KevinSim wrote:Infymus, we obviously put emphasis on different things. Latter-day Saints put emphasis on letting Jesus Christ transform our lives; we don't put emphasis on the eventual outcome of the transformation of those lives. You do. That's fine with me. What's a footnote for me and other Latter-day Saints might indeed be a much more important matter for you. Once again, that's fine with me.
malkie wrote:If that were the case, I think I would expect that the teachings in the temple would have a different emphasis. Instead, the temple endowment and sealings are largely about the mechanics (signs, keywords etc) of how you get to this footnoted outcome, is it not?
KevinSim wrote:I'm pretty much willing to discuss everything about the LDS Church without limits except for what goes on in LDS temples, and even to some extent what goes on in temples, but, Malkie, this question that you have asked me crosses a line that I will not cross, so I'm going to respectfully decline to answer your question.
Sorry, KS, I had no intent to offend. I certainly didn't expect you (or anyone) to reveal any of the secret/sacred content of temple rituals.
May I ask the question in another way, then, that I'm sure does not ask you to cross a line you would not want to cross?
In
Why These Temples?President Gordon B. Hinckley wrote:Surely these temples are unique among all buildings. They are houses of instruction. They are places of covenants and promises. At their altars we kneel before God our Creator and are given promise of His everlasting blessings. In the sanctity of their appointments we commune with Him and reflect on His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who served as proxy for each of us in a vicarious sacrifice in our behalf. Here we set aside our own selfishness and serve for those who cannot serve themselves. Here, under the true priesthood power of God, we are bound together in the most sacred of all human relationships—as husbands and wives, as children and parents, as families under a sealing that time cannot destroy and death cannot disrupt.
These sacred buildings were constructed even during those dark years when the Latter-day Saints were relentlessly driven and persecuted. They have been built and maintained in times of poverty and prosperity. They come from the vital faith of an ever-growing number who bear witness of a living God, of the resurrected Lord, of prophets and divine revelation, and of the peace and assurance of eternal blessings to be found only in the house of the Lord.
If an unbiased observer (if there is such a person) were able to view and listen to the endowment ceremony, do you think that they would see "the emphasis on letting Jesus Christ transform our lives", or the emphasis on something else?
My recollection, though it is several years since I attended an endowment session, is that there is very little mention of anything that a non-LDS Christian would regard as focused on "letting Jesus Christ transform our lives".
Because the temple endowment is considered by many LDS as the epitome of the LDS experience, I would expect the emphasis there to be on Jesus. Others, of course, may not, and this may simply indicate that I have an incorrect view of things.
Anyway, I would appreciate any comment you might have on this, and stand ready to be corrected if I am wrong.