View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 22

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{{H1
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 22
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 22: Temple Work"
|T=[[../../]]
|A=Jerald and Sandra Tanner
|<=[[../Chapter 21|Chapter 21]]
|>=
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{{H2
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 22
|H=Response to claims made in The Changing World of Mormonism, "Chapter 22: Temple Work"
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: 512 - Early Mormon leaders were "very confused" about baptism for the dead
|L2=Response to claim: 514 - Baptism for the dead was not a doctrine in the early church
|L3=Response to claim: 515 - Wilford Woodruff "felt he had saved" all of the presidents of the United States, except for three
|L4=Response to claim: 515-516 - The Mormons spend millions of dollars on genealogical research that would be better spent feeding the starving people in the world
|L5=Response to claim: 517 - Mormons are very similar to ancient Egyptians regarding their attitude toward the dead
|L6=Response to claim: 517 - The Mormon "obsession with the dead" is close to "ancestral worship"
|L7=Response to claim: 517-518 - Paul said to avoid "endless genealogies"
|L8=Response to claim: 518 - The Book of Mormon is supposed to contain "the fulness of the Gospel," yet it doesn't teach baptism for the dead
|L9=Response to claim: 520 - Jesus "taught the opposite" of eternal marriage when he said that people "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" in the afterlife
|L10=Response to claim: 530-534 - The endowment has been changed over the years
|L11=Response to claim: 535-547 - The endowment was derived from Freemasonry
}}
</onlyinclude>

==Response to claim: 512 - Early Mormon leaders were "very confused" about baptism for the dead==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Early Mormon leaders were "very confused" about baptism for the dead since they performed a number of them without recording them and had to do them over.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=30|vol=18|start=241}}
}}
{{propaganda|Early leaders freely admitted their understanding grew with time; Joseph continued to instruct them (e.g., {{s||D&C|128|}}) and they learned more after his death.
}}

==Response to claim: 514 - Baptism for the dead was not a doctrine in the early church==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Baptism for the dead was not a doctrine in the early church.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Orson Pratt's Works'', 1891, p.205
}}
{{misinformation|The majority of modern scholars accept that vicarious baptism for the dead was practiced by at least some of the early Church. It is telling that the only reference is from the late 1800s.
}}
{{:Question: What is baptism for the dead?}}
{{:Question: Does the practice of baptism for the dead have ancient roots?}}

==Response to claim: 515 - Wilford Woodruff "felt he had saved" all of the presidents of the United States, except for three==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Wilford Woodruff "felt he had saved" all of the presidents of the United States, except for three.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Wilford Woodruff|disc=35|vol=19|start=229}}
}}
{{misinformation|Woodruff says nothing about him saving people&mdash;he says only that he had a vision in which prominent men from American history requested that their temple work be performed.
}}
* {{QuoteMining|Journal of Discourses|19:229}}

==Response to claim: 515-516 - The Mormons spend millions of dollars on genealogical research that would be better spent feeding the starving people in the world==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Mormons spend millions of dollars on genealogical research that would be better spent feeding the starving people in the world.
|authorsources=<br>
*''Mormon Doctrine'', 1966, pp.308-9
*2 Nephi 28:13"
}}
{{propaganda|Would not the hundreds of hours which the Tanners spend in researching, writing, and selling anti-Mormon propaganda be better spent in feeding starving people, helping the homeless, or any of a thousand other worthy activities? This charge presupposes its conclusion&mdash;the authors assume that there is no value in temple work. The criticism also presumes that Latter-day Saints do not spend millions of dollars annually on charitable work for members and non-members. The anti-Mormon bias and animus is on full display here.  The scholarly veneer is gone.
}}

==Response to claim: 517 - Mormons are very similar to ancient Egyptians regarding their attitude toward the dead==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Mormons are very similar to ancient Egyptians regarding their attitude toward the dead.	
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{propaganda|The authors will need to provide some evidence beyond their mere statement.  (One recalls Sandra Tanner's equally amusing claim that the Church of Jesus Christ's theology was closer to Hinduism than Christianity.<ref>See citation in {{FR-10-1-3}}</ref>)
}}

==Response to claim: 517 - The Mormon "obsession with the dead" is close to "ancestral worship"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Mormon "obsession with the dead" is close to "ancestral worship."
|authorsources=<br>
#''Ensign'', May 1976, p.102
}}
{{propaganda|The idea is absurd. The authors quote mine the ''Ensign''.
}}
{{:Question: Is temple work a form of "ancestor worship"?}}

==Response to claim: 517-518 - Paul said to avoid "endless genealogies"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Paul said to avoid "endless genealogies."
|authorsources=<br>
*1 Tim. 1:4
*Titus 3:9
}}
{{misinformation|The Bible is not condemning genealogical research. The Bible rejects the use of "endless genealogies" to "prove" one's righteousness, or the truth of one's teachings.
}}
{{:Question: Does the Bible condemn genealogical research?}}

==Response to claim: 518 - The Book of Mormon is supposed to contain "the fulness of the Gospel," yet it doesn't teach baptism for the dead==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The Book of Mormon is supposed to contain "the fulness of the Gospel," yet it doesn't teach baptism for the dead.
|authorsources=<br>
#Pearl of Great Price, p.51, v.34
}}
{{propaganda|The Book of Mormon is correct in the doctrines and principles it teaches, but it does not claim to contain all truth.
}}
{{:Question: What does it mean when it is said that the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the gospel?"}}
{{:Question: How can the Book of Mormon contain the "fulness of the Gospel" if it does not speak of ordinances such as baptism for the dead or celestial marriage?}}

==Response to claim: 520 - Jesus "taught the opposite" of eternal marriage when he said that people "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" in the afterlife==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Jesus "taught the opposite" of eternal marriage when he said that people "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" in the afterlife.
|authorsources=<br>
#Luke 20:34-36
}}
{{misinformation|This is incorrect.
}}
{{:Question: Does Jesus Christ's statement "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage" contradict the Latter-day Saint doctrine of eternal marriage?}}

==Response to claim: 530-534 - The endowment has been changed over the years==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
The endowment has been changed over the years.
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{information|The method of presentation of the endowment has changed over the years.
}}
{{:Question: Why would the Church remove or alter elements of the temple ceremony if these ceremonies were revealed by God?}}
{{:Question: Did other ceremonies or practices ever change in the ancient Church?}}
{{:Question: Is it ever allowable to modify a religious ceremony?}}

==Response to claim: 535-547 - The endowment was derived from Freemasonry==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The endowment was derived from Freemasonry
|claim=
The endowment was derived from Freemasonry.
}}
{{misinformation|Joseph implemented elements of the endowment prior to his association with Freemasonry, and some elements of Freemasonry were used in the presentation of the endowment.
|authorsources=<br>
#	
}}
{{:Question: When did Joseph Smith demonstrate knowledge of the elements of the endowment ritual?}}
{{:Question: Why would Joseph Smith incorporate Masonic elements into the temple ritual?}}
{{:Question: How do the goals of Freemasonry compare to those of the Latter-day Saint endowment?}}
{{:Question: Where did 19th-Century Latter-day Saints believe that Freemasonry came from?}}

{{endnotes sources}}



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