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AndrewMiller (talk | contribs) (→Some of the endowment was developed and introduced in the weeks following Joseph Smith's initiation as a Master Mason, but other elements were developed prior to his association with Freemasonry) |
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#There are similarities between the rituals of Freemasonry and those of the LDS Temple endowment. These similarities center around | #There are similarities between the rituals of Freemasonry and those of the LDS Temple endowment. These similarities center around | ||
::*the use of a ritual drama—the story of Hiram Abiff is used by the Masons, while the LDS endowment uses the story of Adam and Eve and the creation (the LDS versions have parallels to ancient Israelite temple worship). | ::*the use of a ritual drama—the story of Hiram Abiff is used by the Masons, while the LDS endowment uses the story of Adam and Eve and the creation (the LDS versions have parallels to ancient Israelite temple worship). | ||
− | ::* | + | ::*similar symbolic hand gestures in the course of the rituals (which also have ancient antecedents) |
+ | ::*small portions of similar verbiage | ||
Symbolist F. L. Brink suggested that Joseph Smith successfully provided an "innovative and intricate symbology" that suited well the psychic needs of his followers. <ref>T. L. Brink, "The Rise of Mormonism: A Case Study in the Symbology of Frontier America," ''International Journal of Symbology'' 6/3 (1975): 4; cited in {{Sunstone1 |author=Allen D. Roberts|article=Where are the All-Seeing Eyes?|vol=4|num=15|date=May 1979|start=26}} {{link|url=http://www.sunstoneonline.com/magazine/searchable/mag-text.asp?MagID=15}}</ref> | Symbolist F. L. Brink suggested that Joseph Smith successfully provided an "innovative and intricate symbology" that suited well the psychic needs of his followers. <ref>T. L. Brink, "The Rise of Mormonism: A Case Study in the Symbology of Frontier America," ''International Journal of Symbology'' 6/3 (1975): 4; cited in {{Sunstone1 |author=Allen D. Roberts|article=Where are the All-Seeing Eyes?|vol=4|num=15|date=May 1979|start=26}} {{link|url=http://www.sunstoneonline.com/magazine/searchable/mag-text.asp?MagID=15}}</ref> |
Critics of the LDS Church often point to similarities between the rituals of Freemasonry and the LDS temple endowment and claim that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason in Nauvoo, Illinois shortly before he introduced the full endowment to the Saints (as opposed to the partial endowment given in the Kirtland Temple), he must have incorporated elements of the Masonic rites into his own ceremony. Implicit in this charge is the idea that Joseph Smith's ritual was not revealed to him by God and thus not a legitimate restoration of ancient Israelite and early Christian ordinances.
It is worthwhile to note that these critics are also often critical of Freemasonry, and thus attempt guilt by association.
While it is true that some of the endowment was developed and introduced in the weeks following Joseph Smith's initiation as a Master Mason. This oversimplifies the issue considerably. The endowment and other parts of LDS temple worship developed slowly over a period of years. It did not happen all at once. Joseph Smith's critics want to label him as an intellectual thief by claiming that he stole some of the ritual elements of Freemasonry in order to create the Nauvoo-era temple endowment ceremony. The greatest obstacles to this theory are the facts that
Furthermore, Joseph's contemporaries saw the parallels to Masonry clearly, and yet no one charged him with pilfering.
In order to understand this issue, a few facts need to be understood:
Symbolist F. L. Brink suggested that Joseph Smith successfully provided an "innovative and intricate symbology" that suited well the psychic needs of his followers. [1]
Notes
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