Temple Shock

[_Analytics]

To me, the central theme of an advanced spiritual ritual should be love. It should be about getting in touch with your own humanity and the way in which people are connected and interdependent. It should make you more sensitive to the needs, feelings, and virtues of others. It should teach you to be less judgmental of other people.

In contrast, the central theme of the covenants of the endowment isn't love, but rather loyalty. Obey the church, sacrifice all you have for the church, don't speak evil of the leaders of the church (without regard to whether or not that speech would be true), and give yourself, your time, and everything you own to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The most appealing part of the Endowment ceremony is Adam's noble quest for further light and knowledge. I really like Adam's no-compromise attitude when it comes to his perceptions and his integrity.

The least appealing part is the attitude of elitism it gives--it gives God's secret handshakes to God's chosen people wearing God's holy underwear on their journey to becoming gods, goddesses, kings, and queens. It tries to motivate through pride and greed rather than charity and love..

(plagerized from a second-rate anti-Mormon website)

[_KimberlyAnn]

Thank you to everyone who has replied to the thread.

Harmony and Jersey Girl, I have enjoyed your recent back-and-forth posting of late, and for someone who's never been to the temple, you've made some good points, Jersey Girl.

Pokatator, I agree with what you wrote, and appreciate your contribution so much. You captured my thinking on the Mormon concept of God perfectly!

Consig, I also appreciate your response, as well as Jason's. It's nice to have active Mormons kindly contributing to what could have been a contentious topic. I am well, thank you, and hope that you are, too.

Analytics, I've been to your site before, but didn't know it was yours! Thanks for the link.

Cinepro, the secrecy could have something to do with Masonry, but the endowment and garments were originally for only those men and women involved in polygamy, weren't they? That may have been the basis for their secrecy, at least at the beginning.

Again, thanks all.

Kimberly Ann

[_John Larsen]

Before I went through the temple, I had been reading a lot of Christian writing and Christian apologetics. I was taken up with the idea that Mormonism was just a (slightly better) form of Christianity and we were part of the ecumenical community. I realize now that all of that changed the day after I went through the temple but I didn't realize it. I no longer enjoyed reading Christian writings or arguing for the mainstreaming of Mormonism. I think, on a deep level and subconscious level I learned that we really weren't part of the Christian community.

I also felt like something had been taken from me. Before I thought I knew the Church and its teachings, after that, I realized there was much that had been deliberately kept from me. It made me a bit more skeptical. More than anything, on that day I was confused. The experience was about as far from something spiritual that I can imaging. But it took me years to admit that to myself.

[_Jersey Girl]

Harmony and Jersey Girl, I have enjoyed your recent back-and-forth posting of late, and for someone who's never been to the temple, you've made some good points, Jersey Girl.

I don't have to go to the Temple to understand what goes on there, the variety of ways in which people react to it, or the interplay of the dynamics involved.

I've been around LDS for the better part of 30 years, KA. I understand the dynamics that come into play when people feel they cannot share their true feelings with family and other members. It sets up a person for feelings of inadequacy and isolation.

What I see most wrong (in my opinion) in Mormonism is that often it pits people against their own loved ones.

Again, it's just not okay.

[_Pokatator]

What I see most wrong (in my opinion) in Mormonism is that often it pits people against their own loved ones.

Again, it's just not okay.

This is so true and never more evident than when family members can't attend their own family weddings. This policy alone causes so much division and bad feelings that it is impossible to list or describe or understand the church's motive on this.

I have had several occasions to explain to family members what a Mormon temple marriage is like and it is usually met with open mouthed awe and disbelief.

I explain the typical scenario somewhat like this: Usually you have a RM that has already gone through the temple coming home and taking and marrying the first Mormon girl that turns his head. Now they go to the temple to be married.

She goes through the 3 hour endowment process for the first time and for herself. The RM goes through for a dead person not for himself, he already did that before the mission. Usually this is enough to cause shock and awe and most everyone I have met doesn't realize that little fact.

I explain that the endowment process has absolutely nothing to do with their marriage other than Mormon's require it prior to the marriage.

The second shock and awe kicker comes when I explain that the actual marriage is a short prayer and vows made over an altar in a separate room from all the other temple stuff. There is usually several couples waiting and they are just herded through in cattle or assembly line fashion. Nothing really special, nothing unique, real short, shorter than a civil ceremony and no more special.

So why can't the public attend the wedding part? There are no secrets there, no handshakes nothing, so why is it so secretive? And all the result is often division and bad feelings.

Usually depending on who I am talking to and if they ask I will tell them everything that goes on in the endowment ceremony. They are usually extremely curious by this time. I am Mosiah by the way....... and I go on with the story.

[_Jason Bourne]

I think I wasn't shocked so much because I wasn't raised in the Church, which has an almost absolute dearth of symbolic ritual outside the temple. Even the parts that are symbolic are usually divested of their symbolic nature to a large degree. (The sacrament is more bread and water than flesh and blood.)

In the Church, everything is pretty straightforward.

In the Temple, nothing is straightforward; everything is symbolic, and that can be confusing for some Mormons, I think.

The tendency is to take the symbolism as being straightforward, to interpret it literally, and to think that you have to commit suicide if you reveal the endowment (which is not what it really said), or that the Danites will come and do the job for you (which is not what it really said).



I have had the opportunity to teach a few temple preparation classes in the intervening years, and I (heretically and with no authority) always include an additional lesson dealing with symbolism, with the specific goal in mind of actually preparing people for the overwhelming symbolism they will encounter in the temple.

On the whole, I think that Catholics would likely be better prepared for the endowment ceremony than most Mormons.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some thoughts with you.

I hope you are doing well.

This post is terrific. And this is the first point I always have made withe first time temple attender. Everything in their LDS experience is failry devoid of symoblism, liturgy and religous pageantry. But the temple is full of all sorts of this type of stuff. Esoteric rites are not foreign to Christianity especially historically. But esoteric rites are foreign to the LDS experience outside the temple.

I remember the first time I went to a Catholic mass. I thought that if Mormons had this type of worship regularly the temple would not be near as "shocking" at all.

[_Jason Bourne]

The second shock and awe kicker comes when I explain that the actual marriage is a short prayer and vows made over an altar in a separate room from all the other temple stuff. There is usually several couples waiting and they are just herded through in cattle or assembly line fashion. Nothing really special, nothing unique, real short, shorter than a civil ceremony and no more special.

I totally disagree with this. I was sealed in the DC temple and felt it that while the ceremony is short it was incredibly wonderful, beautiful and special as well as unique. It was mine and my brides. That made it unique. We were not rushed nor herded at all.

For my daughter sealing, it was at a small temple and that even allowed it to be more unique as she was the only one being married that day. We knew the temple president personally and he did the sealing. It was incredibly wonderful.

Now there was a negative side to it that in a way broke my heart. That is that fact that my in laws were not LDS and of course could not attend. But they graciously came to the temple and waited in the lobby. Also, her adult siblings could not attend either as they had not been to the temple. This is bothersome and I would change this policy if I could and let couple be married in a regular wedding first and then be sealed without the one year delay.

[_Jersey Girl]

Pok

This is so true and never more evident than when family members can't attend their own family weddings. This policy alone causes so much division and bad feelings that it is impossible to list or describe or understand the church's motive on this.

I have heard from a number of folks for whom this has been the case. I'm trying to think of any other religion that disallows the attendance of loved ones from such a significant ceremony as this and I can't.

Anyone?

[_Pokatator]

The second shock and awe kicker comes when I explain that the actual marriage is a short prayer and vows made over an altar in a separate room from all the other temple stuff. There is usually several couples waiting and they are just herded through in cattle or assembly line fashion. Nothing really special, nothing unique, real short, shorter than a civil ceremony and no more special.

I totally disagree with this. I was sealed in the DC temple and felt it that while the ceremony is short it was incredibly wonderful, beautiful and special as well as unique. It was mine and my brides. That made it unique. We were not rushed nor herded at all.

For my daughter sealing, it was at a small temple and that even allowed it to be more unique as she was the only one being married that day. We knew the temple president personally and he did the sealing. It was incredibly wonderful.

Now there was a negative side to it that in a way broke my heart. That is that fact that my in laws were not LDS and of course could not attend. But they graciously came to the temple and waited in the lobby. Also, her adult siblings could not attend either as they had not been to the temple. This is bothersome and I would change this policy if I could and let couple be married in a regular wedding first and then be sealed without the one year delay.

Jason, I am glad that your day was special. On my day we were herded and I didn't know the person that performed the ceremony. I can agree having that personal touch would help to make it special.

My point is that there was nothing I saw or experienced in that ceremony or that part of the temple that should exclude anyone from attending especially close family members. I can understand not having a reception like ceremony but a small gathering of moms and dads and sibs doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Thanx

[_Pokatator]

Pok

This is so true and never more evident than when family members can't attend their own family weddings. This policy alone causes so much division and bad feelings that it is impossible to list or describe or understand the church's motive on this.

I have heard from a number of folks for whom this has been the case. I'm trying to think of any other religion that disallows the attendance of loved ones from such a significant ceremony as this and I can't.

Anyone?

I know of no other.

Question: Were weddings performed in the ancient Jewish temples? I guess I realized that I am not sure.

I always thought that they were performed outside of the temple in peoples homes with several days of seclusion and preparation and then several days of partying.

Again, anyone?