FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Changes to the temple endowment
This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.
Important note: Members of FAIR take their temple covenants seriously. We consider the temple teachings to be sacred, and will not discuss their specifics in a public forum.
Contents
Criticism
Latter-day Saints believe that the Temple endowment is an eternal ordinance that Joseph Smith received by revelation from God. Why, then, have changes been made to it several times since it was first revealed?
Source(s) of the Criticism
Response
The critics are confusing the temple ritual, or presentation of the endowment with the temple endowment itself.
The ritual or presentation has changed to meet the needs of a ever growing and changing membership. The endowment itself the commitments made and the teaching has not changed much over time.
Conclusion
A summary of the argument against the criticism.
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
- Links to related articles in the wiki
FAIR web site
- Changes in temple ceremony - FAIR Topical Guide
- Temples and temple work- FAIR Topical Guide
External links
- Historical Changes Relating to Temples - Mormon Monastery
Printed material
- Printed resources whose text is not available online