Temples/Endowment/Freemasonry

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Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum.

Contents

Claim

Some critics of Mormonism see similarities between the rites of Freemasonry and LDS temple ceremonies and assume that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason shortly before he introduced the Nauvoo-style endowment he must have plagiarized elements of the Masonic rituals. This viewpoint leads them, in turn, to conclude that the LDS endowment is nothing but a variant form of Masonic initiation and therefore not from a divine source.

See also: Source(s) of the criticism

Response

Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason on the 15th and 16th of March 1842. But previously, on the 19th of Janaury 1841, the Lord issued a revelation wherein He stated that He was going to "restore again," through Joseph Smith, the "lost" ordinances which had once been practiced in the Tabernacle built by Moses and the house built in the land of promise -- meaning the temple of Solomon (D&C 124:28, 38). The Lord also provided a list within this revealtion of many ritual elements that would eventually be practiced inside of the Nauvoo Temple. Some of the elements mentioned in this revelation are the same ones that Joseph Smith is accused of plagiarizing from the Freemasons.[1]

A detailed look at LDS Church history before the 15th and 16th of March 1842 reveals that Joseph Smith and some of his collegues were well aware of a number of Nauvoo-style temple ritual items early on - including ideology, vestments, actions, forms, language, and architecture. Knowledge of many of these things even predated the revelation given on 19 January 1841 (D&C 124).[2] A careful look at the pre-1842 scriptural texts produced through Joseph Smith's instrumentality is also very instructive because they include a wealth of information connected with the rites that would be introduced among the Saints during the Nauvoo period.[3]

Joseph Smith and other nineteenth century Mormons had a definite stance on why there were similarities between the initiation rituals of the respective groups. They taught that there was an original "Priesthood" source of divinely-determined ceremonies: the Masons derived their system from degenerated branches of this source while pristine material was restored to the Latter-day Saints.[4]

One of the strongest evidences that Joseph Smith did not plagiarize Masonic sources in order to 'create' the LDS temple endowment is that 20th and 21st century scholarship has greatly clarified the picture of initiation rites in the biblical and early Christian periods. A comparison of this picture with Joseph Smith's model and the Masonic model shows that what the Prophet gave to the Saints is indeed a restoration, while the Freemasons only possess fragments of the God-given scheme.

Endnotes

[1] There are several places in D&C 124 where elements of the temple rites are mentioned. For an analysis of the content of section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants and its connection to the temples of ancient Israel see the following article - http://www.templestudy.com/2009/09/27/lord-speaks-ancient-temple-patterns-dc-124/

[2] For a detailed timeline that identifies some of these elements see - http://bookstore.fairlds.org/product.php?id_product=612

[3] Material in the D&C, the JST and the books of Mormon, Abraham, and Moses demonstrate that Joseph Smith had a great deal of Nauvoo-style temple ideology available to him long before a Masonic lodge was established in Nauvoo.

[4] For statements reflecting this stance see - http://en.fairmormon.org/Freemasonry_Origins


Further Reading

FAIR wiki articles

Freemasonry wiki articles

FAIR web site

Freemasonry on FAIR pages
  • FAIR 'Topical Guide' resource page FAIR link
  • Richard L. Anderson [on the reason for Joseph Smith becoming a Mason] PDF document, page 1, column 1, block quote FAIR link
  • Barry R. Bickmore, "Masonry and Mormonism," in Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and Early Christianity (Redding, CA: FAIR, 1999), chapter 6, note #4. FAIR link
  • Greg Kearney, “The Message and the Messenger: Latter-day Saints and Freemasonry," (FAIR conference address, 2005) FAIR link
  • Greg Kearney, “The Temple and Masonry," (website evaluation, 2006) FAIR link
  • Benjamin McGuire, “The Masonic . . . Background of the Ceremony” (section of book review, 2007) FAIR link
  • Ben Spackman, “The Temple Ordinances and Freemasonry” (section of book review, 2006) FAIR link
  • Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth about "The God Makers" (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994), chapter 9 FAIR link

DVD/MP3

DVD/MP3
  • Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons (2009 DVD - interviews with Richard E. Bennett, Matthew B. Brown, Glen A. Cook [Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Utah], Steven C. Harper, and Daniel C. Peterson) off-site
  • Matthew B. Brown - KSL newsradio MP3 interview on Mormonism and Freemasonry (25 October 2009) off-site

External links

Freemasonry on-line articles
  • Matthew B. Brown - Provo Daily Herald newspaper interview on Mormonism and Freemasonry (31 October 2009) off-site
  • Matthew B. Brown, "Girded about with a Lambskin," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 6/2 (1997): 124–51. off-site PDF link
  • Matthew B. Brown, "Of Your Own Selves Shall Men Arise, Review of The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship by David John Buerger," FARMS Review of Books 10/1 (1998): 97–131. off-site PDF link
  • Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Freemasonry and the Temple," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 2:528–529. off-site direct off-site
  • Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Freemasonry in Nauvoo," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 2:527–528. off-site direct off-site
  • William J. Hamblin, "An Apologist for the Critics: Brent Lee Metcalfe's Assumptions and Methodologies (Review of Apologetic and Critical Assumptions about Book of Mormon Historicity by Brent Lee Metcalfe)," FARMS Review of Books 6/1 (1994): 434–523. off-site PDF link
  • William J. Hamblin, Daniel C. Peterson, and George L. Mitton, "Mormon in the Fiery Furnace Or, Loftes Tryk Goes to Cambridge (Review of The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644-1844 by John L. Brooke)," FARMS Review of Books 6/2 (1994): 3–58. off-site PDF link
  • Bryce Haymond, “Did the Temple Ordinances Come from the Masons?” – discussion of a quote by Hugh W. Nibley. off-site
  • Jeff Lindsay, “Questions about the LDS Temple Ceremony and Masonry,” LDS FAQ: Mormon Answers off-site
  • Paul Mouritsen, "Secret Combinations and Flaxen Cords: Anti-Masonic Rhetoric and the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12/1 (2003): 64–77. off-site PDF link
  • Nathan Oman, "Secret Combinations: A Legal Analysis," FARMS Review 16/1 (2004): 49–73. off-site PDF link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Notes on ‘Gadianton Masonry’" in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 174–224. direct off-site
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Secret Combinations" Revisited," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1/1 (1992): 184–188. off-site PDF link
  • Matthew P. Roper, "Review of Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? by Jerald and Sandra Tanner," FARMS Review of Books 4/1 (1992): 169–215. off-site PDF link (see pages 184–185).
  • Eugene Seaich, “Was Freemasonry Derived from Mormonism?” – article hosted on the SHIELDS website. off-site

Printed material

Freemasonry printed materials
  • Michael R. Ash, Shaken Faith Syndrome: Strengthening One’s Testimony in the Face of Criticism and Doubt (Redding, CA: FAIR, 2008), 27, 118, 129, 229–31, 233. off-site
  • Lisle G. Brown, "Temple Pro Tempore," Journal of Mormon History, vol. 34, no. 4, Fall 2008, 40.
  • Matthew B. Brown, "The LDS Temple and Freemasonry," in The Gate of Heaven: Insight on the Doctrines and Symbols of the Temple (American Fork, UT: Covenant, 1999), 299–318. off-site
  • Matthew B. Brown, Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons (American Fork, UT: Covenant, 2009), 1–211. off-site
  • Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Knopf, 2005), 449–51.
  • Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Freemasonry in Nauvoo," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 2:527–528. off-site off-site
  • Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Freemasonry and the Temple," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 2:528–529. off-site off-site
  • Michael T. Griffith, "Masonry and the Mormon Temple," in A Ready Reply: Answering Challenging Questions about the Gospel, (Bountiful, UT: Horizon Books, 1994), 13–21. off-site
  • William J. Hamblin and David Seely, "The Freemasons and Solomon's Temple," in Hamblin and Seely, Solomon's Temple: Myth and History (London: Thames and Hudson, 2007), 182–186. off-site
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Notes on 'Gadianton Masonry'" in Ricks and Hamblin, eds., Warfare in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 174–224.
  • Gilbert W. Scharffs, Mormons and Masons: Setting the Record Straight (Orem, UT: Millennial Press, 2006), 1-91. off-site

Related papers

Related papers
  • Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, "The Message of the Joseph Smith Translation: A Walk in the Garden" PDF format (2008 - FAIR conference address) PDF link
  • Matthew B. Brown, "The Lord Speaks Again: Ancient Temple Patterns in D&C 124" (2009 - research paper) off-site
  • Matthew B. Brown, "The Israelite Temple and the Early Christians" (2008 - FAIR conference address) FAIR link
  • Matthew B. Brown, "Early Christian Rituals Came From Temple" - Mormon Times article (9 August 2008) [1]
  • Brant A. Gardner, "The Gadianton Robbers in Mormon's Theological History: Their Structural Role and Plausible Identification,” (2002 - FAIR conference address) FAIR link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "The Temple as a Place of Ascent to God" (2009 - FAIR conference address) FAIR link
  • Matthew P. Roper, "Adam in Ancient Texts and the Restoration" (2006 - FAIR conference address) FAIR link
  • John A. Tvedtnes, "Early Christian and Jewish Rituals Related to Temple Practices" (1999 - FAIR conference address) FAIR link
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