The temple ceremony changed in 1990 to remove the promise that women were to obey their husbands, and again in early 2019 to jettison the language that they were to hearken to their husbands while their husbands hearkened to God. LDS Church changes policy about civil ceremonies and temple sealings, making way for more family members to be part of weddings 'Mormon Land': NAACP president discusses the unlikely alliance . I still do not believe in a God of tokens and signs. The argument that Joseph aligned the temple more with Kabbalah has been made by scholars such as Harold Bloom, Lance Owens, Hugh Nibley, and Hartley Lachter. When it is all made up anyway, it makes no difference to reality. I appreciate President Nelsons efforts, but I hope this is just a beginning to correcting the churchs misogyny. He used Masonry as a common fraternal society, necessary for the recruitment of labor and voluntary work, and also to embark on settling sovereign landthats it. Do you have any resources or references supporting your claims about the symbolism concerning figs? The broadcast concluded with a message from President Nelson. The murders were all based on descriptions in Masonic rituals. This couple represents each of you as if you were at the altar . Its very moving. Some of the similarities were unmistakable. He also has two counselors, L. Whitney Clayton and Gary B. Porter. 4) I dont really know what this one means. Multiple reminders that this is symbolic. While attendees see images of the galaxies on screen, they hear the voices of Elohim, Satan and Jesus discussing how to save humanity. During October 2021 general conference, the prophet announced 13 temples, bringing the total number of temples announced this year to 34. The statistical report in April 2021 general conference announced growth in Church membership by just under 100,000. Therefore, effective immediately, all temple patrons and workers are asked to wear face masks at all times while in the temple. I remain steadfastly on my side, but Ive learned a lot and developed some respect for other view points by hanging around a bit here at W and T. Travis, As I ve said before: patriarchy needs to be cleansed not destroyed and matriarchy exalted. And as such, it is a symbol that is charged with profound meaning when considered within the context of temple theology. 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. More temple changes - LDS Gospel Discussion - ThirdHour President Nelson Announces New Church Symbol during April General Thanks for engaging. I used to be taught that Joseph Smith restored the ancient temple ceremony, but now I hear more of the sentiment that we will keep refining the temple ceremony until we have a beautiful gift to present to the Savior at His return (I cannot cite the source for this line of thought, anyone help here?) That delay meant we married six months later, and due to health problems that came on shortly after our marriage, our childbearing was delayed by some 7 years. One woman said she was encouraged to see that Peter is shown giving the token to Adam, and then to Eve in turn, which is more direct than she remembered. But thats not the only simplification. Unless you are a male primary teacher, no man in the church has to be accountable to a woman for how he carries out his calling. We do not obey covenant. Going to respond to some below, but first, some additional thoughts on changes that I have in reflecting: I think the changes are actually kind of negative. And thats why the apron is (IMO) such a marvelous symbol. At least one of the coupleeither the bride or groomis a member of the Church. . And like many of you, I didnt love the experience, but the prophets and my local leaders said God wanted me to go often, so I did, and felt good about being obedient to God. Thats great that you feel like you have everything you need based on your baptism. The pageant had been held yearly since 1937 for a total of 84 years and was one of the largest outdoor theater productions in the United States, a Newsroom press release stated. The letter was addressed to General Authorities, General Officers, Area Seventies, stake, mission, district and temple presidents, and bishops and branch presidents. Always felt the cultural secrecy was silly. Taking that part out may have made it more comfortable, but it also made it sterile. I want a re-do on my wedding! Promising to obey my husband doesnt match my values. 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. First Presidency announces changes to the temple endowment ceremony President Dallin H. Oaks rededicated the Mesa Arizona Temple on December 12, 2021. Ive never felt the Church nor the temple to be sexist, unless one conflates sexism with recognizing that men and women are different (which I would hope we all do). Kristi, The cap will no longer come with a plastic insert or a tie from cap to veil, and the robe, cap and sash will have more durable fabric. Even so, I think women need both (generally speaking) as do menespecially from their significant other. In my opinion, no amount of Jesus pictures (which I assume would be the Caucasian version) inserted into the presentation, can mask the fact that the Christ the Church claims to follow would have no interest in the opulence of temples or in what takes place there. The conclusion of the creation story is no longer the end for Adam and Eve as major actors in the ceremony. What I cant see is how they can be coregents while one presides. @jack, nope, nope, nope, and nope. He piggy backs on virtue in order to get the job done. Its fine that you feel that in the Church, women do not have the power, authority, or influence that men do, but I honestly dont see it that way. There are too many positive symbolic usages of the fig tree (IMO) for me to let go of its sacred connotations. Over the last 45+ years I have tolerated the temple. Study. The First Presidency approved a new position, international area organization adviser, in March 2021. The Lord gave us mortal bodies and a temporal salvation as an escape from the telestial fig fruit trap. By wearing the fig emblem of Satan/Cain throughout the entirety of the presentation of the endowment, we symbolically reject the sacrifice the Lord made in order to give us earth, embodiment, and resurrection. More to be done: The most problematic parts of the endowment presentation are (1) the conceptual metaphor used for covenant, and (2) the satanic green fig leaf apron that is worn throughout. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Following that talk, this man became suicidal and begged his mission president to release him. So, credit where credit is due, but for many of us, its too little too late. It is gender normative in a weird way, though, and one thing I found disturbing is that if there are not enough male patrons, they will pair up two women, but I dont believe they will ever pair up two men. I think some of the anxiety that they may have felt before where everything was new, is gone. Thank you for posting this link. Even so, I hope that my last few comments will give you a sense of what Im talking about. New Names in the Latter-day Saint Temple Initiatory Ive never once seen my husband run roughshod over me and our children, nor do I think any husband can do so and still be hearken[ing] unto Father.. I spent about an hour with 1st time recommends. So I guess what this leaves me with is a series of questions Ill leave it to our insightful readers to discuss. Mormon. If youre automatically updated to the current version, does that mean I have to trust that no future leaders will ever change it to something I am not comfortable with? For example, see Doctrine and Covenants section 22 where the phrase is directly related to baptism. What has surprised me this week is not that changes are occurring, but that it has only been four years since the last revisions were rolled out. My recommend lapsed during COVID, and I no longer attend church. LDS Church changes policy about civil ceremonies and temple sealings, making way for more family members to be part of weddings . Just one month later, he announced the Ephraim Utah Temple. These changes may not seem like much, but consider that we are only one generation removed from temple ceremonies that consisted of mock ritual suicide and inappropriate touching. New changes to Latter-day Saint civil marriages - The Salt Lake Tribune I also like that they are trying to do something to create a more Christ centered experience. The symbol does not lie. Heaven in not like an armed camp where we need secret passwords to get in. But there. So, yeah, Ill grant you that we do need men and women for sexual reproduction, but I really dont know about the cosmos (and I dont think anyone does). Its interesting to read about the changes, but I wont be going to see them. We take Jesus Christs teachings about children and youth very seriously, President Jones said in a Newsroom press release. The missionary department encouraged all missionaries and prospective missionaries to safeguard themselves by being vaccinated. But there are quite a few changes to other aspects of the temple endowment that merit discussion. About men, and the hierarchy, no man is dependent upon a woman over him in the church, to allow him to receive ordinances essential to his salvation. But even as heretical as I am I dont think that would go over well right now. 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. Why dont we just sell indulgences? Its a huge waste of money and time taken away from being real followers of Christ. Church historian answers. Maybe. Lets not throw away our eternal inheritance because some differences between men and women must remain. But Im very happy with how its going now. In July, a groundbreaking was also held in the Philippines for the first FSY camp in Asia. Im fine with folk believing whatever they want to believe but Im not convinced myself at this time. 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? Thats how the adversary does his work. It isnt obvious to me. Jana Riess: More Jesus, less touching new changes to the LDS temple He has said we dont know why God decided not to give women the priesthood but that we shouldnt engage in old fashioned rationalizations justifying it. The woman is veiled within the stewardship of the man as a matter of protecting and navigating sacred space. This story doesnt really match the family values taught at church. Josephs links and personal access to Jewish Mysticism via Alexander Niebaur are plentiful. The 94-year-old temple had been extensively renovated over the past few years. For example, I would love nothing more than to be a stay-at-home mom, but our family situation doesnt allow for that. Latest News on the Salt Lake Temple | ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org Should the Saints be better? Some didnt know where my homeland of Canada was. 5) ditching the injunction on loud laughter is good since absolutely no one pays attention to it anyway As weird as all of the signs and tokens business was, I think moving towards a presentation-only mode where we are just shown things rather than symbolically receiving them by someone who received them down on from God and then Adam & Eve and then us as participants (which the live sessions made more clear thats what was happening) completely eviscerates the embodied ritual aspect of it. A prominent place. The new temple film, which Ive only seen once so far, seems to me, to be just for them, and my friends in Africa. For anyone who hasnt been to the temple since COVID, the all the handshakes with everyone in the session have been eliminated (less germ spread is a good thing). Its been a long 18 months apart. if I have it right, everyone commenting here is North American Caucasian, is that right? That would certainly give an incentive for lots of males to go to the temple more often. . As the project has progressed, we have learned a great deal about the condition of the temple and its surroundings. On second thought, that would be fine. There is no textual basis for applying it to monogamous marriage. No witness couple. The Rome Italy Temple is reflected in the window of the Rome Italy Temple Visitors' Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Monday, January 14, 2019. A new Deseret Industries building was dedicated in Houston, Texas, by Elder Sean Douglas of the Seventy on March 24, 2021. The broadcast included music and activities, with two Primary children hosting and two children as field reporters who learned about covenants from Elder Ulisses Soares. So theres that. I went to the temple this year for the first time in some years. The version that was being used when I had my personal endowment experience 20+ years ago? And the last thing was the 5 points of fellowship. Monrovia, Liberia. No more waiting. They really believed polygamy was a necessary part of salvation. Sexism disguised as, well, sexism, is still sexism. Were just supposed to pretend that the many years we spent listening to the old language are wiped away. To download all photos or videos related to this article, select the links at the bottom of each section. View all posts by Elisa. I also disagree that the church certainly doesnt treat women as equal. Of course any decisions a woman makes in the church can be vetoed by a man over her, but the same goes for any decisions a man makes in the Church. I shared in a prior post how I was rushed into the temple by a bullying bishop and an anxious mom. Nowhere in our sacred works does it say that women are born with more sense than men, or that men need the priesthood and we dont. But I hope to never endure another endowment session. Regarding the 7 changes Elisa outlines in her first paragraph, my reactions are: ) Even when I barely allude to those differences Im labelled a sexist. I tried to understand and all I got were platitudes at best and treated like I was evil at worst. When were were married, my wife had a SP who later became a GA he was the same way with her as my dad was with me. Its a scientifically documented technique to control behavior which targets and subordinates the conscience to authoritya manipulating of the mindsomething Jesus would not dobesides its being incongruent. So I went from accepting it and not liking it to not accepting it and hating it. If someone wants to spend their time, energy, and resources, attending a house of worship, pledging to keep religious commandments, remain faithful to their spouse, and share their talents to bless other peoplewhy are there so many skeptics and non-believers trying so heartily to dissuade them? As to making it less sexist, the only thing I heard is that the veil instructions are now shown with a black female temple worker helping a white female patron, so is that really what we are calling less sexism now, in a ceremony that is based on polygamy? 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. Of course not, but we see things as we see them, and his perceptions are every bit as valid as yours. Changing details about the endowment will not change the fact that it denies that the atonement is all we need to be reconciled to God. What exactly is complementary in the temple between men and women? Of the fact that weve made mistakes and sinned, just as Adam and Eve did. It seems to me that everything leads to the ultimate ordinance: sealing of a couple into the new and everlasting covenant, i.e., polygamy. This is a great example of "trickle up" revelation. Recall the meat offering in the court of the Israelite temple: it goes before the herb offering at the veil. I have perfect trust that as I keep my mind and spirit open to light and truth, I will continue to be taught until all is clear, and it will be more beautiful and holy than my own small thoughts and ideas could have ever conjured up. And most recently, the changes from this week. And why are we promising to give everything to the institutional church and not to God? Somehow I think maybe I knew these things about D&C 132 already but I couldnt connect them in my consciousness. A letter signed by the First Presidency was sent on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, regarding civil marriage. I just spent a few minutes googling. Without fertilized land, there is no grass, herbs, flowers, orchardsno garden. I think that we've noticed that relationships have already been built because they're seeing the members of their district here, said President Benson L. Porter, president of the Provo MTC. The temple, the covenants I make there, and every single thing I am taught in the temple are absolutely sacred to me. .. 2021, 4:00 p.m. . When I come across the phrase I associate it with the gospel in its entirety while emphasizing the role of priesthood ordinances such as baptism, sealing, etc. If you went through the temple for the first time during a different iteration of the endowment, which covenants did you make? Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News. @Jack, I mistakenly mixed you with @Jack Hughes. That said, the proper covenants of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are as follows: Law of Sabbath I used to teach that class and after a few years I decided to include the covenants they will make. So, you are correct that the fig leaf has some meanings under which the apron should be removed. It can happen, and has happened. This just feels like Nelson likes tinkering with the temple, because none of these feel impactful enough to bother changing everything. Temple Square in Salt Lake City before the Saturday morning session of October 2021 general conference. The War in Heaven. A message from the First Presidency announced that live sessions in the Salt Lake Temple would be discontinued when renovations are complete. Callings in the baptistry and ordinance support continue to be made by the temple president. To be honestand I know this may be hurtful, but I promise I dont mean it that way the only sexism I see in this thread is the idea is that having men in certain leadership positions is somehow wrong. The missionaries received a week of online instruction from home before their in-person training. At this point I will never go to the temple again. Second sentence: strawman and red herring. Both their children died on the trip and Mary wrote to her sister Matilda in England (also a recent widow with children), and invited her to come to Utah and marry John as well. It becomes the mans choice whether to treat us well in their decision making or choose to delegate any decisions to us. They will be constructed at or near the following locations: Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement on Monday, July 20, 2020, about the changes to the temple endowment ceremony: The sacred teachings, promises, and ceremonies of the temple are of ancient origin, and point God's children to Him as they make further covenants and learn more . Either the brides or the grooms membership record is assigned to the unit over which the Church officer presides. so that sounds more like something man has created. Learn how your comment data is processed. @Jack Hughes, understandable. Ill admit that it felt a little weird the first time, but I knew the guy very well, so we pressed ahead. 1) Im not dissatisfied with my temple experience, though I do wish it were closer. 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. Read about plans for the Nauvoo Pageant, the British Pageant, and the Mesa Pageant at Newsroom. I have sough that, most recently when I last went and found a friend to be a temple worker, but she could tell me nothing other than those are not the questions she asks. Travis: We inherit from the womb-like fig symbol, the Gate to the First Estate, which is the Mortal Body, identified by Flesh and Blood. But if you could get past that (and I understand many couldnt), there was actually something quite beautiful as a woman to receive a kind of literal blessing and anointing by another woman. I havent seen the new changes, so I dont know if they actually move the needle on any of the problems listed above. 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. The Prophet Announces 13 New Temples - The Church of Jesus Christ of Im a convert since high school and went through the ceremony when I got married in 1976. @Toad, I second you on finding the temple movie erotic as a missionary. Another said there were still four ordinance workers in the session, but that most of them didnt have much to do until the veil portion at the end. Im interested to see how they increase Christs role in the endowment. Youth ages 1418 are eligible to attend. If we have to do the same endowment ceremony every time we go, couldnt the covenants be packaged in a shorter ceremony, so that the boredom is a little more manageable? But then, a lot of Mormons are going to miss feeling like they have a ticket to Heaven that those wicked nonmember heathens dont have. Thats part of why I dont really care much either. If she doesnt defer and speaks up too much about that he can release her as well. @Toad, I had the same experience re: penalty oaths. The Mormon Temple Endowment Ceremony - Mormons in Transition 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. Thats fine. The Temples They Are A-Changin' - Wheat & Tares I want to add that the church certainly doesnt treat women as equal, not in final decisions in our ward stakes or in the whole church. 30 years later I wish I had been emotionally mature enough to realize I was ceding decision-making authority to others. The evening before we went out together to watch a movie Murder By Decree. Symbols seldom have *one* hard and fast and unchangeable meaning. What if we had a second income from a second wife? When I served in positions where I was signing recommends, for own endowments, I followed my Dads approach. It seems to me that the cosmos is created in a way that protects sacred space. What follows is a provisional overview. The Choir, Orchestra, and Bells on Temple Square are tested for COVID-19 every time they rehearse. But I havent been since pre-Covid so I dont know. Its inspired me to be a better husband, father, a better person. Its definitely an interesting journey to be raised as a woman in the church. Watch or Read Inspiring Messages about Jesus Christ - Talks Available. They seem neutral at best to me. Of course Ive learned about Masonry and Joseph Smith over the years. The changes made in regards to blacks, LGBTQ, Caffeine at BYU, and even abortion as well as the changes hidden from the public about the temple ceremony make me wonder whos really running the church and makes me suspect that its more men than God. But the Church doesnt exist in a vacuum. Continuing movement toward gender equality. Having lived in different cultures, and studied the history of religion, I have seen how under different circumstances symbols can have different meanings. Cain sought to skip the order and go right to the veil (an echo of Lucifers rebellion). And I only touched lightly on the covenants! You also state that there are plenty of LDS husbands that dont make their wives full partners, and youre absolutely right! It sounds plausible but still doesnt satisfy my thinking that it came to Joseph by way of revelation.

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