I figured there had to be more symbolism and meaning that I was missing, so I persisted, waiting for greater light and knowledge. Andy Larsen: Heres where National Weather Service forecasts flooding, in the short term and the long term, Murray police officers were justified in their use of force against a 52-year-old man who died after arrest, Salt Lake County D.A. I regularly attended for 20-25 years, each time diligently seeking to break through the symbolism to understand things. It depends on what the fig leaf is symbolic of to you as an individual in different circumstances. Some of the similarities were unmistakable. In my first interview, a woman told me how excited she was to see two women demonstrating on screen how to go through the veil and that the ordinance worker being depicted was a Black woman with gorgeous, long braids. The very next interview was with a woman who told me how excited she was that of the two men shown demonstrating how to go through the veil, one appeared to be Asian. @Elisaok wow, Im really having an off day! A letter signed by the First Presidency was sent on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, regarding civil marriage. I do think the General Authorities tended to be misandrist for a long time, but perhaps the men of the Church really were, by and large, that bad. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints instituted a number of revisions last week to the temple endowment ceremony. What I cant see is how they can be coregents while one presides. What use does he have for a temple ceremony? The woman is veiled within the stewardship of the man as a matter of protecting and navigating sacred space. I like learning from you even if we might have a different perspective. President Eyring also noted the death of Elder Dean M. Davies, who had served as General Authority for one year and in the Presiding Bishopric for eight years. When the Lord saw the fig leaf upon Adam, He immediately removed it from him, and replaced it with a [terrestrial] leather skin of flesh and blood sacrifice. The apron resonates with the idea of agency. Jack, I agree that men and women have fundamental differences and that it is not sexism to say so. They are trying to be more inclusive, showing that we each make our own covenants, rather than women having to go through someone else.. Jul 12, 2021, 12:21pm PDT SHARE Latter-day Saints reminded of new ceremonial clothing as temples resume operations Flipboard A view of the Ogden Utah Temple on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Ive heard so many stories, first hand, from people who felt they were not adequately prepared. I dont get how you could read the New Testament and think any of this makes any sense. Iws329: What differences are you referring to? The top 10 changes President Russell M. Nelson has made in the LDS church Perhaps the heavy use of symbolism in the temple has for some become a hindrance in a world where blunt, unscripted and in your face "reality" is causing young people to lose the ability to comprehend let alone appreciate the form of teaching found in the temple. Read about Elder Bednars visit at Church News. I thought well why didnt they specify that? I felt pretty invisible as a woman in the endowment , especially as Eve never said a word after leaving the Garden. I look forward to attending and seeing how they did with that. Even so, I would say that it at least places her at the center of creation inlieu of of anything else that might be said (about the arrangement). @Toad, I had the same experience re: penalty oaths. A phased reopening of Church historic sites was approved by the First Presidency in May 2021. I agree. Omission: no reply to specific questions directly addressed to your claims. Think thats where I am now. Travis, I typically enjoy reading your commentsbut I disagree with you on this one, brother. Glendale88: Never say never, but I dont think the prayer circle is a common complaint right now, and thats probably just because there were worse things that were a higher priority. You may also like:What I learned about the limitless power of the Spirit during my virtual vacation to Church historic sites. They appear in an indoor setting that one person described to me as a temple altar but another said was nondescript. They are wearing temple clothing and receiving the tokens from the biblical Peter, who is also a character on the screen rather than being represented by a live officiant as in the past. That is a tragedy and frankly a cultural problem. I loved the context added about Christ. Boredom has been another top issue that I have with the temple. (2) It is not unusual that my ancestresses experience pain in polygamy. And as such, it is a symbol that is charged with profound meaning when considered within the context of temple theology. Do these changes retroactively apply? Updated: July 1, 2021, 1:09 a.m. @fred, what specifically about these changes reflects a woke agenda? 2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. 2) I havent been to the temple recently enough to have experienced these changes, but it doesnt sound like a net negative. More temple changes - LDS Gospel Discussion - ThirdHour News of the changes in the ceremony was pick up by wire services and received nationwide coverage including a front page story in the New York Times, comments by Paul Harvey, and a report in Time magazine. By. Loud laughter is gone. Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination. While I believe that we were somehow involved in the creation of lesser thingsthe bringing forth of human life was strictly reserved for the gods. They certainly dont address my primary concerns with the templethose concerns being (1) sexism, (2) polygamy, (3) heteroexclusivity, (4) pledging loyalty to the institution of the Church rather than to God, (5) temple recommend & tithing gatekeeping / exclusion mechanisms, (6) vestiges of penalty oaths and non-ancient Masonic practices, (7) genuine confusion about what the temple endowment adds to baptismal covenants (or otherwise what it has to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ), and (8) a complete lack of interest in inheriting kingdoms and principalities and having endless posterity. As someone who enjoys doing family history I now find it ludicrous to be doing all these ordinances for the dead for which we can only do a chip of the iceberg. I appreciate President Nelsons efforts, but I hope this is just a beginning to correcting the churchs misogyny. Say it. This just feels like Nelson likes tinkering with the temple, because none of these feel impactful enough to bother changing everything. But I hope to never endure another endowment session. One full year has passed since their confirmation. In other words, if you want salvation, you must go through the temple, and so you have to come to church and pay tithing. And the third is assuring that the efforts [and] activities of the Choir align with the mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both are presenttheres plenty of overlap. I have no idea what prompted the changes, but based on my experience I suspect part of the reason was to help those participating in the rite to understand it better. It is quite troubling that it forms the basis of our understanding of marriage. This can just as easily suggest that he could have scooped these rituals and symbolism from several sources. If youll bother to look at my other posts, youll see that the vast majority of them are about Jesus and God and, in fact, aimed at building something upi.e., resurrecting a Christianity and theology that for many burned to ashes when they lost faith in the LDS Church because of its boneheaded leaders, judgmental members, and twisted theology. An update to the Church Handbook in section 27.2.2 states, The decision to receive the endowment is personal and should be made prayerfully. The handbook also lists four conditions members should meet if they choose to receive the endowment, which are as follows: You may also like:No more bathing caps? Senior service missionaries live at home and serve for a minimum of six months for eight to 40 hours a week. By creating this site, I hope to discourage researchers from using temple exposs produced by individuals and organizations hostile to Mormonism. I have to remind myself constantly to breathe and be kind to myself. All explained and laid out, nothing to have to remember from a possible temple trip 25 years ago (for the lucky ones). Should I let myself just be soothed by it all, like a crying child with a loving parent saying, there, there, darling, it will all be fine, just trust me I got this. Also, it's worth remembering the original purpose of the temple ceremony. So hearing they went to slide shows sounded like they took out the only interesting thing. You may also like:3 lessons one young mother was reminded of while watching the Friend to Friend event. In fact, on Sunday you might see sitting in the next pew, smiling at you, keeping my covenants, sharing my talents and remaining faithful to my spouse, as always. On Cain and Abel, yes, something could be said about intent. However, the true reason why the Lord rejects Cains offer is because it is not the correct order. I love a good discussion where every angle of a problem is honestly and openly examined. What do you think motivated these changes? Re: The Law of the Gospel conflating covenant and ordinance: All covenants are established through ordinancesthough not every ordinance is utilized to establish a covenant. November 25, 2022 - Christmas lights are on at LDS Temple Square in SLC despite the ongoing construction November 18, 2022 - Temple Square Offers Christmas Experiences Despite Construction September 26, 2022 - Temple Update: Historic Temple Square Renovation Continues (2) how would you explain that men are to become priests and kings to God but women are to become queens and priestesses in the new and everlasting covenant? Candidly, I dont think theres an argument that that Church and temple liturgy isnt structurally sexist. See a list of historic sites on Newsroom. And I only touched lightly on the covenants! I lost my trust. Which is to say, after a separation, the fig and vine are brought together in harmony, fertility and prosperity. Therein, Mormons are instructed that the knowledge, tokens, and signs obtained within the temple will provide passage through the veil into . This so-called covenant, which obligates the ego to obey obedience, is a neurocognitive construct for mind-washing. That they perform ordinances. If you are going to look at roles, you might consider Eves position of questioning and considering on her own, rather than obeying, and then exercising her own spiritual authority to disobey God, and then to lead Adam to follow after her. It might look nice visually. I also agree with others that its pointless to have the part explaining the covenants at the beginning with the option to leave. Because what Anna said. @kristi, those are big topics and I dont have the emotional energy to go into them all, especially because there is so much already written about those topics so I will mostly be sharing links. I love the fact that agency is so central to the story. That doesnt change the fact that our Church structurally excludes women from leadership and decisionmaking. Ive very happy with it, despite ongoing questions. More sanitized, more sterile, more boring. Admit it. It was very shocking and embarrassing because we then had to explain to this couple on the way to the temple what they were about to experience in terms of the described penalties My husband has a couple of books on the temple by LDS authors and I think they make a case for linking the temple rituals back to Israel. Be honest with yourself. There is no reason for the covenants to be a secret. And thats a beautiful thing (IMO) as it grounds us in those things that make possible the reception of the Holy Ghostwhich (reception) gets us on the high road to eternal life. Ill admit that it felt a little weird the first time, but I knew the guy very well, so we pressed ahead. Im not sure if attendance is down as much as they say it is, but weve got a current president who is announcing new temples as if they are in high demand. Under the umbrella of Hermeticism, Masonry, Rosicrucianism and Kabbalah share symbols like common language, but to assume the symbol has Masonic origin, instead of Kabbalist origin, one would have to tease out and differentiate mystery motifs independently. Or teach literacy skills to children. Updated July 16, 2021 A selection of temple from around the world where new temple presidents and matrons have been called to serve, beginning in August of 2021. I do have issue with the men in suits who claim to be the mouthpieces of God when they are in fact simply turning their own opinions into doctrine and dogmaat the expense of those ordinary Mormons (who I love) and my predominantly Mormon community (which I cant escape). @Elisa, when I first experienced the presentation of the endowment, I was waiting for the point to get rid of the green apronI understood the symbolism, and so I couldnt imagine wearing the symbol throughout. According to a Newsroom press release, FSY conferences include activities, devotionals, and classes that help youth strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ. They werent huge changes; the overall tone was still male-centric (ex the demonstration at the veil was still only Adam), but it was an improvement. Regarding informed consent Simply informing participants that these are the 5 covenants youll make isnt informed consent. We covenant to live be covenant; were not truly loving until we love to love, and so forth. Honestly, I missed the richness of the other ceremony and the old movies. Rabbis say fig trees lay the keylines and terraces for grape vineyards in an idealized, restored Israel. With that in mind, when what consider that which is most sacred above all it should be obvious why the woman is at the fulcrum of eternitythe center. I like Jesus, so why not have more of him on screen? It isnt obvious to me. Is Adam going to be wearing a tie? Thats great that you feel like you have everything you need based on your baptism. To me adding pictures of Jesus to the endowment misses the point when correcting the problem that the endowment has nothing to do with Jesus and the atonement. The question none of them have been able to answer for me, though, is what wording of the covenants am I bound by? Thats not to say that the man is absent. Even when I barely allude to those differences Im labelled a sexist. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online, First Presidency Letter: Adjustments in Temple Ceremonial Clothing. Also, I think its important to note that most of the covenants we make in the temple are grounded in the scripturesthereby suggesting that the Laws of the temple are not simplistic. @ Travis The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax However, if the man presides and all final decisions in the church are made by men holding the priesthood, it just isnt true. For example, I would love nothing more than to be a stay-at-home mom, but our family situation doesnt allow for that. Is that another nod to polygamy? On December 13, the First Presidency released the following regarding the completion date for the Salt Lake Temple renovation project: The seismic strengthening of the Salt Lake Temple and the extensive remodel of the Temple and surrounding area are sacred and significant undertakings. You need to have a little chat with my five daughters. So what happens in an LDS temple? New guide offers first-timers real There appear to be subreddits about leaving virtually every religion. Pretty easy exercise if you are sincere about what you wrote. The script now seems to include reminders to attend the temple often. There is less standing up and sitting down and rearranging the clothing (a good thing for those with physical disabilities). And promise not to tell this secret handshake or forfeit my life.um, shades of the Gadianton Robbers and werent they the bad guys? The whole chapter begins with Joseph asking questions about polygamy. Travis, I understand symbols slightly differently than you do. Their (the officiants) only role was starting the session and then saying the prayer at the end of the session, one person told me. But is that the Churchs fault? I work hard every week and at home to build something wonderful. But even as heretical as I am I dont think that would go over well right now. To sum up, (1) our LDS concept for covenant is limited, incomplete, arguably misleading, and (2) to carry satans symbol right into the celestial room is an abomination. The Choir also sang live music at the October 2021 general conference and resumed its live broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word. You lost me at 13 minutes longer Elisa. While attendees see images of the galaxies on screen, they hear the voices of Elohim, Satan and Jesus discussing how to save humanity. I like the idea of persisting to the end in a journey with a wonderful end, a patient line-upon-line journey. What do you think motivated these changes? . I did not expect the overall reverence that you feel just when you walk in the door. 6) Im not sure which vestiges are in and which are out; personally, Im not bothered by the Masonic roots, but I dont think its great that church leaders have believed that the Masonic stuff was actually from the time of Solomon, or the other elements where we seem to be cosplaying ancient Israel which is a flavor of cultural appropriation that some take far too seriously In my mind I was thinking how can you not know?!? So why doesnt the man need to be protected as a matter of navigating sacred space, but the woman does? LDS Church changes policy about civil ceremonies and temple sealings, making way for more family members to be part of weddings . The Temples They Are A-Changin' - Wheat & Tares The reopening of these sites has been determined by local conditions, government guidelines, and missionary staffing availability. The conclusion of the creation story is no longer the end for Adam and Eve as major actors in the ceremony. Therefore, effective immediately, all temple patrons and workers are asked to wear face masks at all times while in the temple. LDS Endowment Amber Scorah wrote a book about leaving Jehovahs Witness. Just to be clear I am not blaming the church for poor treatment of women. Providing 15 minutes warning on covenants isnt meaningful. Im overjoyed, James Sutherland, a choir member and committee member who helped organize the choirs safe return to singing, told Deseret News. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints If they had happened 10 years ago, when I was regularly attending each month, they would have had more of a positive impact. 30 years later I wish I had been emotionally mature enough to realize I was ceding decision-making authority to others. ." Our church leaders clearly intend that or they would not refer to the new & everlasting covenant. However this story doesnt eliminate the negatives of my other family polygamy story. Setting aside that the changes were actually not changes, without apology and explanation there can be no healing. However, I am saying that we, as a church are responsible for how our teachings and church structure can effect peoples actions, even if the over all culture is misogynist, the same as we are. Flimsy little slippers? Study. Latter-day Saints believe that the Temple endowment is an eternal ordinance that Joseph Smith received by revelation from God. Even if I had to work so she could stay home with my kids, it would be better than what we have now. In April 2021 general conference, President Nelson announced 20 temples worldwide. When you go through the temple you make many implied promises and agree to submit to harsh punishments (and Im not talking penalties). Particularly, the bishops right. That broke my relationship with the church and I have never felt the need to comply other than to not distress others since. We know people are anxious to visit and the missionaries are eager to welcome them. Im fine with folk believing whatever they want to believe but Im not convinced myself at this time. it at least places her at the center of creation Why does the women need to be at the center? Not explaining what the symbols stand for is a problem. The revised endowment includes, for what I believe is the first time, a ritual performance of what Latter-day Saints call the War in Heaven. Symbols seldom have *one* hard and fast and unchangeable meaning. We provide the link to this third party's website solely as a convenience to you. Here I had spent years trying to decipher the symbolism behind the signs (cup, squares, etc) only to find out they are vestigial remnants of the penalties. That He and Father knew I was going to make mistakes and counseled about it before the world was created and prepared a way to save all of us. It is something *else* besides faith in Jesus, baptism, and repentance that is needed to return to our Father. So the new movies came out in 2013 and were used until January 2019. Traveler, Anddenex, zil2 and 2 others. Ordinance is not covenant (in the case of baptism, for example). I think we see things pretty wildly differently and thats ok. The emphasis of covenantthe higher lawis responsibility for one another. The temple has never been the place in which I found peace or inspiration. Hopefully these regular changes are getting us all ready to accept the kinds of larger changes necessary for our community to become more Christ like and a Zion community. Trying to avoid links, my quick google search brought up numerous blogs and articles about people leaving Catholicism. (RNS) Just four years after the most recent revisions, the LDS temple ceremony has undergone more changes. I am the descendant of Matilda and John Douglas. I did and of course, not enough was changed. Your statements are based on culture and tradition. My parents have a marriage based on equality and my mother worked for the YWCA at a safe house for battered women and told me all about her job. Strikethroughs are used to indicate deleted passages, . Cain was commanded by the adversary to make an offeringand theres no way to obey that influence and be properly motivated toward God. The ceremony, with all its words and signs, has always just been what it is. Some plausible explanations are (1) minimize germ-spread (consistent with the 2020 changes); (2) reduce the number of workers required to run a session; (3) attempt to address issues of informed consent by explaining the covenants prior to beginning (temple prep seems a better option for this, because it would still be really awkward to get up and leave in front of friends and family your first time); and (4) trying to seem more Christian (ok that was snarky, I imagine it is a sincere effort to make Christ more central to the ceremony). I dont know how anyone could take a tour of this temple and not be moved by the presence of God in Christ. And that God knew in some things wed choose poorly. This story doesnt really match the family values taught at church. And once you have gone through the temple, well, youve made these covenants and if you break them, damnation awaits you. It is anticipated that the temple and its surroundings will be completed in 2025. New members of the Presidency of the Seventy, eight new General Authorities, and 77 new area seventies were announced during the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2021 general conference. As you said, A textual reading [of Doctrine & Covenants 132] is quite clear, but I feel that that clarity proves that the new and everlasting covenant is *not* plural marriage. What my interviewees noticed this time was that when God discusses Adam, he also includes Eve (Adam and Eve and their posterity was one remembered phrase). Somehow I dont think this positive is what our current church teaches today either whereas we are encouraged to exalt motherhood as our most important role. My thoughts on the 7 changes: Or pick up trash on a highway? She only had one interaction with him. It just feels like we are being gaslit with these changes that are inconsequential and seem designed to stir interest in going through again just to see whats new. Read more about the Ephraim Utah Temple and the Manti Utah Temple at Newsroom. Read about plans for the Nauvoo Pageant, the British Pageant, and the Mesa Pageant at Newsroom. But thats another can of worms. I remember the change to hearken from obey. Is there a decibel limit? On the subject of the fig treewell have to agree to disagree. I never saw them at church again. Literally google leaving [Religion X] and youll see it. Humans are prideful, and I personally men are more so than women. We are excluded from decisionmaking and leadership. Why, then, have changes been made to it several times since it was first revealed? Recent media attention has verified last month's Expositor report of significant changes in the Mormon temple ritual. I guess it helps me have more empathy for how liberals might have felt during the administration of right wing conservative Ezra Taft Benson. I still think that most Mormons secretly dislike going to the temple. There is no hand-to-hand touching until the end, when individuals pass through the veil. As a woman,I need your respect, not your flattery. But I no longer warp my vision to see things differently than they are. It is the second First Presidency announcement in five weeks dealing with marriage. Sabbath, Tithing, Fasting, Chastity, and Consecration, are the fundamental kinship and responsibility laden in the conceptual metaphor for covenant. I went through for the first time in 1993 and was completely unprepared even though I was a BYU student and had taken temple prep classes. The current church hierarchy favoring men has negative effects on both men and women, as your story illustrates. The church is reminding Latter-day Saints of the new styles and adjustments as COVID-19 restrictions diminish and temples continue to increase operations, according to a news release Monday. Congregations in the US and Canada will be able to participate every other year. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Patriarchy in and of itself is not evil. No, I suppose Adam would have sprung for a nice pair of white shoes. I still do not believe in a God of tokens and signs. I have no idea what prompted the changes (or why, if Nelson has a direct line to God, he didnt make these changes in the 2019 overhaul). Years later, this elder (who, incidentally, is now deceased) came to me and admitted that the blessing had come from him, not Father, and begged my forgiveness. (Yup, me too; of pioneer stock who literally came across the plains) In 2006 I spent 5 fascinating weeks in South Africa on a health research trip a place Id always wanted to see since my Uncles stories of serving there as a young missionary (and later as Mission Pres.). We were astonished, impressed, gratified with what has been done to hold with the pioneer ancestry of this traditional great temple and house of the Lord to bring it into current technology and needs and configuration of rooms, all of which is essential for it to perform its service for decades to come, said President Oaks. Yall, stop trying to take away the coolest part of temple clothes ;-). What follows is a provisional overview. Kabbalah has a longer history and claims a more exclusive mystery than the commonplace fraternal order of freemasonry. The Winnipeg Manitoba Temple was dedicated in October, making it the first temple to be dedicated in over a year and a half. Women managed all the fast offerings and caring for the poor themselves without male supervision, as Joseph Smith promised in the first RS meeting. But as this is listed as a new change, I dont know what it refers to. Things may have changed either before or since I was there many, many years ago. I also like that they are trying to do something to create a more Christ centered experience. Cain sought to skip the order and go right to the veil (an echo of Lucifers rebellion). I didnt even know, for about 20 years, that there had ever been any changes! Why not give the same fervor to finding another religion or secular cause entirely? There is less movement as a whole. The fig is a telestial order, the vine is a terrestrial order, and the olive is a celestial order. That way when you encounter something you didnt know, you dont have to say Oh no the church isnt true! and leave the church. All of my interviewees noted that the images on screen now include multiple depictions of Jesus, some of which they had never seen before. 3) Im guessing the changes were motivated by our ever-changing society, and their impact will be that people living in said society will better understand the things Father wants us to know. No more live endowment sessions in Mormon temples - Religion News Service You may have heard that the LDS Temple ceremony changed to (1) provide an explanation of five temple covenants before people agree to continue, (2) show pictures of Jesus, (3) eliminate the roles of the witness couple, (4) change it so that certain elements are only shown on screen, not performed during the ceremony, until the end (which I
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