View source for Question: Why is confidentiality associated with the temple ordinances?

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==Question: Why is confidentiality associated with the temple ordinances?==
===The LDS temple ceremony was, and still is, considered to be sacred, and was not to be exposed to the view or discussion of outsiders===

Joseph Smith was of the view that some of the Saints were not good at keeping religious confidences:

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The reason we do not have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto us, is because we do not keep them but reveal them; we do not keep our own secrets, but reveal our difficulties to the world, even to our enemies, then how would we keep the secrets of the Lord? I can keep a secret till Doomsday. <ref>{{TPJS|start=194|end=195, (19 December 1841)}} {{link|url=http://www.boap.org/LDS/Joseph-Smith/Teachings/T4.html Direct}}; see also {{HC|vol=4|start=478|end=479}}</ref>
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A few of the early leaders of the Church pointed out that one of the aims of Masonry was to teach adherents proper respect for promises of confidentiality. <ref>See footnote 20 of {{FR-10-1-4}}</ref> For instance, 

* '''Joseph Smith''': "The secret of Masonry is to keep a secret." <ref>{{TPJS1|start=329}}{15 October 1843)</ref>
* '''Brigham Young''': "The main part of Masonry is to keep a secret." <ref>{{WWJ1 |vol=5|start=418, (22 January 1860, spelling standardized) }}</ref>

This institutionalized Masonic principle was a trait that would be necessary for the Saints to incorporate into their lives once they were endowed, because certain elements of the temple ritual were considered to be very sacred and were not to be divulged to the uninitiated. This may be the key for understanding why the Prophet encouraged so many of the Nauvoo-era Saints to join the Masonic brotherhood.
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[[es:Pregunta: ¿Por qué la confidencialidad asociada con las ordenanzas del templo?]]
[[pt:Pergunta: Por que é confidencialidade associada com as ordenanças do templo?]]
[[Category:Questions]]