Mormons are a religious sect practiced by millions worldwide, following the teachings of Jesus Christ. They believe in God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. The core beliefs and practices of Mormons include their belief in Jesus Christ, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and modern-day prophets.
The rituals of the Mormon faith include ceremonies performed in the temple, such as endowment, baptism of the dead, celestial marriage, and family sealings. These ceremonies help individuals link their promises made on Earth to the Savior. Belief in Christ is necessary only to obtain passage to the highest celestial kingdom, for which participation in Mormon temple rituals and obedience to its “laws of the gospel” are also essential.
Mormons are expected to pay tithing, donating 10 of their earnings to the church. They follow symbolic washing and anointing ordinances, being clothed in the temple garment, receiving a “new name” in preparation for the endowment, baby blessings, older baptisms, baptisms by proxy, and the process of callings.
Mormonism is centered on Christ and is all about righteousness. Rituals in Mormon temples are serious, calm, sane, and temperate. The first ritual is baptism for the dead, which is a simple ritual. Rituals in this formalist sense are intrinsically hierarchical, elevating and empowering a priesthood while exploiting initiates and faithful for personal gain.
📹 Secret Mormon Temple Ceremony Explained (What’s With the Green Apron?)
The Mormon Temple Endowment is a sacred and central aspect of the religious practices within The Church of Jesus Christ of …
What are the secret Mormon covenants?
During the endowment ordinance, individuals are invited to make covenants with God, including the Law of Obedience, the Law of Sacrifice, the Law of the Gospel, the Law of Chastity, and the Law of Consecration. These covenants involve adhering to God’s commandments, supporting the Lord’s work, repenting with a broken heart, adhering to the Gospel, maintaining sexual relations only with the legally married partner, and dedicating time, talents, and blessings to building Jesus Christ’s Church on earth.
What are some Mormon traditions?
Latter-day Saint culture differs from church doctrine in some aspects, such as adhering to the church’s law of health, paying tithing, living the law of chastity, participating in lay leadership, refraining from work on Sundays, and ministering to other church members. Most LDS live outside the United States, but there are some common traits worldwide. LDS-themed media includes cinema, fiction, websites, and graphical art. The church owns a chain of bookstores called Deseret Book, where books are sold.
BYU TV, the church-sponsored television station, airs on various networks. The church produces annual pageants, with its Easter pageant Jesus the Christ being the largest annual outdoor Easter pageant in the world. The church encourages entertainment without violence, sexual content, or vulgar language, and many members avoid rated-R movies.
How does mormonism differ from Christianity?
Mormons, according to a standard dictionary definition of Christians, are Christians due to their universal Christian values such as generosity and forgiveness. However, the question of whether Mormons are Christians is not necessarily whether Mormonism, the doctrine and beliefs of the LDS Church, are Christian. From a theological viewpoint, Mormonism can be seen to diverge from traditional Christianity in four areas: its views on scripture, the nature of God and the deification of believers; the deity of Christ and the trinity, and finally, salvation.
Mormons differ from traditional Christian groups in accepting extra books in their canon, including the King James Version of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of revelations given to the Priesthood, namely those given to Joseph Smith. The Pearl of Great Price contains material with the most notable inclusions being “The First Vision” and the “Articles of Faith”, which outline the beliefs of Mormonism.
The Book of Mormon is the most controversial addition to the canon, as it is a supposed record of ancient groups in the Americas, beginning with a family moving from Jerusalem to the New World and culminating in a visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ in the Americas. Critics believe that the book is a fanciful fabrication, with anti-Mormon writers at the time of its release suggesting that it was “nothing more than the rough plagiarizing of a contemporary romantic novel”.
The messages of a “finite God, a perfectible humanity, and an emphasis on works of righteousness” have striking affinities with 19th-century Protestant liberalism. The Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s revelations that the LDS Church is “the One True Church” reflect the intense revivalism and primitivism of the Second Great Awakening, where several groups were fighting for followers and trying to assert themselves as the only solution in the “Babel of Protestant denominationalism”.
What do the Mormons worship?
Latter-day Saints believe that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save all humanity from their sins. They view God as a loving Heavenly Father who knows each individual, answers their prayers, and feels compassion towards them. They worship Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer, and follow His example by being baptized, praying in His name, partaking in sacraments, doing good to others, and bearing witness through word and deed.
Latter-day Saints believe that God has a plan for His children to return to live with Him and become “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). They view mortal life as an opportunity to progress and learn. By following Christ’s teachings, embracing His mercy, and accepting baptism and other sacraments, Latter-day Saints believe they are cleansed from sin through Christ’s grace and can return to live with God and their families forever.
What rituals do Mormons practice?
The Mormon faith involves various rituals, including temple endowment ceremonies, baptism of the dead, celestial marriage, family sealings, and several ceremonies in Mormon chapels. The naming and blessing of infants are performed by a priesthood holder, often the baby’s father. Baptisms are held when Mormon children turn 8 years old or when an adult converts to the faith. Family and friends generally attend these rituals. The Latter-day Saints also practice annointing and blessing the sick if an ill individual wishes.
Mormons celebrate Christmas and Easter as their two most important religious holidays. They also observe Pioneer Day on July 24, marking the date the first Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The church presents its history pageant at Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, N. Y., around this holiday.
Mormons also observe the Sabbath each week, attending a sacrament meeting at their chapel on Sundays, followed by meetings of the Sunday school, Women’s Relief Society, priesthood men, and other church groups. The rest of the Sabbath is spent by spending a quiet day at home, visiting friends or family, or performing charitable works.
What is the core belief of Mormons?
Mormons believe that the family is an eternal unit central to God’s plan, with eternal progression toward Godhood limited to those who marry for time and eternity (celestial marriage) in a ceremony conducted by a properly ordained member of the LDS priesthood in a Mormon temple. Church President Gordon Hinckley has stressed the importance of families during mortal life, emphasizing the need for parents to teach their children positive and affirmative principles and values.
To strengthen families, many Mormons observe “family home evening”, a one-night a week Monday night where families spend together praying, learning about scripture, sharing experiences, and playing games. The Mormon interest in genealogy is closely linked to their doctrine of baptism for the dead and their belief that the family unit will continue to exist beyond mortal life. Mormons trace their family trees to find names of ancestors who died without learning about the restored Mormon Gospel so that they can be baptized by proxy in the temple. Once baptized, the ancestor’s spirit will be able to be together with the rest of their baptized Mormon family in the celestial kingdom.
Mormon marriages are different from most marriages because they are considered eternal. If a husband and wife are sealed together in the temple, they can be together in the celestial kingdom. However, the church has a process for annulment and sees divorce as an unfortunate evil. Mormon President Gordon Hinckley believes that the growing plague of divorce is not of God but rather the work of the adversary of righteousness, peace, and truth.
What are some strict Mormon rules?
The Mormon faith, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a Christian religion that follows commandments, guiding principles from God intended to bring happiness. These rules include paying tithing, conservative dress, the Word of Wisdom, morality, honesty, integrity, Sunday Sabbath observance, and dedication to families and community. Latter-day Saints believe that obeying God’s laws demonstrates their love for God and brings blessings, increased happiness, and hope of salvation. Blessings can be spiritual, temporal, or both. The Ten Commandments, found in the Old Testament, are a key source of knowledge for Latter-day Saints.
What do Mormons believe that Christians don’t?
The Mormon faith, also known as the Latter-day Saints, is a Christian denomination that believes in the Book of Mormon, which is the most well-known book in the Bible. Mormons believe that the Bible is not the final word of God and read from four different books: the Holy Bible, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and Book of Mormon.
Mormon was born in A. D. 311 and was the son of a Jewish prophet Nephi, leader of an ancient people of the Americas known as the Nephites. He started keeping records of the Nephite people from a young age and eventually converted an abridged version of those records into what is now the Book of Mormon. Mormon didn’t want to share everything about the Nephites, but he wanted to give enough information that would lead people to God.
Eventually, during a time of war, Mormon was killed by opposing forces, and his son, Moroni, who would later appear to Joseph Smith as an angelic figure to tell him about the sacred holy book, completed the task of writing about his people.
No archaeologist has ever been able to find any sort of proof for the existence of the Nephites. However, in the 1820s, Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith, telling him of the work he needed to do. Moroni told Smith of golden plates that were buried on a hillside, but it wasn’t until 1827 that Smith was allowed to take the plates. Because the plates were so mysterious, everyone wanted to see them as well, but God made it clear to Smith that no one was allowed to do so. Because of this, Smith and his family moved from New York to Pennsylvania and began to transcribe the ancient plates with a divine revelation from God.
Surprisingly, it took Smith only three months to finish translating the text, people came to the conclusion that Smith really did have a divine connection with God. Smith had somehow memorized the entire ancient text and never once had to reference the plates during his translation. Many archaeologists find it oddly convenient that the texts are just somehow gone from existence and that no one is able to find them to do any scientific research on them.
The Book of Mormon is also known as Another Testament of Jesus Christ, as it is considered a witness of Christ and his atonement for all people. In total, there are 15 books in The Book of Mormon, starting with the Book of Nephi and ending with the Book of Moroni.
Many Mormons will honestly say that they are in fact another form of Christianity. They will say that we are all the same and should all get along because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if anything can be concluded from this information, it is that Mormonism is certainly not a Christian religion.
Mormons believe in a false Jesus that is contradictory to Scripture. They do not believe in the Trinity, they don’t believe in Original Sin, they believe they can become like God in the afterlife, they believe God is human, they believe God was married and procreated, they believe God has limitations, they believe Jesus and Lucifer were siblings, humans existed before the world existed as spirit children to God and his wife, and they don’t believe in hell.
Mormons have twisted the gospel, and by doing so, they have twisted the truth. They have believed in a man who was deeply flawed and was eventually killed because of those flaws.
What religion is closest to Mormon?
Islam and Mormonism both believe in a life after death, with the Last Judgment and an Afterlife being one of the Six Articles of Belief of Islam. They share common characteristics, such as multiple spiritual levels in heaven and hell, and the belief that one’s place in the afterlife is determined solely by God based on good works and faith. Additionally, a believer’s family can join them in the next world if they are faithful to the religion. Islam teaches that the purpose of man’s creation is to be kind to others and worship the Creator of Heavens and Earth, Allah.
Life on Earth is a test for individuals to determine their ultimate reward or punishment in the eternal afterlife. Mormonism views human existence as a trial to determine who will prove faithful to God’s commands and be worthy to inherit the highest possible exaltation, which Mormons equate to “godhood”, which Islam opposes.
What are the rituals of the Mormons?
The Mormon faith involves various rituals, including temple endowment ceremonies, baptism of the dead, celestial marriage, family sealings, and several ceremonies in Mormon chapels. The naming and blessing of infants are performed by a priesthood holder, often the baby’s father. Baptisms are held when Mormon children turn 8 years old or when an adult converts to the faith. Family and friends generally attend these rituals. The Latter-day Saints also practice annointing and blessing the sick if an ill individual wishes.
Mormons celebrate Christmas and Easter as their two most important religious holidays. They also observe Pioneer Day on July 24, marking the date the first Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The church presents its history pageant at Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, N. Y., around this holiday.
Mormons also observe the Sabbath each week, attending a sacrament meeting at their chapel on Sundays, followed by meetings of the Sunday school, Women’s Relief Society, priesthood men, and other church groups. The rest of the Sabbath is spent by spending a quiet day at home, visiting friends or family, or performing charitable works.
What are some Mormon rituals?
The Mormon faith involves various rituals, including temple endowment ceremonies, baptism of the dead, celestial marriage, family sealings, and several ceremonies in Mormon chapels. The naming and blessing of infants are performed by a priesthood holder, often the baby’s father. Baptisms are held when Mormon children turn 8 years old or when an adult converts to the faith. Family and friends generally attend these rituals. The Latter-day Saints also practice annointing and blessing the sick if an ill individual wishes.
Mormons celebrate Christmas and Easter as their two most important religious holidays. They also observe Pioneer Day on July 24, marking the date the first Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The church presents its history pageant at Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, N. Y., around this holiday.
Mormons also observe the Sabbath each week, attending a sacrament meeting at their chapel on Sundays, followed by meetings of the Sunday school, Women’s Relief Society, priesthood men, and other church groups. The rest of the Sabbath is spent by spending a quiet day at home, visiting friends or family, or performing charitable works.
📹 What is Mormonism? What do Mormons believe?
What is Mormonism? What do Mormons believe? How are the beliefs of Mormons different from the beliefs of Christians?
Good to know that the ultimate supreme being… the one who created the heavens and earth… the one who set trillions of stars in the sky among billions of galaxies… who defined universal physical and chemical constants… and created life itself – relies on a secret handshake to determine who’s worthy of paradise.
I was 20 when I did this. 25th June 2008. I remember just a long anxiety attack the whole day because I have memory problems. I was terrified I would be rejected and not allowed to get married the next day because I wouldn’t be able to remember everything. I also got severely overheated and dehydrated and felt sick for hours after. It didn’t feel like the day before my wedding so much as it felt like I had just taken a massive, life-altering exam that I probably failed. And for my wedding the next day, I looked around the empty room with only the temple workees, my parents, and my husband and just felt sad. Because none of my friends, his family, and most of my family could be there because they weren’t worthy. The church truly is a cult that works to isolate their members.
When I first did the endowment ceremony, I was overwhelmed for exactly the reasons you stated: I experienced Mormonism as a sort of non-denominational church prior to it. During the ceremony, my dad kept grinning at me, and it really freaked me out. I literally kept asking myself “Am I joining a cult?” over and over for two hours. Took me over 10 years to answer that question.
As a Christian, I believe that you should always be able to ask God and any church leaders questions. I tell my students in Bible school that God says the truth is freedom and life! Any religious leader who is afraid to answer hard questions or wants you to keep secrets is suspect and not to be trusted. Thank you for sharing your honest experience.
Exmo here. Growing up, I always thought the temple clothes were just white clothing. Like you see temple workers wearing when doing baptisms for the dead. I didn’t find out there was more to it until a couple years back (been out of the church for a decade). I work at a mortuary and an LDS man passed away. Many LDS get buried in their temple clothes. I saw him in his casket and ready for his viewing and that was the first time I saw the clothes. Other than looking pretty ridiculous, the thing that annoyed me the most was how cheap they were?? Like the apron itself looks like it’s made out of material you’d find in a halloween costume from Spirit Halloween. I was like the Mormon church has SO much money and these are supposed to be sacred clothes you wear in the most holy place on earth. And THIS is what they come up with? That sh*t should be made of silk! hahaha
Yeah, I remember my first time going through the temple. In the celestial room, my dad asked me if I had any questions (since we weren’t allowed to talk about it outside the temple). So I asked why women had to wear a veil, and he said “…I don’t know.” He also recommended that I don’t talk a lot, because we’re supposed to be quiet in the celestial room. Thanks Dad, that really cleared it up 👍
We have two temples, both about 2.5 hours away. First time I went to the temple, I went to the smaller one in my state. Next time was the bigger one in the state next to me (Alabama and Georgia for context). I loved the first trip. I had a panic attack in the Atlanta temple and it got to the point my bishop was seriously concerned about me as I am normally really bubbly and completely shut down afterwards. Needless to say, when I informed him I was struggling with my testimony, he could understand to an extent after seeing how I responded to simply doing baptisms in the temple. Now that I’m in the process of leaving, he’s not even upset with me as he’s seen the effect that the temple had on me physically, and knowing that my testimony is non-existent at this point. I’m thankful that I have a bishop that understands why I’m choosing to walk away. Not everyone gets that.
Hey Alyssa, thanks for making this! As an ex-mo who bailed as a teenager, I had no idea just how weird things really were. I stopped at the cognitive dissonance; I couldn’t reconcile why the ‘history’ I heard every week in Sunday school was so different from the rest of the world. They said things like Jesus came to North America, or that black people’s skin was dark as punishment for Cain’s sin. So I had to quit at the racism, misogyny, and blatant disinformation. As the oldest son, this made me a pariah in my own family–even with my own parents. It was only later, after one of my brothers came home early from his mission, that I began to understand how right I was to trust my instincts. I don’t think there can be a more textbook example of what a cult is. Nonetheless, since I never made it to the temple, I was always a little curious, so I appreciate that you have shared this information. But I’m also glad I never went; what my mother described of her experience sounded like straight up molestation. Sounds like that has also been tamed down over the years, but honestly, even the current version seems…creepy at best. Also, how much hate mail do you get? 😆
I’m not a former member of the church or interested in converting, but I still think this is so valuable to learn about. It’s very important to educate people cultish behavior in churches like this, and I fully agree that the church forbidding members from speaking about this is a huge red flag. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for doing this. I’ve been struggling with having left the church and deconstructing my experience. Throughout primary and young woman’s classes there would always be a joke about how cult like we sounded saying the young women’s theme or the proclamation to the world, but stepping into the temple and heading to the change room for the first time to go through the anointing and seeing people coming out of the celestial room in their full garb was when it first hit me that this might really be a cult. And now being out of the church and thinking over what i went through, i understand why they discourage young single adults to not get their endowment until they were getting married or going on a mission. My initial reaction when i saw your article, i felt tense thinking ‘how you could talk about this outside of the temple?’. ‘Was this allowed?’ But i want to thank you, this really helped me process my thoughts on this. I’ve still got my temple clothing in a carry-on suitcase at the top of my closet. Not sure what i am going to do with it. Part of me wants to just throw it out, but another part of me wants to alter my temple dress or use the fabric for something new. I don’t know if i will have the courage to discuss everything that happens in the temple as you have done in this article, but i hope to get more comfortable talking about my experience with others, in the church or out. Thank you for starting this conversation.
I also took a temple prep class and they didn’t talk about anything that actually happens in the temple. They only very vaguely talked about taking oathes covenants, but didn’t go into any specifics and definitely didn’t talk about temple garments at all. I had already done baptisms for the dead in the temple from the time I was 12 though, which is a way for them to gradually introduce the weird and culty aspects of the temple over time and starting at a relatively young age. Like, doing baptisms for the dead seemed like a perfectly normal thing to me at the time. It’s essentially like being groomed into a cult.
The leaf aprons are a weird choice, because according to Genesis the leaves are what Adam and Eve tried to use to try and cover their own nakedness. A few verses later, it says that God made them garments of skins. Fur or leather would make more sense for the symbolism… But then, you can’t expect logic from a cult.
I’m so grateful to you for making these articles. I’m not LDS, wasn’t raised in any church, don’t practice any faith (I’ve been an atheist for years), but I believe it’s important for anyone who decides to join a church do it willingly and with full consent as well as a comprehensive understanding of what will be expected of them. Pressuring anyone a week or a month before one of the biggest events of their lives (like going on a mission or getting married) seems dangerously close to extortion.. And I agree with you that practices should be able to withstand the light of day, open discussion, and questioning. Good for you, Alyssa! Please keep offering your unique perspective. I have to imagine you’ve been a great comfort to LDS young people.
My step daughtet converted to LDS when she married, and later left the church after her youngest made an observation about how none of it made sense. Turns out her husband had wanted to leave for years. She told me she felt regret about all years wasted, and I told her to let it go. Our very dysfunctional family life meant she needed that structure so she could make a real family, and if there is one thing LDS churches do it is that. You sound very Lutheran now, open to questions and discussion. There is reverent ritual and then cult obsession, and endowment crosses that line imho. Mormons are right there with Masons as far as secret handshakes and all that nonsense.
Thank you Alyssa for your YouTube broadcasts. It takes incredible courage to break the no-talk rules. I have never made a comment like this. I am a 72 year old mom and grandma. The last week I have been listening to many broadcasts about Mormans that have left the church. I’ve listened to some bishops who have left also. It breaks my heart to hear your stories, of the pain and loss. I too left a legalistic church and experienced many of the same abuses. My husband was the one with the courage to break the no-talk rules. I send you lots of love and a big hug. I am praying and will continue to pray for you and all of you that have left a legalistic system. Man does a great job messing up things!! What legalistic churches are missing is grace, God’s grace! I have feasted on God’s grace and unfailing love, that comes through Jesus Christ. And I have healed. I am doing a study on the book of Acts. It was interesting to note that the early church (Acts 4:33) was described as, “great grace was upon them all”. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”.
Minor thing: the sure sign of the nail (second Melchizedek sign) also interlocks pinky fingers. So it’s intertwined pinkies AND touching the other’s wrist with your index finger. It’s really minor and easy to forget. Even when I was a temple worker, I frequently had to remind attendees by hooking pinkies first. Otherwise, this is incredibly comprehensive, neutral, and well-done.
Will you talk about your wedding/ceremony? Do you have any regrets? What do you not regret? What benefits do you or your hubby feel like you receiving from being raised Mormon? Or do you think that there were none? Sorry for all of the questions, I’m fascinated. You are the only person I’ve come across that lays things out in detail like this!
I have watched several of your articles. Thank you for explaining some of the questions I had about your former faith. My hometown is where Joseph Smith married his first wife. The elderly people in my small hometown spoke about what their parents or grandparents did. Joseph Smith said he could walk on water. He told the townspeople to meet him at the river in the morning. The parents (or maybe grandparents) of the elderly residents saw him putting planks under the river surface that night. Instead of “telling” on him they left most of the planks in place except for the middle of the river. They took those out. The next morning Joseph Smith started walking across the water and everyone was awed – then he reached the middle of the river and fell into the water. His scheme was discovered and he was run out of town. There is a historical marker at the fairgrounds marking the place where Joseph Smith’s house stood where he married his first wife. To this day, there is no Mormon church or temple there. There are still a few holes that he dug looking for some sort of treasure.
I cant believe how ridiculous this all is🤯. I was a very devout Mormon convert at age 26 and i went as far as taking the temple prep class where i thought i would FINALLY get some not-vague insight as to what “promises” i was going to make. When the class literally taught me NOTHING i just didnt feel comfortable rolling up to the temple to wing it cause i was like “what if i get there and dont want to make the promises??” So i just never went and i left the lds church shortly thereafter. And despite leaving, i never really looked up much temple info “out of respect” for the Church. I just didn’t want to be disrespectful and nosy. But when this article popped up in my recommendations today i thought why not. And holy moly, i can’t believe how ridiculous it all is 🤯🤦♀️. So glad i didn’t go thru with it 😂.
I became inactive at around 18, I had doubted since 13, hearing about this and perusal this feels so taboo and surreal. I never knew anything about these parts of Mormon religion, my parents and siblings refused to answer any question I had about temple things and I’m honestly glad I never went to get temple endowments Thank you for making this article, and your others too, it’s helped me understand more about my religious trauma and why it was so strange the way I was brought up
As a young deacon I remember a very boring class teached by a very boring lady. I had many calluses on my hands form working on the farm and I was rubbing them together because it felt weird. Out of no where she yelled; “BY GOD, YOU LITTLE SH**, GO WAIT BY THE BISSHOPS OFFICE NOW!” Having no clue what happened I walked around to the office onto the best chairs in the building and pulled out the gameboy at the bottom of my book bag, I was so mad about getting kicked out of class. After class about an hour later she requested to talk to the bishop about an urgent matter. It was about me doing the handshakes one for one in class, I had no clue and when she told the bishop he laughed. He was a family friend and knew there was no way I would know about them. He sent the lady on her way and give me a hand full of candy.
I found this fascinating. A good friend of mine, who grew up in Catholicism, like me, married a man, and took on his religion, which was Mormonism. I asked her 1 million questions but she couldn’t really answer them. She has since passed away, but I know that she prayed for my past, and for my soul to go to heaven. This whole thing is fascinating. I’m also learning about Scientology since it’s been in the news so much. I don’t really practice any organized religion anymore. My relationship to God is my own and private.
Went through the temple to take out my endowments and got married the next weekend when I was 20. NEVER WENT BACK INTO THAT BUILDING, it freaked me out!! I only went back on my wedding day cause I actually had to because that’s where Mormons get married and the plans were all made. Stopped going to church within a month. The most culty experience ever. I might as well have been in a devil’s church. It creeped me out, it felt so wrong! It never ever resonated with me and after a few more Sundays at church I turned and ran!! Never looked back and I questioned my sanity because people that I know and loved were in it deeply. I went my own way and never looked back. I now look upon the members with pity because most of them were born into the religion as I was. However I chose to be a free thinker which is frowned upon by the leaders. They tell you that the devil is the one who makes you question things. Nope it’s not the devil, it’s your ” inner knowing”, your gut feeling. Never question your intuition. It is ALWAYS correct. Be your authentic self. Live your life to the fullest, do not let anyone tell you that you are worthy or not worthy. There should be no middle man between you and the creator. You were born with inner knowing. Believe in yourself!!!!
Thank you for talking about this stuff! I wish I’d been able to see it ahead of time before I was endowed 21 years ago. It took me ten years to finally step away and admit out loud that it had been awful. If you are a young person reading this – you don’t have to go through the temple. If you go and you don’t like it, that’s okay! So many of us out here understand, even if everyone in your circle of family and friends tell you it’s amazing. You aren’t crazy for thinking it’s not. ❤
I was a freemason around 2008 or so. The whole reason I went down the street to the Masonic Temple was because as a gay man, I knew I’d never get my endowment, which I wanted to badly. I tried for years, to no avail. I was a very active, faithful, Mormon, I did Baptisms for the Dead, I paid my tithing, I went to church every Sunday, I read scriptures and prayed every day, and…I can tell you, as a former Mason and Mormon…this is ACCURATE AS HELL. The stuff that happens in the temple is straight up Masonic, there’s nothing sacred about it, Joseph Smith was inducted into Masonry, and then came up with this ceremony 2 weeks after that. I left, and I’ve never been happier. I was also a Golden Investigator. (Have you heard that term, Alyssa? Is that something you could do a article on?) I still live here in Salt Lake, have for 20 years, and can’t wait to get out. Mormonism was the best, and also the worst, thing that ever happened to me. I was devastated to find out it was all made up, and I came from an Evangelical Christian background. I converted in 2005, because again, Golden Investigator. Love the interview you did with John Dehlin, keep it up, this stuff needs to be out there because people have a right to know what they are getting into before they join. To go in blindly, like I did, is a Fools Errand. I don’t go to church anywhere, now. And before all you current Mormons come for me and tell me to come back, or just pray harder, NO THANKS. My life outside of Mormonism is better than it ever was inside the church.
Thank you for the explanations of the ceremonies, handshakes and garments. Demystifing a religion makes it easier to understand. Growing up all I knew about Mormons was they had a choir that sang Christmas songs. As an older teen, my family visited the Mormon headquarters/visitor center/museum in Salt Lake City. Now I live 30 minutes from Church of Christ Temple Lot in Independence, MO. I have no interest in converting to the religion but I like learning about the practices and philosophies.
As a kid, I thought the temple was for three things: 1 I knew you could get married there which I assumed was just like a normal wedding but inside the temple. 2 I knew about baptisms for the dead and that seemed understandable because why shouldn’t the dead also be able to get into heaven? And lastly 3, I had heard about people going back to the temple even weekly so i assumed that’s where you went and they would give you a Sunday school lesson and then you just got to sit in the celestial room for a while and think and pray and whatever. Never knew about the clothing or the handshakes or the secret names or the rituals or the symbols on the garments or the chanting or the veil or pledges. So weird to think that my parents and all 6 of my siblings have done this and are still somehow believing in the church?? Like what? How is this NOT a red flag? The church has always taught that you get into heaven by being baptized and following Jesus, never did it say anything about handshakes and magic clothes. It feels misleading and dishonest. Quite frankly it feels betraying
Thank you for making this really informative, levelheaded article about the temple. I’ve been out of the church for the better part of a decade and, barring a website that spoke in vagueries about the endowment, this is the first time I’ve actually seen the process explained. Not for lack of content, but because I’m finally far enough out of it to where I don’t feel a pit in my stomach every time I see the signs and tokens outside of an LDS standpoint. I never went through the anointing or endowment, but used to do baptisms for the dead every week. One thing that struck me was the temple rolls. I’ve had members of my family tell me they’ve put my name in the temple rolls, and had it explained that that meant temple workers would pray for me. This is probably a little silly, but I sometimes took comfort in knowing that, somewhere, someone was personally praying for my wellbeing. To learn that my name was actually thrown into a sack with a ton of other names while a generic prayer was said over the sack is…disappointing.
I was raised Anglican ( Church of England) and also participated in the Masonic Temple’s girl program, Job’s Daughters. I always wondered why (in Job’s Daughters) we didn’t have Mormon or Jewish girls. Once a month, we’d visit a church en masses, wearing our white satin robes with long, braided cords encircling our body. Think angles, with no wings. We also wore a purple and white ribbon in our hair, like a headband. Our three elected leaders wore knee length, purple velvet capes. Hearing you speak of your experience brought that memory back for me.
I went through when I was 17 and it was TRAUMATIZING!! Everyone kept telling me how beautiful it would be and how wonderful I would feel….nope, I was scared and I didn’t understand what or why I was doing things. People are touching you while you are naked under a sheet and telling you to say these crazy things! It was not a good experience!!
I went through this 30 years ago but to make it worse, I had to take out my endowments at the LIVE session at SLC temple. It took like 3 hours!!!! I was in shock and wanted to run but by then you feel you’re locked in. NO one and I mean NO one could prepare you for this. And at that time you had to do the sign/token of slitting your throat. AND they told you over and over if you talked about these signs and tokens you would surely be burned in hell. Then ..the mission. What PTSD I’m going through listening. It’s so great to hear young people like you are out there spreading awareness of this cult but I need this step away for a week and then come back to listen to more. I feel nauseous. 🤢 great work Alyssa!
At first I was a Catholic, not so much out of conviction, nut because all of my family were. Going to church on Sundays was, for me, just a habit, and I can’t really say that I felt enlightened at any time. I listened to everything they said, and even though I understood it psychologically I can’t say that it ever really touch my soul. As the years progressed I asked myself more and more questions about the message itself, and after several years of evolving my position towards religion and god, I have become an atheist. Ever since I came to that conclusion many, many, many years ago I have never looked back and am 100% at peace with my decision. If there were more people like you, with your open-mindedness, eloquence, clarity of thought, and impecable delivery of your message, the world would be a better place. Thank you for what you do, and thank you for making all of us who watch your articles more knowledgeable.
I’m a Catholic, and I can see how this could be harmful…especially the belief that you have to do these things to enter a higher degree in heaven. Thanks for posting. I come from a faith tradition where we believe baptism is a necessary part of becoming a part of God’s family. However, it’s also important to know that we believe God can give this grace to an unbaptized person just through their genuine desire for it…It’s called baptism of desire. 🙂 So, technically, we can never make a judgment of who gets into heaven or doesn’t get into heaven, whether they’re Christian or not. This is all super interesting to me because I enjoy learning about different faith traditions, and that’s why I’m taking the time to explain what I believe.
Thanks, as always, for sharing these articles! I always learn so much. I always appreciate all the ways you share how Mormon beliefs/practices are different from “traditional” Christianity (e.g. Protestant, Catholic, etc). I’m learning more about my own beliefs by, what at least feels like, a “reject the Null hypothesis” kind of thing. Aka, I’m learning more about my beliefs by realizing how different LDS beliefs are from my own. Super interesting! Thanks again for sharing!
I can’t help but draw the similarities between the washing and anointing ceremony and the initiation I went through in my sorority. The difference, though, is we didn’t spend our whole lives being taught that if we weren’t members we would definitely go to hell. We also knew if we chose to leave it wouldn’t be that big of a deal – sign some paperwork and your membership is officially cancelled. One similarity is our promise if we share our secret ritual with anyone outside of the organization, which is that our lips would turn to dust.
You’re not supposed to talk about the handshakes because then people will realize they’re Masonic handshakes 😂 those are exact handshake Freemasons use to greet each other. Told all this to my mom and she still tried to justify it. She’s still so engrained. Please give me advice on how to help her because I just don’t know what to do anymore PS: Alyssa your hair is so darling. You’re just so darn cute
This is absolutely fascinating stuff, and you are skilled at explaining things! It really feels like you care about your audience, and share the basic facts, as well as your own thoughts on it, really eloquently. I can feel even through explaining that its believed to be disrespectful to share these “secrets”, that you still have a level of compassion for the people that believe this stuff, and how many don’t have a solid chance to step back and analyze it, for the many reasons the church contrives. It’s a very well insulated echo chamber. I recognize your bravery even if I don’t have the same depth of understanding you do of growing up in a high control belief system. I’m excited to see more of your deconstruction journey, and just your thoughts and reflections on life in general 🌌🦋🌈
This content is uniquely brave and honest. Exclusivity lies at the heart of the church and most that question these practices remain quiet for fear of letting the wrong person ‘get in on’ it, or some divine retribution that is truly just the judgement of those that wanted to be in an exclusive eternal club so badly that they never questioned it.
Very interested in the anointing ceremony if you are making a follow up article. My grandfather was a Mormon convert and desperately tried to push my dad into it who rejected it vehemently. After my grandma died who was the love of his life, he was ordered by the church to marry this horrendous woman “for time on earth” and it destroyed our family. Always wanted to know how he was swayed by all this secretive magic nonsense to leave his real family behind.
As a former Mormon I applaud your honest articles about the church. I was baptized at a very young age when I just went along with what I was told. Many years later I tried to educate myself about what I questioned but became very skeptical that what the church believed and how it changed over time. I found another Church family and asked to have my name removed from the membership rolls. Not that they don’t still come knocking on my door. Interesting how my name and address gets passed along as I move.
I’m not Mormon, but I was in a sorority( Gamma Phi Beta), and this reminds me so much of that. the mysterious and secret nature of it all is so similar. initiation was the scariest part. once we were initiated, we learned about our founders and history, and we learned all of the traditions. we also had a secret handshake and password that we would have to give to be let inside our chapter meetings.
By getting people to do strange rituals under cover of secrecy, it’s intended to reinforce the ‘insider versus outsider’ mindset, to be part of a group that ‘knows something others don’t’ that makes them special. The fact that it’s silly and nonsensical in a lot of ways also helps to separate people from the outside, because they’ll want to stay with those that normalize the experience, rather than risk ridicule by outside influences. Very culty, yep.
One reason I left the church was because no one would tell me what this ceremony was all about. I could not reconcile that with being able to exercise my free agency. As an anthropologist I can appreciate how pagan the Mormon religion is too. It’s been an interesting 30 years working through the religious trauma.
Thank you for sharing what putting your name on the prayer roll means. I was Mormon for 35 years, but never made it to the temple, so I never knew exactly what that meant. My ex mother-in-law would always tell me she was doing that for me and to know that all it entails is my name in a bag that people pray above is pretty disappointing lol.
Huh, now I know where the suitcases came from in my family! So relieved I legally resigned from the church in 2018 after being “inactive” since ~2007, but I had no idea that the Mormon church had a legal right to my personal information. It explained so much. Missionaries would show up at my house whenever I moved! Baptisms for the dead is also so creepy to me. These people have passed away, and yet church members believe they have the authority to disrespect their autonomy and baptize them in the name of the church?? Awful.
I walked by the temple of my city today. It was the first time ever I felt repulsed by the building and the people there. I had never let myself look into this kind of information, even though I left 8 years ago. But your life experience in the church was so similar to mine that I caved and started perusal all of your articles. Thank you for sharing.
In 1974 when I was 11, they allowed the public to preview the brand new Mormon temple in Kensington Md. Its a major milestone on the Capital Beltway. All I remember was how they had this brand new white carpet covered with vinyl runners, and after the preview they were going to throw it away because all us unclean peons had walked on it. I was shocked at how wasteful that was. It was very white and shiny inside. I remember that I thought the bride’s rooms were so beautiful. I don’t remember what it really looked like, only my impressions. Even first lady Betty Ford came to see it.
“Blindsided” is a great way to describe my temple experience in 1978. The nudity under the poncho had me screaming “I’m in a cult” from the get go. Thanks for all you do. I love your website. SO educational and stressing informed consent. That’s the main issue with me regarding the church (I left in 1992 after 38 years) is that people do NOT know what they are getting into. Making promises before you know what they are is just wrong.
They temporarily opened up the Mormon Temple in my area to the public a few years ago and I got to go into the Celestial Room and I was sooooo confused as to why there was a fancy lounge on the top floor. They did not explain anything about it (now I know why) so I thought it was like a reception area for holy people. This explanation makes everything make sense (kind of)
When I was younger I recall being in the temple and wearing the fig leaf, but it was not an endowment ceremony, there was the stuff about adam and eve being expelled from the garden, I believe I also had a handkerchief on my head, but for some reason my memory of why we were there and anything other than being in the dressing room and getting our fig leaf aprons is lost on me now. My youth group had done many fund raisers for the the Seattle Temple and I was at the cornerstone laying of that temple. I believe I had been to the temple on at least three occasions as a child. My mother was a temple worker and did many baptisms for the dead. She left the church when they refused her renewal of the temple recommend because she didnt pay 10% of her Gross pay but she did pay 10% of her net, she was a single parent trying to raise two daughters. She straight up asked the Bishop if he was saying she had to buy her way into the temple, that was her wake up call.
There’s a fantasy author that I found on Kindle Unlimited named Jeff Wheeler who is Mormon and after perusal this article, I’m kind of amazed how much of these ceremonies and practices are included in his novels. Pretty much all the elements of the endowment that you described are in his books, just slightly reimagined for their fantasy world. Since these are supposed to be so sacred and secret, now I really wonder how he, as a self described “devout” Mormon, reconciles their use in his stories🤔
i have been to the temple before this and i still didn’t know this happened. i went to do baptism for the dead with the young women and young men. they gave us white underwear to wear during the baptism which didn’t seem to bad to me so that i could wear pure clothing. the more i learn and the more i think about this church makes me very off put. in fact i never connected the religion to a cult until today. thank you for sharing
I honestly don’t know much about Mormons, nearly nothing basically. I live and grew up in Germany, and as far as I’m aware of, there are not many Mormons here. They are mentioned occasionally in conversation, but I guess they are a really small minority around here – I’m happy you found you here because your content is so interesting. And honestly also frightening sometimes.
my whole family is still very active and i have always felt extremely uncomfortable with the thought of blessings or them praying for me. since leaving the church many family members have told me they’ve put my name on the temple roll. now knowing exactly what that entails makes me extremely uncomfortable and anxious. i try so hard to let them live their lives bc they let me live mine… but knowing my family truly believes in this and actively goes to the temple makes me sick. knowing my family members were brainwashed into believing this makes me incredibly sad.
My cousin is Mormon. She was the first of our family to become Mormon. She went whole hog. She had a mission, she got married in the temple, the entire shabang. I remember at the wedding ceremony she had for the entire family, she had to get a wedding gown that covered her magical underwear, which looked a lot like a white t shirt to me.
I’m dying as you’re trying to explain the curtain part…it’s like the wizard of Oz and at the end you realize it’s some dusty old short man with a voice changing microphone pretending to be someone special. This is exactly what I imagine and it’s cracking me up 😂 I’m sure they do hurry it up because you might be tempted to pull that curtain back or laugh, although you’re so brainwashed I’m sure you’re shaking in fear which is disgusting.
Your comment at 26:23 regarding knowledge of the temple ceremony, investigation prior to baptism, IS THE VERY THING THAT KEPT ME FROM JOINING MORMONISM–AND MY MISSIONARIES WERE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT. I mean, they had wasted 6 Saturday afternoon hours trying to talk me into this. I was on board–until…AND I’M GLAD I STUCK BY MY DECISION. I was still curious over the years. Now I see what a hype this was/is, the emptiness behind the beautiful temples (or what used to be beautiful temples), but even worse the emptiness of the religion, and THE VACANT EYES in every TBM says it all.
My sister had a teacher in YW who told the class a lot of details about the endowment ceremony. My parents were horrified that such sacred things had been revealed to girls who “weren’t ready for that much information” and told the bishop who released the teacher immediately. Almost every girl who was in that class ended up either becoming inactive or leaving the church entirely.
drinking coffee (lol) while binging your articles. i love your website. i am not of mormon background, and not even american, but i have been interested in american sects for a while now, ever since my baptist american friend told me about “the rapture”. it is so wild seeing the differences in denominations, and what various branches come up with. for reference, i am of european catholic background, and things like pre-tribulation “rapture” are outlandish to me. still, nothing i’ve seen yet is as wild as mormon customs! mormonism seems like a “you can copy my homework but change it a little so it’s not obvious that you copied” version of masonry. also, as a side note, your ribbon braids are really cool.
Thank you so much for all your explanations and visuals. My sister and brother in law are Mormon and it seriously makes me ill to know she has done/and does this. Both my nephews and my niece stopped going to church 29:13 . One of my nephews went on a mission (he came home for many reasons). I keep hoping they will leave, but so far, no luck. I have many friends, work people and patients that are LDS and now I question their intelligence (some are in very “learned” positions). Yikes. So glad I never wanted to go to the dark side. Thanks again for posting the articles and I look forward to seeing more.
I have wanted to know this and I’m grateful you explained all the details. The hand shakes were really over the top. I can see the connection with the masons now but after listening to you for several hours yesterday and today. I wonder what would happen if you re-recorded this section. You seem really anxious and stressed as I’m sure you were about revealing secrets
as a non mormon who loves studying religions/religious movements thank you SO much for these clear lived experiences and incite! and honestly for all the eyebrow raising stuff i’ve learned about mormonism this, and the ceremonial outfits, and cleaning is probably the most normal and theologically interesting, thing I found out so far, up until the consecration thing and the fact you could only talk about everything in one specific room but not in a, Oh yeah, here’s our community religious library where we can discuss theology way, but in all right, please leave we can’t talk to you about it because it’s iffy in the details ways. 😅 on god mormons should just be honest about this because I’ve seen some weird trad Catholics, who would really go for it.
I had flashbacks perusal this of an older priesthood holder with a temple recommend teaching me the Aaronic and Melchezedic handshakes at the Temple grounds during some sort of gathering (possibly his own endowment) and not really understanding the ‘secret handshake’ thing and being told that he was showing me, but it was super secret knowledge that I must never share even to other mormons. I mean, he told me… I guess because I asked what they do in there and he wanted to show off his secret knowledge… but I must never tell anyone else. I had forgotten the whole thing, and I never got a temple recommend and did the rituals of washing and anointing or the endowment. I did get the Melchezedic priesthood and was a High Priest in the church. I baptised for the dead multiple times and partook in giving blessings with consecrated oil. I attended High Priest meetings in my ward, etc… but I never went on a mission and I never got married in the Temple and I lost my faith around 21-ish, so I never did the super secret temple rituals. My parents did have their temple clothes in suitcases in their closet which I had seen as a child, but I never knew the exact nature of the the washing and anointing or the endowment ceremonies because even within the church culture and your own family, you just don’t talk about what happens behind those temple doors. I’m looking forward to perusal your temple marriage article.
Im an ex Assemblies of God girl, and I tour was able to tour a Mormon temple about two years ago and initially was completely enamored with its beauty. The baptism pool was breathtaking, and everything was marble. I was blown away, and the Mormons were so kind. Then about the time I reached the seventh floor I was like “okay this is giving cult” lol.
When I was a teenager a new temple was built in Fresno, CA. I had Mormon friends who were so excited because we could dona walkthrough tour before it was consecrated. I got to go in, and it was wild. So pretty, but it made absolutely no sense to me. And that was before i just learned about secret God Club handshakes! 😂 😂😂
I want a detailed explanation of every temple ceremony! I only ever did baptism of the dead because I was forced by my parents, but luckily was able to stop going to church altogether around 16 because I am gay and was bullied by leaders & kids at church, so I, thank fucking god, never experienced past that.
Wow that is so interesting! The secret hand shaking makes me think of the Freemasons. I heard they have some kind of Jesus raising from the dead ceremony or something. Idk something about Jesus. But still a cult-y vibe, to me. I’m not Mormon but 🍄 helped me deconstruct too. So I relate to that. I think it’s great that you are trying to educate and demystify. (Not Buddhist but) like they say in Buddhism: Ignorance is the root of all evil.
That apron is still very Mason/Daughters of the Eastern Star. I used to have missionaries come to my house several times a year, always men. But I lived in a very middle class white neighborhood. Since all that is gone, I’ve never seen a missionary again. My best friend/fiance used to invite missionaries into her house. We are from FL, and it’s really hot, and she’d offer them cool water and the use of her bathrooms.She did it every time. Sometimes she was rejected, they declined her hospitality. And she was one of the most kind, accepting humans I’ve ever met. Bless them who accepted her hospitality. Thank you for educating us.
So interesting! Thank you. I’m not a Mormon and have always wondered why all the secrecy? I remember growing up as a Christian and not understanding the divisiveness in the Christian church. Why is one better than the other if they all believe in Jesus? And later if God is love and loves everyone then what does it matter if you come to God in different ways such as through Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. to me then and now it was more important HOW you lived, how you cared for ALL people. Your compassion, generosity. IMO, there is a difference between spirituality and religion. Religion (often) teaches bias, conformity, and intolerance for different opinions. Where as spirituality is about HOW you connect with the Devine. How you show compassion and respect to everyone that crosses your path. Going to church every week/day doesn’t make you a “good person”. It doesn’t mean you can hurt others, be greedy, be racist, sexist. For me, Christ’s message was simple. Love one another. Be kind. Be forgiving. Be generous. What a world it would be if we could break apart the walls of pride and prejudice, and see the divine spirit in each and every living thing on our planet! Would we care more about our impac😢 on the planet? Could we strip away greed and live a bit more simply? Could we be more careful to preserve land and protect wildlife? At any rate, as an adult I’ve pushed away from religious dogma because it just all seems a bit “cult-like” with an overarching purpose to control the individual for the church’s / church leader(s) own benefit.
Love it! Thank you so much for making this article! You can have series out of this topic alone! If you would like to, may I suggest you make articles explaining or expounding parts in the book “Sacred, Not Secret, The Official Guide In Understanding the LDS Temple Endowment PDF” You can find the PDF version online and it has a really neat feature, the keyword search feature. Cheers!
I’m glad I came across your YouTube website. I was brought up in the Mormon church. I never felt “the spirit” Not even as a child. When I was a teenager I wanted to graduate and travel Europe not a baby factory behind some man. Because I didn’t want to be like them I was bullied by the other girls and ladies in relief society. My mother was a strict Mormon like you talk about. She kicked me out while I was still in high school. That’s when bad stuff happened and I was excommunicated. It was the best darn thing that happened to me!
I am not from the Mormon church so I am asking respectfully for your insight. When I was a small child in elementary school, a boy taught me a handshake that was really similar to the second nail handshake (where we touch wrists with our pointers). After teaching me, he told me we were now married and ran away. Was he possibly Mormon?
I was perusal this – worrying about your safety – when you all of the sudden said, “If I die, you’ll know why!” That terrifies me, and I think you are very brave for putting all of this out in the open. First of all, I sincerely hope that no one would hurt you for speaking the truth and educating people, especially a religious person who claims to love God! Secondly, in therapy, I learned that “secrets make us sick.” I truly believe that, and I taught it to my child, so that he would have the best chance of not being lured into any kind of secret society or abusive 1×1 relationship. Finally, thank you for sharing what really goes on behind closed doors in a world that most of us would never learn about. One of my friends growing up was LDS, and I used to be curious and ask questions, but she was very private about her religious beliefs. She did open up about some vague details after much pestering by me. I don’t even remember now what she shared, but I think it was something about Joseph Smith’s hat. I had the unforgivable reaction of raising my eyebrows in shock and then bursting out into laughter! 😳🫣 😶🌫 We were only kids, maybe 7 or 8 years old at the time, but still there’s no excuse for how I behaved. She was mad at first, but then she started crying and called her parents to come pick her up from our playdate. She (rightfully) never spoke to me at school ever again. Even though I still find many iconoclastic belief systems amusing, I am ashamed that I reacted the way I did at the time.
I don’t drink coffee because I don’t like the taste, so that, I wouldn’t miss. As for the rest of the mormonistic rituals and symbolism? That’s not for me either. I’m so glad I was born to my mum who let me make up my own mind about religion and things in general, too. I love your perspective on things, and I’m happy that you’re happy 😊 👍🏽🥰🥰♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Early in our marriage my late husband taught a class based upon the book Kingdom of the Cults written by the late Walter Martin, who was a descendant of Brigham Young. My husband actually received a phone call from a woman who told him that after her daughter was married in the temple she began to act very strange. The mother was convinced that her daughter was concealing a diagnosis of terminal cancer from her mother. Imagine the mothers complete shock when her daughter told her that it was the officiant who married her and her husband, and not her new husband, who had the first sexual relations with her. I had heard this before as well
Another ExMo here and I appreciate you so much for bringing these things to light. The church’s control (beyond the large hammer of fear they hold over its members) is keeping things “secret.” I never got married but OOOFFF glad I missed that bullet. For a church that claims “we don’t focus on Jesus’s death” so we don’t put the cross on buildings or ourselves. . . . . there are a lot of awkward, nail references for such a “happy” God REQUIRED for the Celestial kingdom thing such as marriage. . . . . . is sooooo contradictory. Makes me think the reason for the no cross jewlery is just greed. The church can’t corner the market on cross necklaces like they can CTR rings 😛
What a useful system for someone who wants to control and deceive you. Can’t really ask questions and you shouldn’t understand just come back over and over. And eventually you make up your own story that feels right to you that can explain it all. The church doesn’t have to actually do anything or have any accountability
I left cult before I was old enough to go to the temple, and there were none in my state. I was a member of the ex-mo list on yahoo, and the postmo group, and the exmo women’s group. Information opened my eyes to so much that was just not known to most of us at the time. Richard Packham’s site is still up with links to information as well as other links that aren’t about being exmo. I do wonder how many who are still in the cult actually know about their cult. If they do know, and find a way to condone it, then that counts as a form of mass psychosis, imho.
I left a VERY conservative church that I was born & raised in, 50 yrs. ago. My parents were devastated too, my other 2 sisters & one bro. Left too. They never really agreed, but they did in the end accept it because we were still a Christians & attended a Bible believing church!! (But without a uniform) which they thought was VERY important!😇
Ex Mormon here 😊 thanks for making this article. I left the church before I received the endowment, and I’ve been more curious than anything else about this whole process. My husband was endowed and sealed to his first wife, but he’s very superstitious and would never tell me anything about it. So thank you for answering decades old questions!!!! Also what’s the final name of the last token with the long name? It wasn’t added at 22:29. Don’t you also get your “heavenly” name on your first endowment? Anyways, i appreciate you demistifying the process
I am 76 years old now. Went through the temple when I got married. I was very disappointed in it. I thought it would be much different. I never went back through the temple again. I had no desire to. I haven’t been to church for a very long time now. When asked if I’m a Mormon I just say that I don’t know. I don’t practice it. I think my name is still in their records ?
Just found your website and subscribed, I’m curious about an inside honest look on Mormons.. I’m in Central Texas and do a fair amount of agriculture involving Dorper sheep across the western side of Central Texas. San Angelo in particular.. There I noticed the Mormon population is very visible. The women wear these odd pastel colored dresses that looks like something from the late 1800’s, big hair somewhat hidden in large up do’s.. Are those FLDS?
I joined the church in February because they were so willing to look for answers to all my questions. During the missionary lessons however, they didn’t even mention endowments or the full history of the church but now that I am almost to that point find it difficult to believe anything because of how secretive it has all become. I don’t really believe as much now because of that, but if I leave then my whole life changes completely from relationships to family and even college life. I guess we will see what happens.
Mormonism is wildly odd to say the least. I met a woman who invited me to a pampered chef party and we ended up becoming friends. I went to church with her just to see what the heck it was like and it was incredibly long! I ran into a chemistry professor from my college there and he was aghast to see me and said what are you doing here?! It was almost like he was in on how crazy it all was. My dad lived in Idaho for awhile and that place is lousy with mormons too. My friend would say it was sacred not secret. She also talked about how Salt Lake City was the scam capital and had a sister in law who was into multi level marketing. Sooo interesting and ridiculous. I think it has to be like scientology where people are just going along with it because they’re in too deep. At least that’s what I’m assuming when something is bananas ha. It’s pretty cool that you and your husband made your way out of it.
Except Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves and hid from God. God then made them animal skin coverings because they were ashamed and had hidden from God. It was not God’s doing. And the fig leaves were not God’s creation. Gen 3:7-8 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Gen 3:21 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” KJV of the Bible. Not sure how that translates in LDS and the endowment.
Your articles are so educational. Thank you. I left all religion because no one could tell me WHY I was supposed to believe what they were telling me. Just believe didn’t work for me. My parents had me join Job’s Daughters, a part of the Masonic stuff…and it was horrible & I was eventually asked to leave because I asked too many questions & made fun of the rituals. I was thrilled to get out of that. I’m fascinated by cults & I’m glad I found your website. It’s important to tell the truth.
I am a 56 year old member of the LDS church. Been a member all my life. While Alyssa may have a few little things incorrect (like one of the handshakes someone else already mentioned and I think she has the veil on backwards) I can tell everyone that she is correct in her description in this article. Naturally since she doesn’t attend anymore her feelings about the temple endowment will differ than most members. But I can tell you that I feel the same way. While I understand that the Church wants to keep the temple experience sacred, I have HUGE issues with prior iterations of the endowment, specifically the inherent sexism that was always explained to me as NOT sexist. I could never believe that. And then lo and behold, some of the sexism was removed. The saddest thing Alyssa said that was true for me…no one told me what would happen when I went to the temple except how wonderful and beautiful it was. And it IS beautiful!! So beautiful!! But so weird and different than the regular church experience. Kids have NO idea what really goes on there and it was a shock to me when I went before I got married at 19. When the initiatory and endowment was all done, I felt so creepy and traumatized and didn’t understand why. It was good right?! That’s what everyone told me. I just leaned my head in the locker and felt exhausted.
I find your articles informative and interesting. I have a new friend and I know she is very active in her church and I never want to offend her. However, the more I hear of all these strange intricacies, I wonder how the intelligent woman that she is, still is so involved. I think you do a good job of explaining all the unusual rituals without any outright condemnation. I’m waiting to find out what’s the deal with coffee being taboo. She once asked me why I drink coffee, which to me is like asking someone why they drink soda.
As a Catholic, I could never imagine being secretive or cagey about our beliefs. And our most sacred things are the sacraments, which anyone can witness. Go to a Catholic Church any given Sunday, you can witness the sacrament of Eucharist. Maybe baptism. Nothing is behind a veil. Jesus tore the veil. Please ask me about any of it, I’ll tell you. Absolutely, it’s a bad bad sign when things are hidden.