Mormon Temple Worthiness
Since the Mormon temple is literally a house of God, one must prepare as if he or she is actually entering God’s presence. In holy temples Mormons consecrate themselves to the service of God. If a person cannot abide by the commandments in everyday life, then how can he or she expect to live an even higher law? In the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, we read about Abraham, who was commanded by God to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Since human sacrifice, practiced in some pagan religions, was abhorrent to the true faith, and since Isaac was Abraham’s only hope to fulfill God’s promise of seed, this request must have struck Abraham as incomprehensible. But he still followed through. God...
What is the Mormon Endowment?
“Endowment” means gift, and the Mormon temple endowment is a gift from God of power and knowledge. Worthy Mormons, those who are keeping the commandments of God, including keeping the Mormon health laws, the law of chastity (no sex outside of traditional marriage), paying a full tithing (10% of one’s income), and being honest in all one’s dealings, may seek to enter the Mormon temple to make higher covenants. The endowment ceremony takes about 90 minutes and consists of instruction and covenant-making with God, leading up to the desire to be wholly consecrated to God, the desire to do His will continually. The endowment ritual takes place in an auditorium-like room in the Mormon temple. These...
Teaching About Mormon Temples
In May our senior mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the Mormon Church) will end. Retired couples in the LDS Church are needed not for proselyting (the young Mormon missionaries do that) but for all sorts of other necessary service. My husband and I have been involved with “member-leader support.” Because the Church of Jesus Christ has no professional clergy, members run things as they are called to do so. New members need help in fulfilling their callings and increasing in their abilities to perform as they increase in gospel knowledge and testimony. On our way home, we will stop by a Mormon temple some hours from here to take several women to the temple who have...
Mormon Temples are a Sacred Refuge
When Hurricane Sandy struck New York, Larry and Janet Peterson were ready. They had an emergency kit prepared and waiting in their Manhattan apartment, located next door to the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons. They were serving as missionaries for their church, as do many older couples whose children are grown. These missionaries donate a few years of their retirement to travel somewhere new to serve God. The temple closed down in the week following the hurricane because the public transportation most people relied on was not operating. However, the couple missionaries in the area were invited to a special session just for them. They had been volunteering to...
Sacred Space – the Modern Endowment
Previous posts on Sacred Space, can be found at these links: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, and part eight. In the previous articles, we’ve discussed ancient concepts of the endowment, sacred space, and entering into God’s presence. In this final post, we will discuss the modern endowment, how it has evolved, and the key concepts conveyed in its teachings. The Nauvoo Endowment After the great experiences of the Kirtland Temple dedication, things became hard on the saints. Kicked out of Kirtland by apostates, they tried to build a Zion people (defined as “the pure in heart”) in Missouri. Lands were dedicated for new temples in Independence and Far West, Missouri....
Assurance in the Mormon Endowment
I have just read two very moving and thought-provoking pieces. One is a newly published book, Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander III M.D., and the other is the edited edition of a lecture given by Terryl L. Givens called “Letter to a Doubter.” Dr. Alexander was a very casual Episcopalian, a neurosurgeon who attributed consciousness to the material world, and especially to the brain. He was suddenly felled by an E coli infection in his brain. His cortex, where all functions that make us human are centered, completely ceased to function. He was in a coma for a week, and it was certain he would die—literally no one gets this kind of infection without a real intrusion into the brain (and he had none), and no one...
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