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Mormonism and Freemasonry/Relationship between Freemasonry and temple ceremonies/Should it match an earlier version
< Mormonism and Freemasonry | Relationship between Freemasonry and temple ceremonies
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Why isn't the temple ceremony based upon an earlier version of Freemasonry rather than what existed in Joseph Smith's time?
Question: Why isn't the temple ceremony based upon an earlier version of Freemasonry rather than what existed in Joseph Smith's time?
Joseph Smith used ritual elements known to him and his followers to teach a uniquely restorationist view
If one accepts the first part of this statement as true then the question in valid. The trouble here is that we know that Masonic ritual practices do not trace to the temple of Solomon or to any time close to it. Rather, Joseph Smith used ritual elements known to him and his followers to teach a uniquely restorationist view. The author confuses the endowment (with its focus on covenants and the relationship between God and His children through the mediation of Christ) with the presentation of the endowment (a ritualized pedagogical dramatization which imparts knowledge in a way that can aid memory, encourage contemplation, and lead to additional personal revelation).