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Criticisms related to Latter-day Saint Temples
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Question: Did Joseph Smith make up the temple ordinances or borrow them from an earthly source?
No, there are many statements by the Church and its leaders that indicate that the temple ordinances were revealed by the Lord and restored from antiquity
It is claimed that the LDS temple ordinances were either made up by Joseph Smith or borrowed, by him, from an earthly source. However, there are many statements by the Church and its leaders that indicate that the temple ordinances were revealed by the Lord and restored from antiquity.
This collection of quotes has been divided into two sections. The first section consists of statements from the LDS Church's official website indicating that the temple ordinances were 'revealed' by the Lord and 'restored' from antiquity. The second section consists of statements from scripture and the General Authorities of the LDS Church.
Section 1
- Apostle Russell M. Nelson, “Prepare for Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, March 2002.
“The temple endowment was given by revelation. . . . Temples, ordinances, covenants, endowments, and sealings have been restored, precisely as prophesied. . . . A review of the Old Testament and the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price may be especially enlightening after one is more familiar with the temple endowment. These books of ancient scripture underscore the antiquity of temple work and the enduring nature of its ordinances.”
- Temple Preparation Seminar Manual, 2003 / Lesson 3.
“the Lord has always commanded His people to build temples. He has revealed the work to be done in temples. . . . Temple work in its fulness has been restored in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
- Apostle Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, September 1993.
“Isn’t it marvelous to ponder how much the Prophet Joseph Smith learned throughout the extended process of restoring the holy apostleship, the holy priesthood, the holy endowment, the holy sealing power.”
- Temple Preparation Seminar Manual, 2003 / Lesson 6.
President Harold B. Lee: “The temple ceremonies are designed by a wise Heavenly Father who has revealed them to us in these last days.”
- Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple, 2002 / “Taught from On High,” adapted from The Holy Temple by Apostle Boyd K. Packer.
Apostle John A. Widtsoe, “The endowment and the temple work as revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
- Apostle Marion G. Romney, Ensign, March 1971.
Prophet Joseph Smith: “What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world? . . . . [T]o build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house.”
- Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple, 2002 / “Come to the Temple,” adapted from The Holy Temple by Apostle Boyd K. Packer.
“In the temples members of the Church who make themselves eligible can participate in the most exalted of the redeeming ordinances that have been revealed to mankind. There, in a sacred ceremony, an individual may be washed and anointed and instructed and endowed and sealed.”
- Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, ch. 44, 2007.
“During the Prophet’s ministry, all things were restored that were necessary to lay the foundation of the greatest dispensation of all time. The priesthood, with its essential keys, was restored; the Book of Mormon was translated; the Church was organized; and doctrines, ordinances, and covenants were revealed, including the ordinances and covenants of the endowment and the marriage sealing.”
- “Endowed with Covenants and Blessings,” Ensign, February 1995.
It was through the Prophet Joseph Smith in the nineteenth century that the Lord restored again to earth the holy ordinances of temple covenants and blessings. The following recollection of President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency describes the intense interest that members of the Church had in the 1840s when the blessings of the temple were again made available to mankind: “When the Prophet Joseph [Smith] first communicated that the Lord had revealed to him the keys of the endowment, I can remember the great desire there was on every hand to understand something about them. When the Prophet would speak about his desire to complete the temple in order that he might impart unto his fellow servants that which God had delivered to him, a thrill went through the congregation and a great desire for this filled their hearts” (Gospel Truth, Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, 2 vols., comp. Jerreld L. Newquist, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974, 1:228).
- Apostle Mark E. Peterson, Ensign, January 1972.
“As the gospel was restored in these last days, temple building and temple ordinances also were restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
- D&C and Church History Teacher’s Manual, 1999, Lesson 18.
“Explain that the Kirtland Temple was not like today’s temples, where saving ordinances are performed for the living and the dead. The Lord restored temple ordinances a few years later while the Saints were in Nauvoo.”
Section 2
“I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid . . . . let [the Nauvoo Temple] be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people.”
- Jesus Christ (D&C 124:38, 40).
“God sitting upon his throne, revealing through the heavens the grand Key-words of the Priesthood.” “the grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood, as revealed to Adam in the Garden of Eden, as also to Seth, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and all to whom the Priesthood was revealed.”
- Joseph Smith, explanations 3 and 7 for Facsimile #2 in the Book of Abraham.
“These [temple] ordinances have been revealed to us; we understand them, and unless we attend to them we shall fall under condemnation.”
- Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, 13:32.
“the Prophet Joseph . . . communicated that the Lord had revealed to him the keys of the endowment.”
- George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, 179.
“I think that portion of this revelation which I have read, will give you a general idea of the sacredness of the house of the Lord, which is to be built in the latter times, a place wherein the angels may come and visit, as they did in the ancient Temple; a place wherein you can receive all those ordinances which the Lord has revealed and which He will hereafter reveal from time to time.”
- Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 16: --; 7 October 1873.
“When the [Kirtland] Temple was built, the Lord did not see proper to reveal all the ordinances of the endowments, such as we now understand. He revealed little by little.”
- Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 19: ---, 20 May 1877.
“We build temples. What for? To administer the ordinances of God. What ordinances? Those that God has revealed, and those that the world know nothing about.”
- President John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 21:—2 January 1881.
“Today we enjoy the great happiness of having . . . these sacred structures completed, dedicated to and accepted of the Lord, wherein the Saints can enter and attend to those ordinances which He, in His infinite goodness and kindness, has revealed.”
- Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, Messages of the First Presidency, 3:--, 18 March 1893; cited by James E. Talmage in The House of the Lord.
“In Kirtland, the brethren were not endowed with the same ordinances that are now bestowed upon the people, because they had not yet been revealed. It was in the days of Nauvoo that these blessings and ordinances of endowment were made known to the Prophet Joseph.”
- Franklin D. Richards, Collected Discourses, 5:--, 5 October 1896.
“the pattern of endowment garments was revealed from heaven.”
- Joseph F. Smith, Messages of the First Presidency, 5:--, 1918.
“the endowment and the temple work as revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
- John A. Widtsoe, "Temple Worship," in The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, 12 [April 1921]: 58; cited in Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple.
“The Ancient Order of the Endowment Revealed . . . . The ancient order of the endowment restored.” “He tried to impress upon the Saints the great responsibility which was upon them in having a house of the Lord where these sacred ordinances which had been revealed to him could be given to the Saints.”
- Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1949), 4: lesson 133/34 and 138/39; Melchizedek Priesthood quorum manual; copyrighted by LDS Church President George Albert Smith.
“The temple ritual as revealed to Joseph Smith and communicated by him to his brethren is essentially symbolic. Its ordinances are not only ancient but also represent profound truths.”
- John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith – Seeker After Truth (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1951), --.
“temple ordinances for the living and the dead were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
- Presiding Bishop Joseph L. Wirthlin, Conference Report, October 1956.
“In 1836 Elijah came and restored the sealing power, the power to bind on earth and have it sealed eternally in the heavens (D&C 110:13-16; 132:45-47). At a still later date, temple endowments and other ordinances were revealed—all of which are a necessary prelude to the performance of an eternal marriage.”
- Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed. 1966.
“The temple ceremony was given by a wise Heavenly Father . . . . The endowment was revealed by revelation.”
- Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson (chapter on Temples and Temple Work).
“the Prophet Joseph Smith . . . the endowment ceremony was given to him.” “It is the Lord's house. He directs the conditions under which it may be used. He has revealed the ordinances that should be performed therein.”
- Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple.
Notes
- REDIRECT Temples after Christ
- REDIRECT Question: What is the role of the Mormon temple to be built in Independence, Missouri?
- REDIRECT Spiritual manifestations at the dedication of the Kirtland temple
- REDIRECT Question: Why does the church spend so much money on temples when children are dying of starvation?
- REDIRECT Question: What are the worthiness requirements to enter a Mormon temple?
- REDIRECT Question: Does Acts 17:24-25 teach that the idea of temple worship is foreign to Christianity?
- REDIRECT Question: Do Mormon temples always face east?
FAIR Answers—back to home page
Baptism for the dead |
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The temple endowment |
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Temple sealings |
|
Other topics |
Included below:
Who was Elias who appeared in the Kirtland Temple?
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery reported a vision in the Kirtland Temple on 3 April 1836 during which they saw Moses, Elijah and Elias
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery reported a vision in the Kirtland Temple on 3 April 1836 (see D&C 110꞉1-16). They reported that they received priesthood keys from three angelic messengers:
- Moses (verse 11)
- Elijah (verse 12)
- Elias (verses 13-16)
"Elias" is merely the Greek name of the Hebrew prophet "Elijah"
Some note that "Elias" is merely the Greek name of the Hebrew prophet "Elijah." Thus, they charge, Joseph Smith made a fatal error by having Elias and Elijah be two different people, when they are in fact one and the same.[1]
Elder McConkie provides a good summary:
There is no valid reason for confusion as to the identity and mission of Elias. There was a man named Elias who came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple to restore "the gospel of Abraham." (D&C 110꞉12.) Whether he was Abraham himself or someone else from his dispensation, we do not know. Elias is one of the names of Gabriel who is Noah, and it was in this capacity that Gabriel visited Zacharias the father of John the Baptist. (D&C 27꞉6-7.) Elias is the Greek form of the Hebrew Elijah, and in this sense has reference to the prophet from Tishbe. Elias is also the title or name of a forerunner who goes before to prepare the way for someone who is greater; this is the doctrine of Elias, and in this sense John the Baptist was both Elias and an Elias. John came in the way that Gabriel (who is Elias) promised, that is, "in the spirit and power of Elias, . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17.)… But, as we have seen, there is also an Elias of the Restoration, meaning that there is also a doctrine of Elias that pertains not to preparation alone, but to restoration. Christ was Elias in his day because he restored the gospel for those then living. In our revelations the Lord says that Gabriel (Noah) is the "Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days." (D&C 27꞉6.) The one who holds the keys is the one who directs the work; keys are the right of presidency. Thus Gabriel, who stands next to Michael (Adam) in the heavenly hierarchy, has a great directing and supervising work in connection with the restoration of all things.[2]
It is certainly true that "Elias" is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Elijah," however, there are also cases when the name "Elias" is applied to someone besides Elijah
There are times within scripture where "Elias" is clearly meant to refer to the Elijah of 1 Kings. (See, for example, Matthew 27:47-49, Romans 11:2, James 5:17). However, there are also cases when the name "Elias" is applied to someone besides Elijah. For example, Jesus himself applied it to John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:13-15.)
The Hebrew name, often transliterated "Isaiah," Yesha'yah[u] appears in the Hebrew bible on many occasions, but used to denote different "Isaiahs" than the prophet who authored the Book of Isaiah. These names are rendered Esaias in the Septuagint (LXX), and are rendered Jesiah and Jesaiah in the KJV and many other translations of the Old Testament. In D&C 84, Joseph Smith may have used a different transliteration of the Semitic name to differentiate one Isaiah from another. Indeed, we have many New Testament parallels in translation literature, such as the Jude/Judas variant for the same name in the New Testament.
Jesus' use of "Elias" to refer to another forerunner prophet (John the Baptist) illustrates the LDS concept of "Elias" as a calling or name-title for someone in a preparatory role
Jesus' use of "Elias" to refer to another forerunner prophet (John the Baptist) illustrates the LDS concept of "Elias" as a calling or name-title for someone in a preparatory role.[3] And, the angel Gabriel applied the "spirit of Elias" to John even prior to his birth. (See Luke 1:15-17.)
The Mount of Transfiguration account (Matthew 17:, Mark 9:, Luke :9) has Jesus speaking to Moses and "Elias." Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible expands upon the concept of "Elias" as name-title:
10. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things, as the prophets have written.
11. And again I say unto you that Elias has come already, concerning whom it is written, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and they knew him not, and have done unto him, whatsoever they listed.
12. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.
13. But I say unto you, Who is Elias? Behold, this is Elias, whom I send to prepare the way before me.
14. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist, and also of another who should come and restore all things, as it is written by the prophets. (JST | Matthew 17:10 - 14, italics represent differences from KJV and JST text)
The JST of Mark makes John the Baptist's appearance explicit:
3. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses or in other words, John the Baptist and Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. (JST | Mark 9:3)
Interestingly, the LDS Bible Dictionary (prepared under the direction of Elder Bruce R. McConkie) says that "[t]he curious wording of JST Mark 9:3 does not imply that the Elias at the Transfiguration was John the Baptist, but that in addition to Elijah, the prophet, John the Baptist was present."[3]
And, elsewhere, the JST associates the "Elias" role with Jesus himself:
27. John answered them, saying; I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
28. He it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or whose place I am not able to fill; for he shall baptize, not only with water, but with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. (JST | John 1:27 - 28)
Joseph Smith was not the only one to understand Elias in this sense
Some critics have seen Joseph's ideas above as completely ad hoc: but, he was not the only one to understand Elias in this sense. Alexander Campbell, a noted American clergyman, wrote an attack on the Book of Mormon in which he expressed a similar idea:
The Jews gave up their business and attended to him. He obtained one Nathan in Jerusalem to pass for his Elias, or forerunner.[4]
Identity of Elias at Kirtland
Having shown that "Elias" may refer to someone other than the Hebrew "Elijah," both biblically and in Joseph Smith's thought (see D&C 77꞉9,14 for other uses as forerunner), we can now ask: Who, then, appeared with Elijah and Moses at Kirtland? There are several possible options:
John the Baptist?
Elias as John the Baptist: this is analogous to the JST usage of the term. However, this seems unlikely given that a previous appearance of John the Baptist identified him as such.(See D&C 13꞉1
Unknown prophet from era of Abraham?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested that this Elias was a prophet who lived at the time of Abraham.[5]
Abraham?
Elder McConkie was apparently not wedded to interpretation #2, since he later suggested that this "Elias" might be Abraham himself.[2]
Noah?
The association of Noah with Elias is based in part upon D&C 27:
6 And also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days;
7 And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;(D&C 27꞉6-7.)
Elias is here said to be the person who came to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel is well known to have been the messenger of John's birth (see Luke 1:19.) Who is Gabriel in LDS thought? Joseph Smith taught that Gabriel was the mortal Noah.[6]
| Person and Keys | Mission of the Church? |
|---|---|
| Moses had the keys to the gathering of Israel; leading the 10 tribes | Proclaiming the gospel |
| Elijah had the keys to turn hearts of the children to the fathers | Redeem the dead via sealing power; vicarious work for the dead |
| Elias had the keys to the Dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham | "Through you [the Church members] all generations after us should be blessed”—Perfecting the Saints, by the restoration of all things in the gospel. This might work well with Noah, who serves as a "second Adam" figure, restoring the human race and its covenant relationship with God after the world was engulfed in wickedness. |
Some other individual?
Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote of these theories:
From this reference to "the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham," it has been concluded that Elias was a prophet who lived near the time of the patriarch, Abraham. Really, nothing more definite is known about the person Elias and his activity on earth… It should be said that some students believe that Elias who appeared in the Kirtland Temple was Noah, the patriarch. Modern revelation informs us that Elias visited Zacharias to inform him that he should have a son known later as John the Baptist. (D&C 27꞉7) The Bible says that it was the angel Gabriel who visited Zacharias. (Luke 1:19) Joseph Smith said that Gabriel is Noah. These students conclude therefore, that Elias is another name or title for Noah. This inference may or may not be correct. The name Gabriel may be borne by more than one personage or it may be a title as in the case of Elias. When Elias, the man, lived, and what he did in his life, must for the present remain in the field of conjecture.[7]
Did Elijah appear in the Kirtland Temple?
A theory has been proposed that Elijah did not appear to Joseph Smith at the Kirtland Temple and that the record now in Doctrine and Covenants 110 was created after Joseph Smith's death. This theory is proven false by the historical evidence:
- The account in Joseph Smith's 1835-1836 journal is in the handwriting of Warren Cowdery, who served as Joseph's scribe for only a short period of time in 1835 and 1836.[8] Warren left the Church in 1838.[9]
- In a letter written in April 1836, William W. Phelps wrote that on April 3, 1836, "there was a manifestation of the Lord to Bro. Joseph and Oliver, by which they learned that the great & terrible day of the Lord, as mentioned by Malichi, was near, even at the doors."[10]
Notes
- ↑ Contender Ministries, Questions All Mormons Should Ask Themselves. Answers; "Kirtland Temple Dedication," MormonThink.com
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982), 102–104. ISBN 0877478961. GL direct link
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bible Dictionary (LDS English edition of the Holy Scriptures), s.v. "Elias," 663.
- ↑ Alexander Campbell, Delusions: An Analysis of the Book of Mormon, with an Examination of Its Internal and External Evidences, and a Refutation of Its Pretences to Divine Authority with Prefatory Remarks by Joshua V. Himes (Boston: Benjamine H. Greene, 1832), ; originally published in Millennial Harbinger 2 (7 February 1831): 85–96. off-site O. Cowdery reply #1 #2
- ↑ Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), 219. GL direct link
- ↑ Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected by Joseph Fielding Smith, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976), 157. off-site
- ↑ John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations: Aids to Faith in a Modern Day, arranged by G. Homer Durham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960), 243–244. GL direct link
- ↑ See historical introduction to Journal, 1835–1836, josephsmithpapers.org, and also historical introduction to "Visions, 3 April 1836 (D&C 110)," josephsmithpapers.org.
- ↑ "Cowdery, Warren A.", josephsmithpapers.org.
- ↑ William Wines Phelps letter to Sally Phelps, April 1836, in William Wines Phelps papers, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. See also historical introduction to "Visions, 3 April 1836 (D&C 110)," josephsmithpapers.org.