Temple Ceremonies – Always?

[Anonymous]

– Yeah, there is that. 😆

[Anonymous]

I agree with Ray’s points. I’m OK with the church saying that baptism, confirmation, endowment and sealing are saving ordinances, that it views as required, without having to affirm every aspect of those ordinances. That’s their prerogative.

A mythology about the signs and tokens has built up in the church, because it’s common for religious adherents to overplay their hand, but that doesn’t mean that the whole Temple Ceremony is meaningless… not at all.

In religion, there are a number of concepts that are quite beautiful when taken figuratively, but quite uncomfortable when taken literally. Noah, Job, Jonah, Kolob, Sacrament, and Temple signs and tokens all fall into this category for me. It’s OK to look to the figurative meaning, and in my mind it enhances rather than cheapens the experience.

For example, Kolob is definitely symbolic (of Christ, read Abraham 3 all the way through, and look for the parallels), but is it also literal? Who cares? It’s OK if it’s not. It’s OK if it is. It’s OK if we say, “I don’t know.” The point of Abraham 3 is Christ, the spirit children of God, and the Plan of Salvation, not the stars.

[Anonymous]

i voted other, and i would see inspiration in the process.

I fully accept that the endowment was heavily influenced by masonic rites. And I have no problem whatsoever with that, and in fact, think it is more of a sign of Joseph’s prophetic abilities than a lot of his other behavior.

Joseph probably believed that the masonic rites went back to the temple of solomon. the rights probably didn’t, but masonry has an interesting history. most masonic historians deny the link back to the knights templar, owing to the virtual elimination of the the order on the notorious Friday, October 13th, 1307 on the continent and in England. However, the Scots and the Portuguese were not eliminated, and there is speculative evidence the order continued, namely the Wat Tyler rebellion later in the 14th century. But that isn’t as important, in my impression, than an understanding that Masonry may be inspired in its own rite. (bad pun).

and why not — he wrote an interesting line in the book of mormon:

3 Nephi 29:10-12 wrote:

Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

Personally, i find this verse to be one of the most inspired of the Book of Mormon…and why not? If god speaks to a person’s heart and mind, then why cannot god inspire a belief that features a distinctly deist position, “Great Architect of the Universe”?

For this, I love Joseph Smith’s creativity and syncretism. To me, eternal truth is ‘holographic’: A single verse provides only a partial, fuzzy view of the eternal truth. The more sources of inspired writing, an emerging picture of eternal truth emerges. True, there are some accretions that really don’t make sense: blood oaths, polygamy, and the like. but in time, the clearer emergent picture can eliminate some of the noise floor.

I’ll post another thread on temples in ‘spirituality’, owing to my experience tonight.

[Anonymous]

I have to admit, the Endowment was okay, if a little weird, but I prefer baptisms for the dead, and sealings. Even initiatory.

How are we to view the presence of the dead in the temple? Are they supposed to be literally there, or are these actions carried out for them in a parallel dimension? Is there anything I can read on this.

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