Endowment (Mormonism)

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Celestial space represents the highest degree of heaven in LDS theology and is reached after the endowment test portion.

The endowment (endowment) is a ceremony in Mormonism with the aim of receiving “strength from on high” and one day (after the resurrection) to be able to become king and queen, priest and priestess in the kingdom of God. The first part of the ceremony are the pre-ordinances, which consist of a symbolic washing with water and anointing with olive oil, as well as giving the garment and receiving a new name. This is followed by the main part of the endowment, which is a symbolic experience of the path of humanity from premortal existence through earth life to the return to the Father in Heaven.

Active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally do not share details of the endowment. As part of the endowment, they take a solemn vow not to discuss the things heard or seen outside the temple during the course of the ceremony. The following relates to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Implementation of the endowment

To receive endowment, membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be for at least a year through baptism. He or she has had an extensive interview with his or her bishop and stake president to ensure that he or she understands and accepts key Church messages (see temple recommendation card ). Before men can receive their endowment, they must have received the Melchizedek Priesthood .

In the temple, the temple president (for men) or the temple superior (for women) explains details about the endowment and wearing the garment . Then the pre-ordinances are carried out, first the ablution, then the anointing, then the clothing in the garment, which represents the coat made of animal skin, which Adam and Eve were given by the Lord when they were driven out of the Garden of Eden.

The actual endowment then follows in which the person is given a new name that must not be disclosed. The endowment is shown in almost all temples today as a film in which God the Father, Jesus Christ, Adam, Eve, Peter, James and John and Lucifer appear. In the course of the ceremony, certain signs are learned and vows are given. The end and climax is entering the symbolic presence of God through a curtain that represents the separation of this world from the divine. Behind the curtain is the celestial room. The core of the endowment relates particularly in the initial part of the Genesis as in Genesis 1 to 3 or in the book Moses in the Delicious bead is shown

Married newly baptized couples will receive their endowment, provided they are deemed worthy, typically one year after their baptism. With them, this is followed by the marriage seal for time and eternity. If they have children, their children will also be sealed to them so that the family will last forever.

Singles are endowed before serving a mission; because this demanding vocation certainly needs “strength from on high”. If a person does not serve a mission, he or she will be endowed when a degree of maturity and stability in life is achieved, which is often assumed in their mid-twenties. Otherwise, the endowment will be received immediately prior to being sealed to the spouse. The endowment is an essential requirement for the marriage seal.

As an official ordinance, the endowment is noted on the membership record with the date and the temple where it was obtained. In the event of expulsion from the church due to serious misconduct, the endowment will be revoked. In the case of a new baptism, it can be restored upon request by the First Presidency.

Endowments for the living make up only a small fraction of the endowments performed in the temples of the world. The main part are endowments, which are carried out on behalf of the deceased. They are exactly the same as for the living. Before pre-ordinances begin, deceased men receive the Melchizedek priesthood vicariously and are ordained elders. Deceased must have been dead for at least a year to receive the endowment.

History of the endowment

Woman in ceremonial temple clothing, ca.1870

The term "endowment" was first mentioned in a revelation written by Joseph Smith on July 1, 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio. It is found today in the Doctrine and Covenants as section 95 . There it says in the original:

"Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high."

"Yes, verily, I say to you, I have given you the commandment to build a house, and in that house I intend to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high."

The first part of the endowment, the ablutions and anointings, was introduced by Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 .

Joseph Smith established the complete endowment in Nauvoo in 1842. The first endowments took place in a room above Joseph Smith's store as the Nauvoo Temple was still under construction. After Joseph Smith's death, when it was already clear that the Saints would be leaving Nauvoo, they made every effort to complete the temple. This should enable everyone to receive their endowment before the Exodus. It was clear that after moving to the Rocky Mountains, it would be a long time before a temple would be available again for these ordinances. In order to achieve the goal, the temple was consecrated piece by piece depending on the completion of individual rooms. Brigham Young gave the first endowments on December 10, 1845. In the last few weeks prior to the departure, there were virtually uninterrupted endowments in the temple.

Starting in 1855, a makeshift building in Salt Lake City, the Endowment House, was used to allow members to endowment. In 1877, the year Brigham Young died, the first temple in Nauvoo was St. George Utah . The first President of this temple was Wilford Woodruff , who later became the fourth President of the Church. As the temple president, he was instrumental in setting the endowment in writing. Until then, the text had only been passed on orally.

Under President Heber J. Grant (President from 1918 to 1945) the text of the endowment was profoundly changed. Above all, brutal expressions were toned down.

In the course of time there were repeated changes in the text and in the process in order to take account of the changing experiences and feelings of the members. This applies to the actual endowment as well as to the preliminary prescriptions. It was a long way from the homogeneous group with their common experience of discrimination, hatred and displacement and reclamation of Utah to the worldwide church with all its cultural and linguistic diversity. This is also reflected in the endowment.

In the early days, the text of the endowment was spoken by performers worthy of the temple, who had already received the endowment themselves and who were called to this task. To add to the drama, the recipients of the endowment moved from one room to the next. The rooms were furnished with wall paintings that corresponded to their function. So there was a creation room, where it was about the creation of the earth, a garden-Eden room, where this stage of human existence was represented. Then came the telestial space that represented our present world. Closer to God through apostolic teachings, man came into the terrestrial space that had no murals. Here the recipients of the endowment received final instructions before they were let into the presence of God, the celestial room , through the curtain attached there .

The consecration of the Bern Temple in Switzerland in 1955 represented a turning point in the history of the endowment . Since the temple in Switzerland was the only one on mainland Europe at that time, it was intended to serve different language groups, if possible at the same time. To make this possible, the actual endowment was recorded on film. All actors, technicians and so on involved had to have received the endowment and hold a valid temple recommendation certificate . In this way it was possible to synchronize the film with all required languages. From time to time the film was re-shot and re-dubbed, which was also necessary due to the textual changes and additional languages.

Today, the endowment is presented on film in almost all temples around the world. As a result, the rooms you walk through are no longer needed. The endowment takes place in a small cinema, which is closed with a curtain opposite the celestial room. In the newer temples there are no more murals for the endowment. In the Salt Lake Temple and the Manti Utah Temple , the endowment is still performed in the traditional manner.

The next profound changes to the text of the endowment were made in 1990. A few years later the text of the pre-ordinances was expanded and the plot a little more abstract and symbolic.

The translation of the endowment texts poses a particular challenge. On the one hand, the translations should correspond as precisely as possible to the English original, and on the other hand, the texts must be spoken at exactly the same time so that they run synchronously in all languages. Of course, the voice actors must have already received their endowment and have a valid temple recommendation certificate. Today three versions of the endowment film with different actors and different emotional focuses are in use.

Theological background

Participants in temple attire in a prayer group during the endowment ceremony.

A believing member of the Church of Jesus Christ is expected to do the following in relation to ordinances performed on him:

  • Baptism (no earlier than 8 years)
  • Aaronic Priesthood (male only, 12 years and older)
  • Melchizedek Priesthood (18 years and older)
  • Endowment (from the age of 18 or at least one year after baptism, in a temple)
  • Marriage sealing (in a temple)

Only those who have received all of these ordinances can be exalted according to doctrine , that is, to live in eternity as a resurrected being in the family at the side of Jesus Christ and the Heavenly Father. For this reason, an important part of pastoral care is to guide both those born into the Church and new converts to strive to receive full temple blessings in the form of the endowment. Since these ordinances are indispensable for eternity, they are carried out on behalf of those ancestors who did not have this opportunity during their lifetime.

On the one hand, the endowment is interwoven with the plan of salvation for humanity as a whole with the life path of the individual from the premortal existence to the resurrection.

In addition, key words and signs are imparted in the endowment that are necessary in order to be able to pass the angels who guard the path to the Father in Heaven. The endowment ends with a test to enter the presence of God.

The endowment can only be received once in a lifetime. You only experience repetitions as a substitute for one deceased of your own gender.

The essential goal of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to gain exaltation for yourself and your family in the celestial kingdom. This is done through righteous living and keeping the commandments as taught in the Church. In addition, all necessary ordinances are received, the last two of which are in a temple. This also includes researching the dates of life for as many deceased ancestors as possible and also providing them with all the necessary ordinances from baptism to marriage sealing, which in this case are all performed in a temple.

The textual basis for the endowment is largely Chapter 4 in the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, which, in a slightly modified form, corresponds to the reports in the Bible in Genesis 1 to 3. With regard to the preliminary ordinances, reference is made to Ex 29.4–9  EU and Lev 8.6–13  EU .

An explanation of the endowment was published in the New Era Church youth magazine in 1971 :

“During the endowment you will receive instructions and learn about the important events of our eternal journey. You will learn about the creation of the world and our first parents in the Garden of Eden. You will learn how Satan tempted Adam and Eve and how they were driven out of the garden and away from the presence of God, into our world, with its opposites in all things. Here they got to know the joys as well as the inconveniences of life. After Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden and ended up in the world where we now live, they were taught the gospel and made covenants of faithfulness with God, just as you will make in the temple. How we keep these covenants determines what our life will be like after this earthly experience. In the infinite world there are realms of greatness. You will attain one of these depending on how you conduct yourself in this life. The goal of the gospel and the purpose of temple marriage are not only to hold us together, but also to qualify us for God's greatest praise - exaltation in the celestial kingdom. This kingdom is symbolized by the celestial space. "

Criticism of the endowment

Even in the early days of the Church, the imagination, especially of the American tabloids, was kindled by the "secret rites" of the Mormons. Since they were (and will be) kept secret, it was initially not possible to find out anything concrete about them. It was only when some members of the Church who had already received the endowment left the fellowship that they no longer took seriously their vows to keep silent about the endowment and gave details about it. It is practically impossible for the church to meet this criticism on a factual level, since the details according to the vows are not discussed. Again and again, similarities between the Mormon ritual and Masonic rituals are discussed. It is argued that Joseph Smith did not receive the endowment by revelation as he and his followers claimed. On the other hand, he copied the ideas from the Freemasons, who at that time included the majority of men in the church.

It has repeatedly been claimed that the endowment obliges the recipient to murder because it threatened bloody penalties for betraying the details. Church members argued against it that this was not an invitation to murder, but a declaration that they would remain silent and otherwise incur a fatal sentence. These sentences have not been part of the ceremony since 1990.

In the version used until 1990, an evidently Protestant clergyman appeared as an assistant to Satan to mislead Adam and Eve using traditional religion. Critics described this as particularly outrageous. This has not been part of the ceremony since 1990.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ElRay LaVar Christiansen: Some Things You Need to Know about the Temple. New Era, June 1971, archived from the original on October 25, 2012 ; Retrieved on August 4, 2016 (English): "The ordinances of the temple are so sacred that they are not open to the view of the public. They are available only to those who qualify through right living. They are performed in places dedicated especially for this purpose. Their sacred nature is such that discussion in Detail outside the temple is inappropriate. "
  2. ^ Doctrine and Covenants 95: 8
  3. ↑ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (ed.): The History of the Church in the Fulness of Times: The History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (= Religion 341–343). Intellectual Reserve, 2nd edition, 2002, pp. 160–161 (History of the Church 2-379-82; pdf, 40 MB).
  4. ↑ Doctrine of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith chapter 36: Receiving the Ordinances and Blessings of the Temple. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website, 2011, accessed August 30, 2017.
  5. ^ Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4 , accessed March 1, 2017.
  6. ↑ In The House of the Lord. New Era 4 (5) June 1975, p. 20 , archived from the original on October 31, 2013 ; accessed on August 4, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Michael W. Homer: "Similarity of priesthood in masonry": The relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism . In: Dialogue, 27 (3), 1994, 2-113.

Web links

literature

  • James Edward Talmage: The House of the Lord . Frankfurt 1982 (for the German translation)
  • Body K. Packer: The Holy Temple . Salt Lake City 1980.
  • Rüdiger Hauth: Temple cult and baptism in the dead: the secret rituals of the Mormons (= Gütersloher Taschenbücher Siebenstern, 777). Gütersloher Verlagshaus Mohn, Gütersloh 1992, ISBN 978-3-579-00777-9 .