First Presidency announces changes to the temple endowment ceremony (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) He used Masonry as a common fraternal society, necessary for the recruitment of labor and voluntary work, and also to embark on settling sovereign landthats it. And that someone with failings, like me, through Christ, enters in. Do I care if the Grinch is green or blue? It was the wrong time for me, but I capitulated. First Presidency announces new guidelines for Church leaders who I first went through an endowment session in Dec of 1993. The temple instructions simply reiterate the order of the family: each wife is to hearken to her husband as he hearkens to the Father. To me, that seems pretty simple: if your husband doesnt hearken to Father, you shouldnt hearken to him; and if he does hearken to Father, hes making you a full partner in all decision-making, anyway. The Creation Room room in the Idaho Falls Temple. @BigSky, thank you for sharing your experience (and your comment wasnt too long or selfish). I regularly attended for 20-25 years, each time diligently seeking to break through the symbolism to understand things. Get on board or dont, its happening! @Jack, there is certainly a place for the fig in the presentation of the endowment, no question. Then they will have to settle for being loved and maybe have to realize that God really does love all his children, not just them. After the temple is formally dedicated, entrance is reserved for faithful members of the Church. The few friends who were even willing to listen to my issues with the temple ceremonies have told me that its changed and I would find it much better now. We either believe Jesus and follow him, or we follow the brethren and do what they tell us we need to do instead of what Jesus told us we needed to do. How is that for exalting fatherhood? No unity. The ceremony has undergone some changes. There never was any deeper light and knowledge. 6) As for seeing a greater contingency of non-temple Saints in my circles, that may be true, but Im not sure were not making space for them.Is there something that makes you think we arent? To download media files, please first review and agree to the Terms of Use. And mimicking slitting my throat and disemboweling myself, this is worse than creepy. The church immediately switched to the slide show, and then in April 2019, Van Wagenen was charged with sexual abuse of another child. I enjoyed all that and the dead can wait. President Dallin H. Oaks rededicated the Mesa Arizona Temple on December 12, 2021. This summer, missionaries arrived at the Provo MTC for the first time since the pandemic. I was endowed back in the penalty days and that part of the endowment still played out in my head every time I went. But I agree with Chadwick. One woman said she was encouraged to see that Peter is shown giving the token to Adam, and then to Eve in turn, which is more direct than she remembered. I also disagree that the church certainly doesnt treat women as equal. Of course any decisions a woman makes in the church can be vetoed by a man over her, but the same goes for any decisions a man makes in the Church. Both are presenttheres plenty of overlap. Yes, the new and everlasting covenant is also spoken of, but how many sections of the Doctrine & Covenants consist of the Lord giving Joseph way more than he bargained for? The instruction was more specific about the caps and the bows, and, more importantly, Eve had a speaking part after leaving the Garden of Eden! The further I dug (and asked many questions of others IN the temple), the more I realized no one else had any better understanding than I did, although opinions abounded. Top row from left to right: Accra Ghana Temple, Helsinki Finland Temple, Manaus Brazil Temple and the Palmyra New York Temple. I bought a wedding dress with sheer sleeves, not knowing it was a little unacceptable. (2) It is not unusual that my ancestresses experience pain in polygamy. If you would like to stay on the page you are viewing please click Cancel. To be honestand I know this may be hurtful, but I promise I dont mean it that way the only sexism I see in this thread is the idea is that having men in certain leadership positions is somehow wrong. More Jesus, less touching: 14 changes to the Mormon temple endowment ceremony Just four years after the most recent revisions, the LDS temple ceremony has undergone more changes.. Really appreciate the honesty here as well as the respect for what others find sacred and meaningful. . I have perfect trust that as I keep my mind and spirit open to light and truth, I will continue to be taught until all is clear, and it will be more beautiful and holy than my own small thoughts and ideas could have ever conjured up. I spent years agonizing over how the God depicted in the Mormon temple ceremony could possibly love his daughters when he treated them, well not like daughters at all more like a daughter in law he disliked and expected to divorce his son any day. Boredom has been another top issue that I have with the temple. Ive tried! For me, it didnt matter how much the ceremony wording changed over the years, my first experience always played through my mind when I went to the temple. In making that determination, we recommend that, where possible, they counsel with a competent medical professional about their personal circumstances and needs, the statement reads. Its still manipulative and coercive; these changes feel more like a half hearted concession to advocates for change. And maybe barbecues with the family. And the only ones who cant be saved are those who, like Satan, simply refuse it. I still discover weird stuff about the temple now and then. . All rights reserved. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide. . The Lord responds by giving him the new and everlasting covenant. A more focused emphasis on Jesus. You may also like:Is there precedent for the First Presidencys involvement in encouraging members to be vaccinated? The fig is a telestial order, the vine is a terrestrial order, and the olive is a celestial order. When they flashed Jesus on the screen, one woman told me, it was at times when the covenants mentioned Jesus. The revised endowment seeks to explicitly link Christ as the reason why individuals make and keep covenants; one man said he came away with the impression that the covenants have been recast as a way to have a relationship with Christ and to become more like him. This couples job was to demonstrate the signs and tokens for other people. The point is that he felt that in the few years he had been a member of the Church, every General Conference address about men had focused on their depravity and need to repent; while every address about women had focus on our spirituality and eternal value. They feel a desire to receive and honor sacred temple covenants throughout their lives. My last trip to the temple was probably in 2017ish. Its the same with Adam and Eve. We'll be going over the basics of this ceremony, and some of the exalted meaning that we can draw from it. Cant remember what happened last week, let alone in January 2021? You are now leaving a website maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More sanitized, more sterile, more boring. All of this becomes glaringly clear if we understand the symbolism of the fig tree, fig fruit, and fig leaf. It says a person who dislikes despises or is strongly prejudiced against men. Even so, thats not to say that the precept of offering sacrifice is evil in and of itself. It's 2023 and the LDS church still won't even name and own the harm caused by its racist doctrine and practices. I hope youll let me know what those are in the days to come, if you can. An update to the Church Handbook in section 27.2.2 states, The decision to receive the endowment is personal and should be made prayerfully. The handbook also lists four conditions members should meet if they choose to receive the endowment, which are as follows: You may also like:No more bathing caps? There are certain prerequisites that need to be met in order for us to successfully navigate sacred space. This is also an excellent series on polygamy: http://www.thefaithfulfeminists.com/2021/11/polygamy-in-pieces-part-one-timeline.html. Additional information about purchasing, altering, discarding or donating temple clothing is provided at the churchs online store (login required) or ChurchofJesusChrist.org. That way when you encounter something you didnt know, you dont have to say Oh no the church isnt true! and leave the church. Sometimes there were just very small circles, and the officiator could barely get to the alter. If they had happened 10 years ago, when I was regularly attending each month, they would have had more of a positive impact. As for the apron, whats funny is that I always saw that as a beautiful part of the temple to me, the apron represented our humanity as imperfect as it was, yet we got to keep it with us throughout. I went through the temple first in 1988 before my mission and then again when I married in 1991. View all posts by Elisa. Visiting the sites is a great way for individuals and families to enhance their understanding of Church history.. Latest News on the Salt Lake Temple | ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org She also knows that I think shes really *really* nice to look at. I wanted to ask about it but realized my parents were probably not equipped to talk about it, and my bishophe had effectively disqualified himself as someone I couldnt trust. Here is a great list of ways that LDS women are excluded / marginalized at Church (plus a celebration of some of the progress that has been made! LDS Temple Endowment Transcript as of 01/01/2019 : r/mormon - Reddit Jesus said there was nothing else needed. As we have continued to seek the direction of the Lord on this matter, President Nelson said, we have been impressed to modify our earlier plans for the Manti Utah Temple so that the pioneer craftsmanship, artwork, and character will be preserved, including the painted murals loved by so many. In total, the Church has 45 stores throughout Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, and Texas. I felt weird. They will no longer feel like Gods favorite. We sat on a back bench while they went through their entire ceremony, which included green aprons and robes, an alter, and had signs and symbols. 1. In February, the Church had its first-ever Friend to Friend event. I get the temple, and honestly have to say I am confused when I hear some members talk about how incomprehensible the temple is, and that incomprehensibility is what makes it so wonderful, always something new to learn. The terms preside hearken and obey help justify this decision by husbands, even with the word equal in the mix. Even then many members there sacrifice greatly just to buy (then eventually replace) their own temple garments, buy food for the trip, etc. Even so, I would say that it at least places her at the center of creation inlieu of of anything else that might be said (about the arrangement). A couple comments for example: Also, I dont think its improper for a covenant to require the reception of ordinances in order to live up to it. Updated July 16, 2021 A selection of temple from around the world where new temple presidents and matrons have been called to serve, beginning in August of 2021. A TV was added in my temple so they could show the handshake at the appropriate time. The broadcast concluded with a message from President Nelson. Its not fun to be out of step. (I see where it can be misinterpreted that way, but as far as I can see, thats not what the text actually says. Kristi, And, if the meaning doesnt change just because the words did (the reassurance some GAs gave folks after previous changes), am I bound by the meaning of the obey the law of your husband wording from even earlier? I had assumed it was only temporary as they were changing up the ceremony, but it sounds like they kept this as a permanent feature? In fact thats one of the things we learn in the templewe cant just ascend willy-nilly. And it is those important differences those things that make the cosmos go around that are reflected in the ordinances having to do with celestial marriage. Really? It would also allow for more sessions to be held each day. First Presidency announces changes to temple endowment ceremony, citing On Cain and Abel, yes, something could be said about intent. However, the true reason why the Lord rejects Cains offer is because it is not the correct order. Law of Fast The opportunity to gather and the power associated with gathering was very evident, Elder Bednar told Church News. Admit it. As for same sex prayer circle pairings, while I have wondered about the possibility, I dont recall ever seeing any. Why not work to build something, anything, up, as opposed to dismantling what was not fulfilling for you? For both of us, attending the temple was not something we ever enjoyed or made a priority.). Thank you for educating me. Heres a look at some of the announcements and other events that have taken place in the Church over the past 12 months. They certainly dont address my primary concerns with the templethose concerns being (1) sexism, (2) polygamy, (3) heteroexclusivity, (4) pledging loyalty to the institution of the Church rather than to God, (5) temple recommend & tithing gatekeeping / exclusion mechanisms, (6) vestiges of penalty oaths and non-ancient Masonic practices, (7) genuine confusion about what the temple endowment adds to baptismal covenants (or otherwise what it has to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ), and (8) a complete lack of interest in inheriting kingdoms and principalities and having endless posterity.