There are 170 Mormon temples “dotting the earth” as of today. Thousands of people drive by them on major highways everyday…and think to themselves… “what in the world goes on inside those Mormon temples?”
So here it is. I’m going to give it to you straight.
So much of the rhetoric on the temple over the years has vilified the Church and painted Mormons as a cult, but a careful study of other religions and their practices will show that Mormons and their temples are not that weird after all.
By looking at the dictionary definition of a cult shown to the right, you’ll see that every religion “and it’s adherents” could be considered to be a cult. Christ and His followers were “unorthodox and spurious” to the Jews and no doubt labeled as the most notable “cult” of all time.
In Dan Brown’s book “The Lost Symbol”, Professor Langdon asked his students,
“Would you consider Coca-Cola a secret society?”
“Of course not” the student said
“Well what if you knocked on the door of corporate headquarters and asked for the recipe for Classic Coke?”
“They’d never tell you” came the reply…
“Exactly. In order to learn Coca-Cola’s deepest secret, you would need to join the company, work for many years, prove you were trustworthy and eventually rise to the upper echelons of the company, where that information might be shared with you. Then you would be sworn to secrecy.”
In this same discussion Professor Langdon considered himself to be part of a “cult” and it freaked out his students. He said,
“don’t tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh”… that I might add is considered to literally turn into blood and flesh as it enters the mouth…
Langdon’s class looked horrified!
Then he shrugged and said, “And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take the Holy Communion.”
His classroom went silent… and Langdon winked…
“Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we don’t understand.”
I have personally sat in hundreds of Christian churches and witnessed many things that were different to me. I still remember from the days on my mission in Michigan being brought to the front row of Pentecostal churches and watching the dancing, the rolling, and the yelling. It was awesome and I loved those people. It seemed strange to me but I wanted to understand why they did what they did.
I can visualize the many people that were “speaking in tongues” at me (I might add that there was not an interpreter) and the feeling that I got.
Here’s the deal, Mormon temples and the things that they do in them is not that weird, especially in the context of what was done in temples from Biblical times.
Mormons believe that the temple is the most sacred place on earth and that “only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” They literally believe that it is the House of the Lord. A place that has been built for Him to come and dwell among His people if He so chooses.
Contrary to what many people think, what goes on inside the temple is not a secret. Every temple has an open house before it is dedicated in which thousands of non-members of the LDS faith are able to walk through the temple in its entirety. The happenings there have been publicized by disaffected members on the internet and in many publications. However, Mormons do believe that what goes on inside the temple is sacred and deeply personal.
The entire purpose of the LDS restoration and existence of the Mormon Church points to the temple. Joseph Smith said that, “The main object [of the restoration] was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose.”
Mormons consider the temple the first place of learning. The Lord’s university if you will. It’s the original place of “higher learning”. The word uni-versity in and of itself denotes “all things” [versum] and [uni] unify/unite and the bringing of all things together in one, which is something that Paul spoke to the Ephesians about [Eph 1:10]. The temple is the place where the Atonement is best understood and explained. You also have the latin word [veritas] which is the motto for many universities meaning “truth”. The temple is a place of unification. Families, God, Truth, and creations of all kinds…all being united and bound together through the power of the Atonement of Christ.
The temple is thought of anciently as the place where one goes to get his or her bearings on life. The word temple comes from the latin “templum” or template. It was thought of as the “omphalos” or the very navel of the earth. The place between heaven and earth where God would give nourishment to His children just as a mother gives nourishment to her children.
Inside the temple we learn about the plan of salvation and perform work for the living and the dead. We make covenants with God and receive promised blessings according to our faith and obedience. Paramount in my mind to anything else we do in the temple is to become married for “time and all eternity” instead until “death do you part”. No one who wishes to enter will be turned away if they are willing to live and keep the commandments.
To go back to the fictional Professor Langdon… “Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we don’t understand.”
If something ever seems strange to you, consider all of the other things that you so readily believe…because entering an LDS temple is just something that is too good to pass up.
What are your thoughts about the the influence freemason secret societies had on Joseph Smith as it relates to temple rituals creaminess and symbolism? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_Freemasonry
I am a Freemason and a temple attending Mormon. That’s a pretty complicated and sensitive topic. Having experienced both many times, I can the two ceremonies have a great deal of differences and the overall experience is quite a bit different. To add to Greg’s point, the kind of ceremonial elements the two rituals have in common actually used to be quite common to both religious and secular groups. You would think Monopoly and Risk were closely related, but maybe not so much after you played Life, Sorry or other games. It actually makes a lot of sense that the Restoration of all things would have ceremony like the Endowment. Psychology professor Mark Koltko-Rivera, a Mason and a Mormon, gave a lengthy, informative and appropriately handled lecture on the topic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCu0d-SjrN0
I listened to the video on the subject of
“Masonic Initiations Rituals and Mormon Temple Ceremony”, while Mark explained his point of view in plain english, it did not appear Mark thought very deeply about anything he was saying. Comparing the similarities of “Mormon temple ceremonies” and “Masonic Initiation Ceremony” to childish games such as “Life” or “Candy Land” appears to be a very naive understanding of the subject of history. Mark keeped using the word “stole”, ceremonies are not an object which can be taken away from one and give to another, rather you can only copy or imitate, and then alter as you see fit. Other wise you left to make it up as you go, which is at the heart of the “the book of abraham” controversy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham#Controversy_and_criticism. Which appears to be what transpired between the mormons and masons, hence the similarities between the two. Here’s is a much more elaborate accounting of the history of the mormon church written by BYU professor of history. http://mormonhistoricsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MHS3.1Spring2002Garr.pdf
Please remember that you are focusing on Wikipedia, a source that recently was proven to have OVER 60% incorrect information. If you had a coworker or family member that you knew for a fact lied that much, how much stock would you take in financial tips they gave you?
Do you have any thoughts about the changes to the temple ceremony in 1989? Did you attend the temple before that? What about changes to garment length?
Adding to Amy’s questions, what are your thoughts about the 1889 temple ceremonies? What about the changes to washings and anointings in 2005?
I am confused as to why some people have such a hard time with change. Everything changes, or progresses. Today is today. Learn from the past, what works and what does not. The Lord know what we can handle and will give us what we need, and that may change from time to time. That does not necessarily mean that He changes, but we most certainly do.
Except God never changes, he was the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yeah. Don’t get hung up on thinking the symbolism is the substance. No one freaks out that wine was changed to water in the sacrament. Because it isn’t about being water or wine, it’s about what the SYMBOL represents.
As a former believing Mormon, I struggled with temple attendance. In 20+ years of adult membership, I estimate I went to the temple 15-20 times. That might be on the low end of the active Mormon spectrum, but I don’t think it’s too far off the average.
I think there’s a reason for that, and I don’t think it’s necessarily because it’s ‘weird’ (although most would agree the temple ceremony is VERY unusual). There really isn’t a lot of learning going on. The ceremony consists of endless repetition, and it is the exact same each time. So whatever ‘learning’ that takes place in the temple quickly becomes the attendee’s responsibility, because the official script only takes a couple of times to understand.
This is the heart of the problem. I know a few people who really enjoy going to the temple. If they receive inspiration or guidance in there, then I’m happy for them. But why is there such lackluster attendance for the vast majority of members? If the supposed crowning achievement of the Mormon church (and really the world’s existence) is the temple experience, why is there such a chronic lack of attendance? For me, it’s because there really isn’t a lot of learning or inspiration that goes on there. Certainly not enough to sacrifice time and money to go there on a routine basis. And for a church that constantly beats the ‘temple at all costs’ drum from young children to adulthood, it usually is a letdown when members go there.
Hi brad,
As a current mormon I’m probably on the high end of temple attendance. Since my mission almost 3 years ago, I’ve attended weekly, first as a temple patron and mostly now as a temple worker. So I’ve roughly participated probably around 150 times. First, our perspective colors things. We seen things from our own perspective. You rarely attended and so attendance apears low. I consistently attend so I picture people going pretty regularly (like once a month). My stake also has a disproportionate number of temple workers. I think much attendance probs have more to do with logistics than material. For many members there’s probs of distance, time commitment, and managing children/work around that. It’s not like church where there’s a set time and children’s programs.
Though you can certainly speak for you, I don’t think that is necessarily true for many members (about value/learning). For me it’s a constant learning experience. But it’s also a very different one. I liked greg’s description of a template. The pattern, phrasing, etc tie back into the patterns throughout scripture and have illuminate it. And where most learning experiences in the church (and western culture in general), focuses heavily on straight forward messages and linear thought. The temple heavily focuses on symbols and actions as a means to learn. It also means that meaning is not limited to just what is immediately stated or found. It isn’t linear but pattern oriented learning. The symbols are a tying force and integrate into other symbols found in scripture/life. That difference is why I love it….but I can also see why the significance of it can easily remain largely untapped. It is like clay. Some people just see a block of dirt sitting on the table. Other see an experience waiting to happen, remolded, and used in very different ways.
I absolutely love to attend the temple. Every time I go I find it is a learning experience. I find even more so now that I am so familiar with the basic script I can pay more attention to the finer details. When my children were small I attended about every six months. When you have tiny children and nursing babies and the temple is several hours away it can be hard to find the time to go. Now that my children are a little older I go at least once a month and if the temple was closer I would go happily once a week. Once my children are all out of the house I plan on spending a lot of time there as an ordnance worker.
I believe that the heart of your problem, and I do not say this with any intent to sound rude, is that there was not a truly grounded testimony from the beginning. But that is a problem that can be fixed 🙂 And I hope that it will be. There is so much beauty and love in the temple. I hope that you will give it all another try.
I think you are missing a big point, we don’t go to the temple just to learn, we go there to serve others. I’ll be honest, especially when I am pregnant, my mind wanders during a session sometimes. But I am not only there for selfish reasons, I am there to allow someone who has died to continue on in their eternal journey. THAT is why people need to go more often, to serve others. I think if we go through life constantly thinking what do I get out of this? We will always be disappointed, but if we think, how am I helping others, we will constantly be fulfilled.
Brad, I am a current active member who has attended the temple since the Mid-70’s. So literally also in the hundred+ category. I can say that just like reading my scriptures, even though they do not change and haven’t changed since my membership began, I find new wisdom in them each time I earnestly seek for it. Maybe because my life experience changes from minute to minute and my understanding become more focused at different times on different things. I notice or am sensitive to certain concerns in my life to which the scriptures can give me inspiration and direction. It’s the same with the temple. Not only can I give service to those who have not had the opportunity to get the blessings of the temple during this mortal life, but I can put myself in the proper spiritual frame of mind to receive the promptings of the spirit which the Lord gives me for my understanding and strengthening. The temple to me is a wonderful place to recommit my faith, my willingness to repent, change and bring my life in adherence to the Lord’s will all the while blessing the lives of those who wait in the spirit world for the importance ordinances to be completed for them. As for why there are not more valiant efforts made from the members to be consistent in their attendance, we are all humans and are subject to the temptations of the adversary. He certainly will do anything to keep us from helping the plan of salvation go forward. If he can disrupt the family, get us to fight, cause unhappiness, he will do so. Many times going to the temple, I had situations arise that would have generally disrupted my readiness to feel the spirit. I would have to remind myself of what I was doing and at times I needed to pray until I was ready to attend in the proper spirit. A few times I needed to ask for my wife’s forgiveness as well after having words before leaving for the temple. I love the temple and the feeling I get after serving there. There really is no other place quite like it on earth.
You seem young enough that you probably never experienced fear in the temple. I served my mission in 1984 and the slashing of the throat was just too vivid for me to really ever enjoy the temple. However I was really relieved when they removed the scary stuff out of the endowment and going to the temple just got easier for me. But it still makes me wonder what kind of God I worship. Certainly not “never changing one”, thank goodness.
God is unchanging. Being unchanging does not mean one can’t adjust protocol to best teach a certain group and time period of people. I am very glad I do not live under the law of Moses but I can see that the ancient Israelites would not have been able live under the higher law we have been given. But the change did not change God. He works with us at the level we are able to handle. Maybe the understanding of how serious our temple covenants are has begun to sick deeper into our hearts so the dramatic effect is no longer needed.
Joseph Smith became a Master mason before any temple ceremonies were “revealed” to him. Mormons have all the hand shakes in their temple that the freemasons have in the master mason ritual. That’s no secret. People wonder why Joseph Smith and the saints were persecuted? Well, one reason was certainly due to masons finding out that Joseph Smith was using freemason hand shakes in a religion. Those handshakes were sacred to freemasons and Smith copied them and he copied texts from the master mason ritual. You can read the master mason ritual text from the 1830s online. My uncle is a freemason and he said that the rituals of the freemason didn’t come from king soloman’s temple. The symbols on the lds garments are the same ones seen on mason temples that you can see in your own cities, everywhere. Also the dictionary definition of “cult” can be used to describe many religions and organizations. What really defines a cult? An organization that tells its followers that if they leave that organization, they will be sorry or they will never be with their family again. This is what the lds church does. When people decide to resign, lds headquarters sends a letter saying that all their ordinances, like temple sealings to their family, are void. Therefore, they won’t be with their family in heaven. Taking away someone’s family is the cruelest form of fear any organization can inflict. If that’s not a cult, then I dont know what is. Not to mention, the previous blood oaths and naked touchings done in the endowment session in the lds temples.
If you no longer believe in the faith under which you are sealed, why would it bother you that they told you the sealing was void? You don’t believe in it, you walked away from it.
What are sealings for? Why are sealings done? So that families can be together forever If all members of that family keep their covenants on earth. A belief that the only way for me to be with my family in heaven is to be LDS, which means being sealed and following LDS rules is a system of manipulation by means of a fear tactic. If a person still believes thru will be with their family after they die even though they arent LDS or sealed in an LDS temple, then that person is told their belief is wrong and only the LDS belief is correct. That’s why a letter saying all the covenants are void, and therefore you cant be with your family after this earth life. I am not bothered by the fact that an organization says my sealing is void. I’m bothered by the fact that a multi billion dollar organization would use “fear of losing my family” as means to convert and retain members. In the recent Tom Philips summons against the church in England, lawyers for the LDS church stated on court records that the LDS church’s doctrine is belief and not fact. Since that’s the case, then why tell people they must do certain things in order to be with god and their family after this life? The religion’s mode of operation is not based on suggestive behavior and obedience. It’s based on absolute statements. That’s why people call it a cult. Although I dont think the current definition of “cult” in the American English dictionary accurately defines what most people consider to be a cult on today’s society. I think the definition should be changed to reflect the element of manipulation and fear of members don’t follow absolute requirements as members of an organization.
And yet your own logic is flawed. If you don’t believe in the LDS church than their manipulation of you losing your family couldent work. Its not a manipulation tactic. Because how can you be afraid of something you believe to be wrong.I’m not afraid of the boogyman now but as a child my parents used it to keep me in bed at night. The only reason it worked was I believed he would grab me if he saw my feet. Now that I no longer believe or rather know that he doesn’t exist, it cannot be used as a tool to keep me in bed. The same theory applies here. If someone believes that through their faith they will be with their family forever, great. But if you no longer believe that faith, then the punishment’s of said faith must also lose validity as well.
Spot on Greg. Your premise is correct. All religion from Ra to Zeuss, Elohim to Yaweh, is weird and crazy. But your conclusion is lacking. Instead of embracing the crazy. Let’s all just let go of it shall we? Let’s continue the evolution of human society we began long ago when we decided to stop believing the world flat and the sun rotates around “us” (the earth). Maybe the universe is not all about us.
But then, Fred, maybe it is about us and our relation to God who rules over the whole universe. What’s crazy to one may not be crazy to God. After all our ways are not his ways and vise versa.
Thanks for a great article. I love how the LDS church sends missionaries all over the world to offer something uplifting that they have found, instead of trying to scare people away from other religions by trashing them (which would be very easy to do).
This is so true. Other churches have full on classes during their Sunday service on how to bash with Mormons. Kind of sad you know!
I see he forgot to mention the part about the temple open house, where after all the non lds people are done “trampling” this sacred place, that ALL the carpets and wall paper are removed so the building is “clean” again…
Temples are so beautiful, only the best goes into making the temple because it’s a sacred place and the lords house. I went to the kansas city open house a couple of years ago, i saw the ceiling room, the babtisimal font, etc. I’m only 14 so i have only performed babtisms for the dead, but its such a great experience aside from your own babtism of course!
It is simple as this. Decide to be an honest truth seeker by asking yourself “Is there a right and wrong?” “If there is, who determines what is right and wrong?” Then be humble and seek it out. Christ promised, seek and ye shall find. I decided to exercise some faith so I put it to the test and found out that he made good on His promise. I love that promise! There is an absolute truth, and I have found that it is being revealed and taught through Christ’s chosen servants on the earth: President Monson, his counselors, and the quorum of the 12 Apostles. But don’t just take my word for it, go find out for yourself!
Jacob, by definition “Faith” can not be tested or verified, if it were, then it would no longer be faith, because it would be subject to the scientific method. Hence the quote 2 Corinthians 11:13 which preaching against false prophets and apostles of christ. As for the mormons, Mathew 21:12 comes to mind, Christ would never condone the LDS for profit companies, ie “desert management company” (DMC) the churches for profit portfolio corporation.
Does the LDS church teach that wives need a secret name in order to get into heaven…that they cannot get through the “veil” unless their husband calls them by their secret name?
Oh, please. There is nothing in the concept of sealings that can emotionally do any harm to any person who doesn’t believe in it, even if the government allowed Mormons to seal every person on the planet living or dead by proxy.
“Joseph Smith became a Master mason before any temple ceremonies were ‘revealed’ to him. Mormons have all the hand shakes in their temple that the freemasons have in the master mason ritual. That’s no secret. People wonder why Joseph Smith and the saints were persecuted? Well, one reason was certainly due to masons finding out that Joseph Smith was using freemason hand shakes in a religion. …. ***** The symbols on the lds garments are the same ones seen on mason temples that you can see in your own cities, everywhere.”****
There is a reason LeGrand Richard spoke of Mormonism as the American Religion.
As for the Book of Abraham being Egyptian…
Face it, if temples were not beautiful buildings, no one would believe what goes on in them….