What is a mormon endowment ceremony?
The endowment is a temple ceremony where members are ordained to become kings, queens, priests and priestesses in the hereafter. There are several steps to it but the entire ceremony is symbolic of the LDS beliefs regarding the faithful person’s path from the earth back to God. On a larger scale it is meant to teach and symbolize the entire “Plan of Salvation” which outlines this same path for all humanity. The first part of the endowment is called the washing and anointing and it involves a ceremonial washing and anointing of oil combined with several prayers. The member wears a garment called a shield that covers their private parts but allows the temple worker to wash and anoint them in several places (none of which are the least bit sexual in nature). The member also receives a “new name” that they are required to remember and never reveal (except to their spouse). They also receive their temple garments at this stage of the endowment. After the washing and anointing the member vie
During this initiation rite you will be ceremonially anointed with oil and water and start wearing the special Mormon underwear. Then you will dress in white clothes with a green apron. The men wear a funny shaped hat, the women wear a veil for the ceremony, which includes learning the special handshakes and passwords you need to know in order to get in to the highest LDS heaven. You will also be given a new secret name. During the ceremony, you will learn that obedience is the ‘first law of heaven’ and agree to dedicate everything you have or will have to the church. If you go to the temple to receive your endowments, after the initiatory ordinances but before the rest of the ceremony you will be told the following: If you proceed and receive your full endowment, you will be required to take upon yourselves sacred obligations, the violation of which will bring upon you the judgment of God; for God will not be mocked. If any of you desire to withdraw rather than accept these obligation
Mormons have several secret temple ceremonies that everyone participates in. You have to have your endowments before you can marry in the temple. Missionaries get them before leaving on a mission. It involves funny clothes and a lot of vows to the church to put it above all else (including your spouse). Mormons have to promise never to talk about it outside the temple, even with their spouse in their own homes. Most of it was taken straight from Masonic rituals. Smith had family members who were long time Masons, and he joined a lodge about a week before he revealed the temple ceremonies to his followers. There are numerous Masonic symbols on the temples and on Mormon ‘garments’ which are worn as underwear. Smith wove the ceremonies into his plans for polygamous marriage in the temples. The ceremonies were revealed to the world almost immediately in the 1840s, have been read into the Congressional Record, are on the internet and are about to be on TV on Big Love. Mormons are livid, but
I have a friend who was married in the mo-mo church, but divorced both her husband and the church. She told me about her endowment ceremony where her husband was behind the curtain, but she wasn’t supposed to know it was him. Said she recognized his hairy arms. Then he grabbed her and told her her secret name that only God and her husband was supposed to know. He couldn’t rememember what to say and the guy next to him whispered “Martha” and then the husband said “oh yeah, your name is Martha” or something like that. I was ROTFLMAO! So funny! She recognized the hairy arms and he couldn’t remember the “secret” name.
The endowment is actually referred to as a “gift”. It is basically the extra knowledge about the gospel that is gained in the temple, and that has to do with eternity. We go to the temple, receive our endowment and also perform endowments for those who have passed on, who did not have their temple work performed during this life.
