry?
• Question: When did Joseph Smith demonstrate knowledge of the elements of the endowment ritual?
• Question: Why would Joseph Smith incorporate Masonic elements into the temple ritual?
• Question: Why is confidentiality associated with the temple ordinances?
• Question: How do the goals of Freemasonry compare to those of the Latter-day Saint endowment?
• Question: Where did 19th-Century Latter-day Saints believe that Freemasonry came from?
• Question: Why is the Masonic symbol of the "All Seeing Eye" present on the Salt Lake Temple?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith copy Masonic material in order to create the Mormon temple rites?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith make up the temple ordinance or borrow them from an earthly source?
• Question: Do the temple endowment's similarities to Masonic rites have ancient roots?

Criticisms of the Mormon endowment ceremony

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Does consecration of everything that one has to the Church include political offices?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith create the temple ceremony as a way of teaching polygamy to certain members while keeping it a secret from the general public?