The Endowment Ceremony Online


The most accurate temple ceremony transcription and description ever.

In January 1997 I received an improved transcription of the current temple endowment ritual, made with the assistance of an active, though unbelieving Mormon (she showed me her current temple recommend). Prior to reading it, however, I suggest you read the "Initiatory Ordinances" or preliminary temple rituals performed on behalf of the dead. Otherwise, click on this link: Current Temple Endowment Ritual

Changes in the Temple Rituals

Most of the changes resulted from political pressure. To read about some of them, click on the underlined links below.

The Adam-God Doctrine
This controversial temple teaching maintained that Adam, as a resurrected being, came to earth and had sexual relations with Mary, who then begat Jesus as their offspring. This was taught in the temple prior to about 1904.
The Oath of Vengeance
Following Joseph Smith's martyrdom, Brigham Young introduced a traitorous oath in the endowment ritual which required members to swear vengeance "upon this nation." It became the subject of a United States Senate Investigation.
Death Penalties
Prior to 1990, the endowment included specific "penalties" for revealing its secrets. These penalties were demonstrated by certain signs made during the ritual, and they symbolized having the throat cut, the breast cut open, and the bowels torn out. The wording was toned down in recent years, and finally removed in 1990. Knowledge of these penalties remain important to understand why Mormons were afraid to talk about the temple rituals. They could loose their lives over it! This section includes the actual wording of these oaths, as well as a photograph of a man in temple clothes demonstating the "penal signs."

Early Versions of the Temple Ceremonies

The Kirtland, Ohio "endowment"
was much different from the later Nauvoo-type ritual. (A brief article on the Kirtland version was written by non-Mormon James David.)
The Nauvoo, Illinois, version
was the first to resemble the current version, but has such differences as members being washed in bath tubs and Satan crawing on the floor.
The Salt Lake City, Utah, "Endowment House" version
("Lifting the Vail") was a refinement of the Nauvoo version. The Endowment House was used prior to the completion of the Salt Lake Temple.

There are other Internet sites containing descriptions of the temple rituals, some of which provide a rather complete version of the 1931 version, as well as the complete text of the 1984 and 1990 (current) versions. For the sake of "completeness" a couple are listed below:

Other Temple Rituals:

Temple Marriage and Sealing Ceremony
Both older versions and the current ritual are provided of this interesting ritual, which is essential for "exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom." Included is the complete ritual, and the most accurate description of a Mormon marriage ever published.
Washing of the Feet
In addition to the Initiatory Ordinances, the Endowment and Marriage Ceremony, there have been other secret rituals. The ceremony of "washing of the feet" was performed by early LDS Church leaders in imitation of Jesus's act on his disciples. This act was a preliminary to receiving the "Second Anointing," which is the most secret of all temple ceremonies. In connection with the latter, the foot washing is done by a wife to her husband so she may claim him in the resurrection.
The "Second Anointing"
The most secret Mormon temple ceremony is known as the "Second Anointing" and was designed to ensure a person's exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom, which resulted in Godhood. The text of an outline of this ordinance and early versions (with source citation) was sent to me by an anonymous e-mail.

Books "exposing" the temple ceremonies

There have been over one hundred printed exposures of the LDS Temple Ceremonies. The most extensive bibliography of these exposures was prepared with the assistance of Mormon / Masonic scholar Art Dehoyos, and is found in David John Buerger's The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship (San Francisco: Smith Research Associates, 1994). I highly recommend this book. It is by far the most scholarly study ever written on the subject.

The following list only includes exposures which are both reliable and should be still readily available in libraries, or by contacting the publishers.

  • Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Mormon Kingdom, vol. 1 (Salt Lake City: Modern Microfilm Co. [later called Utah Lighthouse Ministry], 1969), pp. 123-72.
  • Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Mormonism: Shadow or Reality (Salt Lake City: Modern Microfilm Co. [later called Utah Lighthouse Ministry], 1972, 1982), pp. 451-92.
  • Latayne Colvett Scott, The Mormon Mirage: A Former Mormon Tells Why She Left the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1979), pp. 196-204.
  • Bob Witte and Gordon H. Fraser, What's Going on in Here? An Exposing of the Secret Mormon Temple Rituals ([?Florida] Gordon Fraser Pub., c1980)
  • Chuck Sackett, What's Going on in There? The Verbatim Text of the Mormon Temple Rituals, Annotated and Explained by a Former Temple Worker (n.p., 1982; 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Ex-Mormons for Jesus, 1982)
  • Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Evolution of the Mormon Temple Ceremony: 1842-1990 (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1990).
  • Recommended reading list


Don't Believe Everything You Read


One does not have to agree with Mormon theology to know when it has been misrepresented. Many anti-Mormon books and writings are either rubbish, or greatly distort and misrepresent Mormon theology. Some people have distorted the purpose of the temple by relating lurid tales of sexual depravity and abuse. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Nothing indecent or immoral occurs during the temple ritual, as will be seen in the text of the ceremony itself.

AUTHORS I DO *NOT* RECOMMEND include Ed Decker (Saints Alive for Jesus), Pastor Ron Carlson (Christian Ministries International), and William J. Schnoebelen.

In my opinion, the above three individuals have purposely distorted the truth about Mormonism and other religions, as well as non-religions, like Free Masonry.
    Ed Decker's most popular book, The God Makers, is a misrepresentation of Mormonism that is just deplorable. Decker appears to prefer "shock tactics" to reason, and falsely claims Mormons worship Lucifer in the temple. Some of his more ludicrous allegations outraged Jerald and Sandra Tanner, who exposed his deceptions in their book The Lucifer-God Doctrine: A Critical Look at charges of Luciferian Worship in the Mormon Temple, with a Response to the Decker-Schnoebelen Rebuttal (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1987, 1988).
    Ron Carlson collaborated with Decker on a book called Fast Facts on False Teachings (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1994). It presents inaccurate representations of Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Free Masonry, New Age practices, Evolution, and more.
    William J (Bill) Schnoebelen and James R. Spencer co-authored Mormonism's Temple of Doom (Idaho Falls: Triple J Pub., 1987). This silly little book claims that the temple ceremony is akin to witchcraft, and Bill, who at one time belonged to a wiccan (modern witch) group and several other occult societies, claims the LDS temple ceremonies are intended to awaken occult powers in the participants. Some of his dubious claims are demolished by the Tanners in The Lucifer-God Doctrine, mentioned above. If you are interested in the true sources of the modern Wiccan ritual, I recommend reading Aidan A. Kelly, Crafting the Art of Magic. Book 1. A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939-1964 (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Pub., 1991). It gives the complete Wiccan initiation ritual (including those parts similar to the endowment), and traces their origins.


Be Fair: Give Mormons a Chance to Explain Their Views.


I always suggest hearing the "other side" of an argument. Because there are dishonest books by people like Decker, Carlson and Schnoebelen, I recommend that you give the Mormons a chance to answer their critics. If you have had the misfortune of reading a book by the above authors, or others who falsely claim that Mormonism is "satanic," you might want to read the following:

  • Randall L. Mackey, ed., "The Godmakers Examined" in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought vol. 18 (Summer 1985) No. 2, pp. 14-39.
  • Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth About "The God Makers" 2d ed. (Salt Lake City: Publisher's Press, 1986, 1989).

There are several interesting LDS books on the temple. My two favorite are:

  • Hugh Nibley, Temple and Cosmos: Beyond this Ignorant Present (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992)
  • Donald W. Parry, ed., Temples of the Ancient World (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994)
  • A simple, introductory book on Mormon temple symbolism is Allen H. Barber, Celestial Symbols. Symbolism in Doctrine, Religious Traditions and Temple Architecture (Bountiful, UT: Horizon Pub., 1989, 1990).

An Excellent Pro-Mormon Temple Internet Site

There are several internet sites by Mormons. The page most relevant to this site is Nick Literski's LDS Temple Homepage. Once you understand what goes on in an endowment session Nick's page can be pretty interesting.

Other Temple-Related Material of Interest

The Book of Abraham

Mormons believe that Joseph Smith learned about the Temple endowment while "translating" a Mormon scripture known as The Book of Abraham. This book was supposedly "translated" by Joseph Smith from Egyptian Papyrus. Modern Egyptologists say that Joseph was wrong, and they've translated the papyrus. After the "Book of Abraham Papyrus" was discovered, Hugh Nibley wrote a book in which he claimed the Egyptian funerary papyrus contained a ritual similar in purpose to the temple endowment. The book has become a classic among Momon "intellectuals" even though the argument is worse than weak. Nibley's book was called The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: an Egyptian Endowment (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1975). If you like "things Egyptian" the book is a must.

Books on temple architecture and interiors

Mormon temples are beautiful structures by anyone's standards. Four books which include several illustrations of temple architecture and interiors follow.

  • Laurel B. Andrew, The Early Temples of the Mormons: The Architecture of the Millennial Kingdom in the American West (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1978). This book includes a reconstruction of the Nauvoo, Illinois temple, and has some nice prints of the architect's drawings for the Salt Lake temple.
  • C. Mark Hamilton, The Salt Lake Temple: A Monument to a People (Salt Lake City: University Service Corp., 1983). This book is magnificent, and would make a great coffee-table book (Mormons don't drink coffee, but "Postum-table" just doesn't sound right). It includes many beautiful color photographs of the Salt Lake Temple's interior, as well as some early photos taken in the temple in 1920. The first photos taken in the Salt Lake temple were actually illicitly taken and many are included in Kent Walgren's article, "Inside the Salt Lake Temple: Gisbert Bossard's 1911 Photographs" in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought vol. 29 (Fall 1996) No. 3, pp. 1-43. Among other things, Mr. Walgren reproduces a photo of a washing and anointing room in which a tub is clearly visible. This feature was often mentioned in early exposures.
  • Douglas F. Tobler and Nelson B. Wadsworth, The History of the Mormons in Photographs and Texts: 1830 to the Present (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987). Although this book is not dedicated to temples it does include some nice shots of some of them, including the Kirtland, Nauvoo and Salt Lake temples.
  • Janice Force DeMille, The St. George Temple: The First 100 Years (Hurricane, Utah: Homestead Publishers, 1977). The St. George Temple was the first temple competed after the Mormons migrated to Utah. This book includes some architectural drawings, photographs and an interesting history.

This site explores the issue by examing the theology and function of the Jerusalem temple. If you would like to read a great book on the temple at Jerusalem, we recommend Alfred Edersheim's classic, The Temple: its Ministry and Services as They Were at the Time of Christ (reprint ed., Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1990). Those of you already familiar with the connection between Freemasonry and the LDS temple ritual may want to read Alexander Horne, King Solomon's Temple in the Masonic Tradition (Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: The Aquarian Press, 1972). They are both fascinating books with a wealth of information.

Some interesting links to learn about Mormonism

  • James David has a great site called A Close Look at Mormonism. It includes an extremely useful, alphabetical list of "Controversial Mormon Links."
  • Mormon Origins is a great site by H. Michael Marquardt, author of Inventing Mormonism. Tradition and the Historical Record.

Index


This page Copyright © 1996 by Vince Hoffer.
This page was last modified on May 20, 1997.