View source for Question: Why isn't the temple ceremony based upon an earlier version of Freemasonry rather than what existed in Joseph Smith's time?

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==Question: Why isn't the temple ceremony based upon an earlier version of Freemasonry rather than what existed in Joseph Smith's time?==
===If one assumes that any part of the ritual is based upon Freemasonry, then Joseph Smith used ritual elements known to him and his followers to teach a uniquely restorationist view===

Those that make this claim confuse the ordinance of 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 ordinance  (a ritualized pedagogical dramatization which imparts knowledge in a way that can aid memory, encourage contemplation, and lead to additional personal revelation).

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. If one assumes that any part of the ritual is based upon Freemasonry, then Joseph Smith used ritual elements known to him and his followers to teach a uniquely restorationist view. 

Evidence of the restoration of the temple rites has been documented by many Latter-day Saint scholars. Much of the endowment comes from Joseph Smith's [[Question: Did Joseph Smith identify any elements of Facsimile 2 that are in agreement with what Egyptologists say they represent?|translation of Facsimile 2]] in the Book of Abraham and from revelations he received [[Question: When did Joseph Smith demonstrate knowledge of the elements of the endowment ritual?| early]] in his prophetic career.
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[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]]


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[[es:Pregunta: ¿Por qué no es la ceremonia del templo en base a una versión anterior de la masonería en lugar de lo que existía en la época de José Smith?]]
[[pt:Pergunta: Por que a cerimônia do Templo não é baseada em uma versão anterior da Maçonaria ao invés do que existia na época de Joseph Smith?]]
[[Category:Questions]]