Okay, let's do this.
A tweet thread that tries to place this week's #Mormon temple changes in historical context. Featuring gifs and images, just for fun. /1
A tweet thread that tries to place this week's #Mormon temple changes in historical context. Featuring gifs and images, just for fun. /1
First, I should note that I have not personally seen the new changes, and am going by what @religiongal has written for the @sltrib. /2 sltrib.com/religion/2019/…
And second, I'll try to be careful not going too far into detail concerning some details that the faithful consider sacred. However, the line is often blurry and different for everyone, so some will think I went to far and others that I didn't go far enough. /3
My major contention, in this thread, is that the temple rituals, as well as their changes over the years, reflect the contexts in which they were first introduced.
And, as is the case with most of Mormonism, it was closely related to gender. /4
And, as is the case with most of Mormonism, it was closely related to gender. /4
The first endowment rituals took place in upstairs gathering room of Joseph Smith's brick store in Nauvoo, Illinois, in May 1842. Two events that year were crucial:
1) the publication of the Book of Abraham
2) introduction of freemasonry
3) establishment of Relief Society /5
1) the publication of the Book of Abraham
2) introduction of freemasonry
3) establishment of Relief Society /5
In March, Joseph Smith (JS) "translated" the latter portions of the Book of Abraham, which emphasized the role of the priesthood in ordering the cosmos and human relationships. All things were commanded by this revelatory order. /6
That same month, JS was introduced to freemasonry, the fraternal order then in vogue in America. It was a way to build ties and form bonds with other men inside and outside Nauvoo. It also served as a foundation for cultural appropriation over the years. /7
That same *week*, JS attended the organization of the Relief Society, the first opportunity to put these ideas into action. Women were told, just like in the Book of Abraham, that they moved according to the priesthood. And like masonry, they were to keep things secret. /8
Then, in May, JS found a way to merge the Abrahamic teachings and the masonic rituals. The end result was the endowment, a vehicle through which he could demonstrate priesthood order over humanity and the cosmos. /9
At first, only men were introduced into this order, as it served a fraternal function just like the Relief Society served a sororal one. However, that changed over the next 18 months, in ways both radical and unexpected. /10
The changes had to do with, first and foremost, polygamy, as JS worked to bring order to a still-inchoate practice. That summer 1842, however, we have our first recorded text of a sealing ritual. Note how it emphasized the importance of the priesthood structure. /11
And yes, it is, um, troubling that the first recording sealing text is not only polygamous, but a polygamous union between Smith and a 17yo girl half his age. For more on this relationship see this post: professorpark.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/sar… /12
Polygamy was the way through which women were introduced into this priesthood/ritual order. On the one hand, it promised immense blessings. On the other hand, it gendered the eternity, as men would be kings and women were to provide "seed." Note these excerpts from D&C 132. /13
So women now had a place within these rituals, but it was contingent upon a complicated and patriarchal kingdom, now extended throughout the eternities. The earliest temple rites reflected a fluctuating and complex gender structure taking place in Nauvoo. /14
Then, enter Brigham Young, who claimed JS's mantle after his death and formalized temple rituals. Two things shaped his changes:
1) A dispute with Emma Smith
2) An anxiety to reaffirm his own authority /15
1) A dispute with Emma Smith
2) An anxiety to reaffirm his own authority /15
Brigham Young (BY) was convinced that Emma Smith's agitation for reform--she was not a fan of polygamy--was a direct cause of JS's death. He shuttered the Relief Society and forbade official women gatherings. /16
BY also felt threatened by other people claiming JS's throne.
His biggest claim to authority came in his possession of the temple, and his role in introducing the saints to its rituals. His changes to JS's rites reflected these anxieties. /17
His biggest claim to authority came in his possession of the temple, and his role in introducing the saints to its rituals. His changes to JS's rites reflected these anxieties. /17
He did things like introduce Peter, James, & John as the endowment's guides, reaffirming the significance of apostles at the time he was also claiming the Q12's role in leadership. He also hung portraits of himself and the Q12 in the temple's celestial room. /18
And he also lectured on the importance of women obeying their husbands, and several of his lectures in the Nauvoo temple emphasized that disobedient/disbelieving women were often the cause of apostasy. These ideas crept into the rituals. /19
Decades later, BY codified these ideas and rituals at the St George Temple, with the first written/formalized endowment. Though adapted over the years, this is largely the clay from which the modern temple ceremonies are still molded. /20
Two things have made these changes slow and difficult.
First, rather than merely a vehicle for eternal principles, like JS saw the endowment, many see the endowment as the principle itself, an eternal practice that doesn't change. /21
First, rather than merely a vehicle for eternal principles, like JS saw the endowment, many see the endowment as the principle itself, an eternal practice that doesn't change. /21
Somehow the final two tweets got severed. Here they are:
