Cont'd response to HDE,
I think the problem is that the words that the LDS Church employs have different meanings to their common usage.
That is definitely an issue and it's compounded by the fact that we use the same words and phrases to express different concepts which means that within the church, individuals read the same scriptures and hear the same discourses differently. The bigger problem, I believe, has been the attempt to correlate all of these differences out of the faith. A rich body of religious thought that ought to appear richer as we mature and experience life, seems to remain, for some members, a basic step by step path to heaven without nuance and without mystery. Our approach in recent years has been very Western. All bullet points and no beauty.
Salvation, in LDS scripture is defined in the same exact way as eternal life, that is, the "greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 6:13, D&C 14:7). Where the water gets muddy is in D&C 132. The word exaltation is contrasted with the word saved in a way that is unique to that set of verses alone. To be blunt, I think the issue is that most people read the scriptures through the lens of correlated church materials rather than independently and they end up with a whole lot of proof texts that may have benefit as a type of modern midrash, but prohibits the text from eliminating contradictions.
Take section 76. We teach final judgment as preceding these telestial, terrestrial, and celestial spheres and yet section 76 clearly has individuals divided into these groupings, ministering to each other (prior to judgment) until all are eventually resurrected. We teach the cart before the horse. At least I did as a young missionary with my laminated cut-outs.
The scriptures are much more illustrative. Scripturally, it is the work of the Father to exalt (Phil 2:9) while it is the work of Christ to save (D&C 18:23 among a zillion others). The Holy Ghost is tasked with ministering to telestial beings (D&C 76:86). The great work of salvation then lies predominantly in the terrestrial world. Once that empties, all are spotless, and handed over to the Father (D&C 76:106-107), the work of exaltation begins. Spirit, blood, water; purify, justify, sanctify; convert, save, exalt - three realms, three labors, three laws we learn to abide in a progression that ultimately leads through the veil - and still we place perfectly labeled circles of construction paper on the table as optional outcomes rather than an integral part of the process of becoming godly.
The whole purpose of the temple is to show our progression and to turn our hearts toward both the fathers and our fathers. Not to establish a country club. The work of the gods has always been communal. Every Sunday, we put the bread in our mouths and the cup to our lips, offering prayer for all who partake. Inside the temple, we stand in for people we may not know, and in symbolic procession march them into God's kingdom.
Several LDS leaders have acknowledged that the gospel will be received almost without exception beyond the grave. If that is the doctrine, then the blessings are nearly unfailingly inclusive. Even Joseph advised that we "use a little wisdom, and seal all we can".
I do appreciate what you are saying about inclusivity in the rituals. However, I think the inclusivity of the process is more significant that the exclusive policy regarding the proxy. That all are expected to pass this way eventually, overshadows that some will not engage in the ritual reenactment of a plan, in which
they already play a part.
The second anointing is but another symbolic act. Is there real power to be attained through the ordinance? A better question is perhaps, do the uninitiated (in terms of the ritual alone) lack access to the power of God? Are they somehow cut off from their chance at entering His kingdom and inheriting all He has, according to LDS doctrine? The answer to the last two questions is a resounding NO. Perhaps then their decrease in frequency is directly proportional to our growth in understanding. Whatever the reason, I see the changes in the temple over time as moving in the right direction and I wouldn't be surprised to see further changes.
I don't expect entrance to necessarily become less inclusive but I do expect more and more members will come to understand the symbolic nature of the rituals and ordinances and leave the temple with a broader understanding of the scope of salvation and a clearer vision of the love and compassion of a God who's charity never faileth.
"In my more rebellious days I tried to doubt the existence of the sacred, but the universe kept dancing and life kept writing poetry across my life." ~ David N. Elkins, 1998, Beyond Religion, p. 81
