FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Array
Detailed response to CES Letter, Temples & Freemasonry: Difference between revisions
(mod) |
(mod) |
||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
==A FAIR Analysis of the online document ''Letter to a CES Director'' section "Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions"== | ==A FAIR Analysis of the online document ''Letter to a CES Director'' section "Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions"== | ||
==Quick Navigation== | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"Just seven weeks after Joseph’s Masonic initiation, Joseph introduced the LDS endowment"|Response to section: "Just seven weeks after Joseph’s Masonic initiation, Joseph introduced the LDS endowment"]] | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"We have the true Masonry"|Response to section: "We have the true Masonry"]] | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"why doesn’t the LDS ceremony more closely resemble an earlier form of Masonry?"|Response to section: "why doesn’t the LDS ceremony more closely resemble an earlier form of Masonry?"]] | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"Freemasonry has zero links to the Solomon’s temple"|Response to section: "Freemasonry has zero links to the Solomon’s temple"]] | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"What does it say about the Church if it removed something that Joseph Smith said he restored?"|Response to section: "What does it say about the Church if it removed something that Joseph Smith said he restored?"]] | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens?"|Response to section: "Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens?"]] | |||
*[[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions#"Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles?"|Response to section: "Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles?"]] | |||
==== ==== | ==Response Section== | ||
===="Just seven weeks after Joseph’s Masonic initiation, Joseph introduced the LDS endowment"==== | |||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author states, "Just seven weeks after Joseph’s Masonic initiation, Joseph introduced the LDS endowment." | |claim=The author states, "Just seven weeks after Joseph’s Masonic initiation, Joseph introduced the LDS endowment." | ||
| Line 24: | Line 33: | ||
}} | }} | ||
==== ==== | ===="We have the true Masonry"==== | ||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author states, "President Heber C. Kimball, a Mason himself and a member of the First Presidency for 21 | |claim=The author states, "President Heber C. Kimball, a Mason himself and a member of the First Presidency for 21 | ||
| Line 35: | Line 44: | ||
}} | }} | ||
===="why doesn’t the LDS ceremony more closely resemble an earlier form of Masonry?"==== | |||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author states, "If Masonry had the original temple ceremony but became distorted over time, why doesn’t the LDS ceremony more closely resemble an earlier form of Masonry, which would be more correct rather than the exact version that Joseph Smith was exposed to in his March 1842 Nauvoo, Illinois initiation?" | |claim=The author states, "If Masonry had the original temple ceremony but became distorted over time, why doesn’t the LDS ceremony more closely resemble an earlier form of Masonry, which would be more correct rather than the exact version that Joseph Smith was exposed to in his March 1842 Nauvoo, Illinois initiation?" | ||
| Line 44: | Line 54: | ||
}} | }} | ||
==== ==== | ===="Freemasonry has zero links to the Solomon’s temple"==== | ||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author states, "Freemasonry has zero links to the Solomon’s temple. Although more a Church folklore, with origins from comments made by early Mormon Masons such as Heber C. Kimball, than being Church doctrine, it’s a myth that the endowment ceremony has its origins from Solomon’s temple or that Freemasonry passed down parts of the endowment over the centuries from Solomon’s temple. Solomon’s temple was all about animal sacrifice. Freemasonry has its origins to stone tradesmen in medieval Europe – not in 950 BC Jerusalem. If there’s no connection to Solomon’s temple, what’s so divine about a man-made medieval Scottish secret fraternity and its rituals?" | |claim=The author states, "Freemasonry has zero links to the Solomon’s temple. Although more a Church folklore, with origins from comments made by early Mormon Masons such as Heber C. Kimball, than being Church doctrine, it’s a myth that the endowment ceremony has its origins from Solomon’s temple or that Freemasonry passed down parts of the endowment over the centuries from Solomon’s temple. Solomon’s temple was all about animal sacrifice. Freemasonry has its origins to stone tradesmen in medieval Europe – not in 950 BC Jerusalem. If there’s no connection to Solomon’s temple, what’s so divine about a man-made medieval Scottish secret fraternity and its rituals?" | ||
| Line 54: | Line 64: | ||
}} | }} | ||
==== ==== | ===="What does it say about the Church if it removed something that Joseph Smith said he restored?"==== | ||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author questions why the Church has changed the endowment ceremony by removing the penalties and certain other elements that were also present in Freemasonry. The author states, "What does it say about the Church if it removed something that Joseph Smith said he restored and which would never again be taken away from the earth?" | |claim=The author questions why the Church has changed the endowment ceremony by removing the penalties and certain other elements that were also present in Freemasonry. The author states, "What does it say about the Church if it removed something that Joseph Smith said he restored and which would never again be taken away from the earth?" | ||
| Line 65: | Line 75: | ||
}} | }} | ||
==== ==== | ===="Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens?"==== | ||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author states, " Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens, handshakes, and signs to get into the Celestial Kingdom? If so, Masons, former Mormons, anti-Mormons, unworthy Mormons as well as non-Mormons who’ve seen the endowment on YouTube or read about the signs/handshakes/tokens online should pass through the pearly gates with flying colors. | |claim=The author states, "Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens, handshakes, and signs to get into the Celestial Kingdom? If so, Masons, former Mormons, anti-Mormons, unworthy Mormons as well as non-Mormons who’ve seen the endowment on YouTube or read about the signs/handshakes/tokens online should pass through the pearly gates with flying colors. | ||
|answer= | |answer= | ||
*The author has missed the point of the tokens completely. They are to show our fidelity to covenants, a central point of both the endowment and the masonic rituals. God does not need them, we need them, or more precisely, we need the covenants that they represent. They help us learn to be faithful to what we want to be. | *The author has missed the point of the tokens completely. They are to show our fidelity to covenants, a central point of both the endowment and the masonic rituals. God does not need them, we need them, or more precisely, we need the covenants that they represent. They help us learn to be faithful to what we want to be. | ||
| Line 75: | Line 85: | ||
}} | }} | ||
===="Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles?"==== | |||
{{CESLetterItem | {{CESLetterItem | ||
|claim=The author states, "Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles? Is God really going to separate good couples and their children who love one other and who want to be together in the next life because they object to uncomfortable and strange Masonic temple rituals and a polygamous heaven?" | |claim=The author states, "Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles? Is God really going to separate good couples and their children who love one other and who want to be together in the next life because they object to uncomfortable and strange Masonic temple rituals and a polygamous heaven?" | ||
Revision as of 03:02, 7 July 2013
| [[../Witnesses Concerns & Questions|Witnesses Concerns & Questions]] | A FAIR Analysis of:
[[../|Letter to a CES Director]] |
[[../Science Concerns & Questions|Science Concerns & Questions]] |
A FAIR Analysis of the online document Letter to a CES Director section "Temples & Freemasonry Concerns & Questions"
- Response to section: "Just seven weeks after Joseph’s Masonic initiation, Joseph introduced the LDS endowment"
- Response to section: "We have the true Masonry"
- Response to section: "why doesn’t the LDS ceremony more closely resemble an earlier form of Masonry?"
- Response to section: "Freemasonry has zero links to the Solomon’s temple"
- Response to section: "What does it say about the Church if it removed something that Joseph Smith said he restored?"
- Response to section: "Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens?"
- Response to section: "Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles?"