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My question is this (in the broadest terms): Assuming that God has given both male and female genders His Divine Power and Authority through the Initiatories/Endowment sessions in temples, then how come we don’t hear about that power used (especially those specific powers/rights etc) outside of the temple? We hear about Priesthood blessings etc…. Or is it something I just missed?
We don’t hear anything like “by the power of the initory” – we hear vague references of “endowed with power from on high” – but I am not sure I have actually heard it specifically cited as the power to do something…
My understanding is that JS was trying to bring his people to a place wear they would be ready for divine interaction. There is the push to be Zion people of one heart and one mind. To have your calling and election made sure. To “knock” and have the door opened and have Jesus sup with you as the “Second Comforter”. To have all the people have visions and prophesies. To be “endowed with power from on high.” I think that many people envisioned a spiritual outpouring like on the day of Pentecost in the book of acts. That appears to be what they were seeking. In the temple ceremonies JS takes these very strong and spiritual but somewhat vague and ambiguous concepts and creates a process and a system for attainment. God says he will “endow his people from on high” – what does that mean? Well first you go to your bishop to get a temple recommend and then you go through a ceremony where you make certain promises. Then you are dressed in a holy religious garment that you are to wear for the rest of your life. This makes for a very definite and tangible event. There is a before and an after. You are changed by the experience.
In that way the temple ceremonies, the garment, the robes, etc. are all symbolic of spiritual promises and concepts. They are like the US flag. The flag is not the country, its people, or its values. The flag is cloth and thread. But we give it meaning and it can represent these things.
My personal understanding – your mileage may vary.
In Kirtland, Joseph Smith revealed the initiatory endowment, but it was called the endowment at the time. Joseph promised recipients of the initiatory that they would be “endowed with power from on high.” In their day, they called this “the endowment” rather than initiatory. Historians distinguish the Kirtland Endowment (which is really the initiatory), from the Nauvoo Endowment (which is what we typically practice today.) Of course, with that Kirtland Endowment was the spiritual manifestation of speaking in tongues and miracles. But we don’t speak in tongues anymore… I asked Dr. Richard Bennett (no relation to me) about speaking in tongues and the Kirtland Endowment in my interview. See
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLQMXmP-C1o
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