16 T H E S A C R E D , T H E “ S E C R E T ,” A N D T H E S IN IS T E R IN T H E L A T T E R -D A Y S A IN T T R A D IT IO N Christopher James Blythe M an y L atter-d ay S aints w o u ld be u n co m fo rtab le w ith th e p resen ce o f an essay o n th eir trad itio n in a b o o k o n relig io n an d secrecy. W h ile I su sp ect th e vast m ajo rity o f m y co -relig io n ists (m o re o n th at b elo w ) w o uld b e fin e w ith th e so rt o f stu d y I p resen t h ere, th ey w o u ld lik ely n o t b e startled b u t an n o y ed at th e w o rd “ secrecy ” u sed to d escrib e th eir relig io u s p ractice. L atter-d ay S ain ts are w ell aw are o f th e p o ten tially n eg ativ e co n n o tatio n s o f a “ secret ” an d in stead d escrib e th o se ritu als, teach in gs, an d ex p erien ces th at sh o u ld o n ly b e sh ared w ith th e u tm o st care an d o n ly in th e rig h t co n tex ts as sacred. In co n trast to a “ secret ” w h ere th e g o al is to co n ceal it fro m o th ers, L atter-d ay S aints reaso n th at th ey w an t to share th e sacred w ith all b u t m u st o n ly d o so w h en in d iv id uals are p ro p erly p repared to u n d erstan d sacred th ing s. In th is ch ap ter, I lo o k at h o w th e “ sacred ” has b een discussed an d im p lem en ted in regards to L atter-d ay S ain t ritual, h o w eso tericism d efin es in teractio n s w ith o u tsid ers, an d in fo rm s L atter-d ay S ain t id en ­ tity an d p ractice. I b eg in w ith a sectio n ex am in in g ap p ro aches to th e study o f L atter-d ay S ain t eso tericism b efo re m o v in g in to th e n ex t sectio n o n th e fo un d atio n s o f an eso teric lo g ic in th e B o o k o f M o rm o n , th e trad itio n ’s u n iqu e b o o k o f scrip tu re. T h e th ird an d fo u rth sectio n s in clu d e a dis­ cu ssio n o f p u b lic d escrip tio n s o f th e tem p le litu rg y an d th en an ex am in atio n o f h o w th ese rites w ere in tro d u ced historically, as w ell as th e co n tro v ersy o n th eir co n n ectio n s w ith F reem aso n ry . T h e fifth an d six th section ex am in es th e im p act o f L atter-d ay S aint eso tericism o n o u tsiders an d insiders respectively. T h e fifth sectio n lo o k s at h o w p rev en tin g access to tem p les attracted co n tro v ersy an d as a resu lt A m erican s tu rn ed to expose to ed u cate th em th e alleg ed co n ten ts o f th eir cerem o n ies. U ltim ately , the final sectio n exam ines h o w eso tericism shapes L atter-d ay S ain t b eh av io r. A n o te fo r th e n o n -ex p ert: T h e L atter D ay S aint trad itio n (n o tice “ L atter D ay S ain t ” d o es n o t in clu d e a h y p h en in this in stan ce, rep resen tin g a m o re expansive body) in clu d es d o zen s o f d en o m in atio n s w ith th eir o rig in s in th e C h u rch o f C h rist, later ren am ed th e C h u rch o f Jesu s C h rist o f L atter-d ay S aints. T h is n ew ch u rch p resented itself as a resto ratio n o f p rim i ­ tiv e C h ristian ity and w as fo un d ed aro u n d th e b elief th at G o d h ad called a m o d ern p ro p h et, Jo sep h S m ith . A fter S m ith ’s 1844 assassination, th e ch u rch w as d iv id ed in d ifferen t seg m en ts w ith th e vast m ajo rity o f th e faith sid in g w ith th e lead ersh ip claim s o f B rig h am Y o u n g . T h is essay ex am in es o n ly this larg est seg m en t o f th e o v erarch in g trad itio n w ith its h ead q u arters in S alt L ake C ity , U tah . 228 D O I: 1 0 .4 3 24 /9 7 8 1 00 3 0 1 4 75 1 -2 0 The sacred, the "secret,” and the sinister Scholarly Approaches to Latter-day Saint Esotericism T h e essential d ilem m a in stu d y in g th at w h ich a trad itio n d o es n o t w ish to disclose is d efin ed su ccin cd y b y h isto rian o f relig io n H u g h U rb an as th e ep istem o lo g ical an d ethical “ d o u b le-b in d ” o f secrecy. O n o n e h an d , w e m u st ask “ h o w can o n e stu d y o r say an y th in g in tellig en t ab o u t a relig io u s trad itio n th at p ractices active d issim u latio n ...an d in ten tio n ally conceals itself from o u tsid ers? ” (U rb an 1998, 209). O n th e o th er h an d , w e m u st ask “ if o n e does learn so m eth in g ab o u t an eso teric trad itio n — above all, if o n e goes so far as to b eco m e an insider, receiv in g in iti ­ atio n in to secret teach in g — h o w can o n e th en say an y thin g ab o u t this trad itio n to an u n in itiated au d ien ce o f o u tsid ers? ” (U rb an 1998, 2 0 9 -2 1 0 ). S im ply p u t, th e o u tsid er sch o lar can never b e fully k n o w led g eab le ab o u t th e in tern al dynam ics o f a relig io n em p lo y in g secrecy — an ep istem o ­ lo g ical d ilem m a — and, th e in sid er (o r fo rm er insider) is b o u n d to m ain tain th e o ath o f silence and, as such, can n o t share h er k n o w ledg e — an ethical d ilem m a. In th e m o re p o inted w ords o f B u d d h o lo g ist E d w ard C o n ze, sp eak in g o f th e eso teric teach in g s o f tan tra: “ E ith er th e au th o r o f a b o o k o f th is k in d has n o t b een in itiated in to T antra; th en w h at h e says is n o t first-h an d k n o w ­ ledge. O r h e has b een in itiated . T h en , if h e w ere to divulge th e secrets to all an d su n d ry ju st to m ak e a little p ro fit o r to in crease his rep u tatio n , h e has b rok en th e tru st p laced in h im and is m o rally so d ep rav ed as n o t to b e w o rth listen in g to ” (1962, 272). T o u n d erstan d th e co n to u rs o f this d ilem m a w h en stu d yin g L atter-d ay S aints, it is im p o rtan t to b e aw are th at w ith in th e trad itio n th ere are m u ltip le o p in io n s o n w h at sh o u ld an d sh o u ld n o t be treated w ith ab so lu te co n fid en tiality . S p eak in g o f th e en d o w m en t, th e cen tral ritu al o f th e L atter-day S ain t tem p le, this is in p art b ecau se th ere is cerem o n ial co n ten t th at all ag ree explicitly n o t to disclose, as w ell as co n ten t th at does n o t in clu d e its o w n ex p licit ag reem en t n o t to share w ith o th ers. A s an th ro p o lo g ist B rad K ram er has observed, “ T h e covenants o f n o n -d isclo su re fo r a v ery lim ited ran g e o f tem p le d iscou rse are so p o w erfu l an d tak en w ith such grave seriousness th at th e p ro hib ition s effectively spill o v er o n to th e rest o f th e cerem o n y ” (2014, 26). It is m o st co m m o n fo r p racticin g L atter-d ay S aints to tak e a co n serv ativ e ap p ro ach to this issue and co n ­ sider details alto g eth er o ff-lim its fo r discussion w ith (and by) th e u n en d o w ed (i.e., u n in itiated .) In fact, ch u rch lead ers have o ften en co u rag ed en d o w ed L atter-d ay S aints to lim it th eir discussion o f th e cerem o n y to th e co n fin es o f th e tem p le itself. O n e th in g is certain th at th e m o re specificity given to th e details o f th e en d o w m en t — actually q u o tin g fro m th e cerem ony, fo r in stan ce — th e m o re u n com fo rtab le a L atter-d ay S aint w o u ld b e w ith th e co n v ersatio n . W h ile ack n o w led g in g am b ig u ity w h en it co m es to h o w in d iv id u als m ig h t discuss th e cerem o n y am o n g fellow believers and even o u tsid ers, it is also im po rtan t to u n d erstan d th at m an y L atter-d ay S aints ex p erien ce ex p o su re as v io len ce. It is a strateg y d elib erately used to u n d erm in e th eir faith. S cholars h av e tak en a v ariety o f ap p ro aches w h en h an d lin g th e study o f eso tericism co n n ected to th e L atter-d ay S aint trad itio n . It is n o t u n u su al fo r studies to d raw and even q u o te from exposes as so u rces. In rare b u t n o tab le cases, researchers sim ply take th e p o sitio n th at exposure is a necessary elem en t o f leg itim ate scholarship o n eso tericism . T h e m o st b latan t ex am p le o f this approach is D avid Jo h n B u erg er ’s The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship. In his in tro d u cto ry rem arks, B u erg er expressed his reg ret th at he w o uld “ o ffen d readers w h o m ay n o t sh are m y u n d erstan d in g ab o u t w h at is ap p ro p riate [to discuss], ” p articularly since h e had “ d ecid ed th at, given ex ag g erated claim s ab o u t th e tem p le an d its o rig in by so m e enthusiastic apologists, a d eg ree o f specificity in d etail is unavoidable. ” In o th er w ords, B u erg er h eld th at full exposure o f th o se parts o f th e cerem o n y even ex p licitly fo rbid d en to share w as th e o n ly w ay to disprove b eliev ers ’ insistence th at th e rites w ere an cien t. H e h o p ed readers w o u ld “ see th at I have tried to ach iev e a balance o f scholarly objectivity, rev eren ce fo r th e sacred, regard fo r th e sens ­ ibilities o f o th ers, an d ad eq uate d o cu m en tatio n and d ev elo p m en t o f th e p o in ts to b e discussed ” 229 Christopher James Blythe (1994, viii). In response to this statem en t, o n e L atter-d ay S aint rev iew er o f The Mysteries of Godliness w ro te, “ I w o n d ered w h y B u erg er w o u ld profess a desire to be nono ffensive to his au d ien ce an d th en p ro du ce a tex t th at w as certain to d o ju st th e o p p o site ” (B ro w n 1998, 100). B u erg er is n o t alone in revealing explicitly fo rb id d en co n ten t. R esp ected an th ro p o log ist D o u g las D avies (2000) fo llo w ed suit in The Mormon Culture of Salvation. T h at said, m ost sch o lars do n o t reveal those item s ex p licitly fo rb id d en in th e tem p le, alth o u g h so m e use exposes to discuss elem en ts o f th e rite n o t ex p licitly fo rb id d en . W h eth er th ey d o this k n o w in g th at th e average L atter-d ay S aint an d th e C h u rch w o u ld see it as an act o f p reju d ice o r believe this is a g ray area is usually n o t ex p lain ed . In o n ly tw o cases th at I am aw are o f have scholars tak in g this ap p ro ach p ro v id ed any substantial ex p lan atio n o f th eir m eth o d o lo g ies an d eth ics. I w ill lo o k at th em b riefly b efo re ex p lain in g m y o w n approach. In a 1997 article “ S acred, S ecret, and th e N o n -M o rm o n , ” religious studies scholar C o lleen M cD an n ell d efend ed h er ap p ro ach to th e stu d y o f L atter-d ay S aint g arm en ts in h er th en recen t b o o k , Material Christianity (M cD an n ell 1995). M cD an n ell ex p lain ed th at h er responsibility w as to tell th e full sto ry o f th o se she h ad in terv iew ed rath er th an to lim it th eir stories based o n co n cern s o f th e in stitu tio n o f th e ch u rch . In a tellin g passage she w rites, “ F o r so m e L atter-d ay S aints, reflectin g o n th e m ean in g o f th eir g arm en ts does n o t b reach th e b o u n daries b etw een sacred an d profane. T h ese p eo p le d efin e th e sacred in a m an n er d ifferen t fro m L D S au th o rities, an d I m u st resp ect th e b o u n d aries th ey establish ” (1997, 4 4 ). O n e eth ical p ro b lem w ith this ap p ro ach is th at M cD an n ell d id n o t co m p ile a representative sam p lin g o f L atter-day S aints fo r h er research. Instead, as d escrib ed in Material Christianity, w ith th e help o f a research assistant, she “ lo cated p eo p le w e th o u g h t w o uld speak ab o u t g arm en ts th ro u g h friends an d th e S u n sto n e F o u n d atio n ” (1997, 2 9 6 ). T o m e, th is sounds suspiciously lik e M cD an n ell believes th at th e o n ly ju stificatio n a sch o lar n eeds fo r rev ealin g a co m m u n ity ’s secrets is if th ey are able to fin d an in fo rm an t w illin g to disregard th eir o b lig atio n s o f secrecy. T h e o th er p ro blem w ith M cD an n ell ’s stated ap p ro ach is th at h er ch ap ter d id n o t sim ply d ep en d o n th ese few voices, n o r d o I im ag in e th eir co m m en ts o n h o w th ey in terp ret th e p u rp o se o f w earin g g arm en ts w o u ld b e very controversial. Instead, M cD an n ell ’s ch ap ter d rew ex ten siv ely o n h isto ric an d co n tem p o rary exposes. T h u s, it seem s th at h er m an eu v er to p o in t to th e in clu sio n o f h etero d o x L atter-d ay S aints in h er stu d y w as a straw m an ju stificatio n to o p en p o rtio n s o f an eso teric trad itio n to p u b lic research. A m o re serious an d seem in g ly m o re sincere m eth o d o lo g y w as offered b y religious studies sch o lar Jo h n -C h arles D uffy, h im self a fo rm er L atter-d ay S ain t — alth o u g h still an ad h eren t in th e larg er L atter D ay S aint trad itio n — w h o w as en d o w ed . D u ffy ’s m o st im p o rtan t eth ical rule w as to lim it his d o cu m en tatio n o f th e en d o w m en t to p o rtio n s th at are n o t “ ex p licitly co v ered b y co v enan ts o f n o n d isclosu re ” (D uffy 2007, 3). W ith this b ro ad u n d erstan d in g o f w h at can be discussed publicly, h e p u b lish ed th e en tire en d o w m en t cerem o n y m inu s “ th o se few p o rtio n s o f th e cerem o ny th at are ex p licitly reserved fo r in itiates ” (D uffy 2001a, 1). D u ffy ex p lain ed th at “ as an en d o w ed L atter-d ay S aint, I am co n cern ed th at m y p eo p le ’s desire to p reserv e th e san ctity o f tem p le w o rsh ip has tu rn ed in to p aran o ia. O u r co v enan ts p erm it us to say in p u b lic m u ch , m u ch m o re ab o u t th e cerem o n y th an w e are w o n t to d o ” (D uffy 2001b, 2). W h en D uffy p u b lish ed a 2007 article o n “ ritu al n u d ity ” in th e en d o w m en t, h e sim ilarly u sed his p erso n al in itiatio n to claim “ th at L D S claim s ab o u t th e privacy o f tem p le rites are co n testab le o n th e rites ’ o w n term s ” (D u ffy 2 0 0 7 ,3 ). D u ffy distinguishes b etw een th e “probing fo r in fo rm atio n ab ou t religious secrets, ” p erh ap s ak in to M cD an n ell ’s in terv iew s, an d “ scenarios in w h ich relig io u s insiders are volunteering in fo rm a ­ tio n ” th ro u g h th eir o w n ex p o ses.T h at is to say, h e is less co n cern ed ab o u t th e ethics o f disclosure w h en th e in fo rm an t “ publicizes h er k n o w led g e o f tem p le ritu al to strike against an in stitu ­ tio n she has co m e to regard as im m o ral o r oppressive ” (D uffy 2007, 2). S cholars, h e insists, by 230 The sacred, the "secret” and the sinister establish in g an eth ic o f n o t revealing th e cerem o nies, are them selves siding w ith th e in stitu tio n in a co n flict w ith fo rm er insiders. D uffy m akes a subde d istin ctio n fro m M cD an n ell ’s m eth o d o lo g y in th at it still places th e im p etu s o n w h at can b e revealed ab o u t an eso teric trad itio n o n th o se w h o leave th e trad itio n o r h o ld m in o rity view s. It still allow s h im to disclose w h at th e average L atter-d ay S ain t w o u ld co n sid er a p riv ate sacred m atter so lo n g as h e can fin d so m eo n e w h o has ex p ressed it in th e past. O f course, it also allow s th at h e m igh t n o t sim ply d ep end o n o th er ’s w ritin g s b u t take this p riv ileg e h im self (alth ou g h he d o esn ’ t do so in th e w o rk ). M y o w n m eth o d o lo g y is u n d en iab ly in fo rm ed by m y b ein g a sch o lar w h o is also an en d o w ed L atter-d ay S aint. W h ile I respect D u ffy ’s desire to stand by his o b lig atio n s n o t to reveal certain p o rtio n s o f th e cerem ony, m y p o sition w ith in th e trad itio n helps m e to see th e v io len ce th at ex p o su re ev en o f this m o re careful so rt achieves. W h ile D u ffy w ants to d ep ict th e q u estio n as siding w ith th e “ disaffected in itiate ” o n o n e side an d an in stitu tion o n th e o th er, and M cD an n ell speaks o f resp ectin g h er th ree d o zen in fo rm an ts in p referen ce to th e hierarchy, in reality w e are n o t talk in g ab o u t a privacy im p o sed o n L atter-day S aints fro m th e elite o f th eir faith, certain ly n o t in th e tw en ty -first century. A s n o ted above, th e vast m ajo rity o f en d o w ed L atter-d ay S aints feel attack ed and disrespected w h en so m eo n e divulges w h at th ey believe sh o u ld b e h eld in w h at so m e term , sacred silence. U n lik e E d w ard C o n ze q u o ted above, I do n o t th in k th at th o se w h o reveal a trad itio n ’s secrets are u n iv ersally co rru p t. T h ey m ay have v ery real co n cern s fo r w h y th ey w o u ld ex p o se th e co n ten ts o f a cerem o n y o r teach ing . H o w ev er, I th in k th ey are p articip atin g in a fo rm o f p ro ­ test an d co n test th at ad h eren ts ex p erien ce as v io len ce and v io latio n . It is a ty p e o f research an d p u b h eatio n th at does h arm an d to n o t take this in to acco u nt w h en d ev elo p in g a m eth o d o lo g y is irresp o n sib le to say th e least. W h ile it is tem p tin g to em b race D u ffy ’s legalistic claim th at parts o f th e cerem o n y are n o t p rotected ex p licitly by oaths o f n o n d isclo su re and are th u s eth ically available fo r acad em ic study, this strik es m e as an u n ten ab le p o sitio n . W h ile th ere is n o established co d e fo r ju st h o w m u ch is p erm issible to discuss in p u b lic, this is an in tern al m atter n o t fo r scholars to resolve. T h ere is a w idely accep ted cu ltu ral co d e cau tio n in g against th e p u blic disclosure o f cerem o n ial details. I w ill fo llo w an ap p ro ach em p lo y ed b y L atter-d ay S aint co m m en taries co n cern in g th e tem p le ex p erien ce to “ n o t describe th e sacred o rd in an ces and cerem o n ies o f th e tem p le in m o re detail th an has p revio u sly b een p u b lished b y th e C h u rch ” (P ack er, “ In tro d u ctio n ” ). W h en L atter-d ay S ain t A n th ro p o lo g ist B rad K ram er attem p ted a sim ilar ap p ro ach in his dissertation, h e recalled b ein g su rprised to fin d th at his “ relig io u s eth ical o b lig atio n s ” o f co n fid en tiality and his “ profes ­ sional eth ics n o t to disclose in fo rm atio n ab o u t m y eth n o g rap h ic co m m u n ity th at co u ld in any w ay co m p ro m ise, d em ean , o r o th erw ise h arm th e co m m u n ity o r its m em b ers ” closely alig n ed (K ram er 2 0 1 4 ,12 ). T h at is, w h ile th ere is certain ly m u ch fo r th e in itiated sch o lar to b en efit fro m this ap p ro ach , it is also a reco g n ized p o sitio n in th e stu d y o f eso tericism . Esoteric Logic in the Book of Mormon In o rd er to u n d erstan d th e lo g ic o f eso tericism in th e L atter-d ay S aint trad itio n , it is w o rth w h ile to ex am in e th e d ep ictio n s o f eso tericism th at ap p ear in th e ch u rch ’s fo u n d in g scrip tu re, th e B o o k o f M o rm o n . T h e tex t laid o u t a n u m b er o f ideas th at w o uld b e useful fo r w h en th e trad itio n w o u ld later in tro d u ce a lived eso teric trad itio n .T h e B o o k o f M o rm o n presents tw o d istin ct types o f eso tericism — o n e ad h ered to by th e rig h teo u s an d an o th er b y th e m o st w ick ed . A m o n g th e B o o k ’s righ teou s, th e idea th at k n o w led g e o r ex p erien ces m ig h t b e “ fo rb id d en ” to share appears th ro u g h ou t th e text. T h e n arrato rs use th e term “ m y steries ” as a sh o rth an d fo r d iv in e k n o w ­ led g e th at has yet to b e revealed generally. D iv in e rev elatio n is o b tain ed in p o rtio n s — “ line u p o n 231 Christopher James Blythe lin e ” — an d th e b o o k assum es th at n o t all in d iv id u als are p rep ared fo r o r w o rth y o f all tru th s. O n e o f th e m ajo r p ro p h ets o f th e B o o k o f M o rm o n, A lm a, explains, “ It is g iv en u n to m an y to k n o w th e m ysteries o f G od; nevertheless, th ey are laid u n d er a strict co m m an d th at th ey shall n o t im p art o n ly acco rd in g to th e p o rtio n o f his w o rd w h ich he d o th g ran t u n to th e ch ild ren o f m en , acco rd in g to the h eed an d d ilig en ce w h ich th ey give u n to h im ” (A lm a 12:9). In th ese passages, it is th e in d iv id u al’s p u rsu it o f sacred k n o w led g e th at receives th e m o st atten tio n . “ M y steries ” m ig ht b e revealed by a p ro p h et (th e figure in these passages w h o d eterm in es w h at “ p o rtio n ” can b e im p arted m o re freely) o r ev en in g ro u p co n tex ts b u t th e receptio n requires in d iv id u al sp iritu al p rep aratio n . W h en B o o k o f M o rm o n figure K in g B en jam in reveals th e co n ten ts o f an an g elic v isitatio n to th e citizen s o f Z arah em la, he co m m an d s th em to “ o p en y o u r ears th at y o u m ay hear, an d y o u r h earts th at ye m ay u n d erstan d , an d y o u r m in d s th at th e m ysteries o f G o d m ay b e u n fo ld ed to y o u r v iew ” (M osiah 2:9). In this case, th e m y steries are b esto w ed w ith clearly expressed verbal in stru ctio n s.T h e only q u estio n is w h eth er th e au d ien ce is able to accep t th e m essage. A s one passage in th e B o o k o f M o rm o n explains, “ th e g u ilty take th e tru th to b e h ard ” (1 N ep h i 16:2). M y steries m igh t also be im p arted th ro u g h sym bols th at th e in d iv id u al m u st d eco de via reve ­ latio n . O n e o f th e v ery first scenes o f th e B o o k o f M o rm o n m o dels this so rt o f sy m b o lic read in g (i.e., in sp ired in terp retatio n ). L ehi, th e first p ro p h et in the B o o k o f M o rm o n , has a d ream o f h u m an ity o n a jo u rn ey th at passes b y v ario u s im p ed im en ts o n th eir w ay to th e “ tree o f life. ” W h en h e conveys th e d ream to his sons, h e does n o t offer th em m u ch in terp retatio n b u t does describe th e things th at h e w as show n. T h e B o o k explains th at his son N ep h i resp o n d ed by b ein g “ desirous also th at I m ig h t see, an d hear, and k n o w o f these things, ” b elievin g th at “ h e th at diligently seek eth shall find; an d th e m y steries o r G o d shall b e u n fo ld ed u n to th em ” (1 N ep h i 1 0 :1 7 ,1 9 ). T h e resu lt is th at N ep h i prays an d receives an even m o re elab o rate v isio n th at p ro v id es an in terp retatio n o f th e sym bols. In co n trast, his b ro th ers are d eep ly co n fu sed b y th e d ream , as w ell as th eir fath er ’s co n tin u in g use o f sym bols. N ep hi eventually reveals th e m ean in g o f th e d ream b u t only after a fascinating dialogue in w h ich h e asks th em if th ey have “ in q u ired o f th e L o rd ” to reveal th e sym bols. H is b ro th ers respo n d “ W e have n o t; for th e L o rd m ak eth n o such things k n o w n u n to us. ” N ep h i th en criticizes th em fo r n o t rem em b erin g th at G o d h ad p ro m ised “ these th in g s shall b e m ad e k n o w n ” (1 N ep h i 1 5 :8 -11 ). T h ey o n ly n eed ed to tru ly desire d iv in e in stru ctio n s an d p ray fo r it. T h ese narratives, as w ell as o th ers in th e B o o k o f M o rm o n , are u n lik e th e ritu al eso tericism in tro d u ced by Jo sep h S m ith ’s lifetim e in th at th ey are n o t d ep icted as u n fo ld in g via cerem o ny . T h ey d o h o w ev er o ffer a basic th eo lo g y by w h ich co n tem po rary L atter-day S aints u n d erstan d th eir eso teric p ractices. (1) T h ere are h ig h er truth s available to th e rig hteo us th an w h at is gen ­ erally available to th e public. (2) A ll m ay receive th ese m ysteries if th ey live u p to th e sp iritu al p rereq u isites. (3) H ig h er tru th s m ay b e conveyed an d o b tain ed via u n d erstan d in g sy m b o ls and th eir co rresp o n d en ces. T h e B o o k o f M o rm o n ’s seco n d eso teric trad itio n , w h at is referred to th ro u g h o u t as “ secret co m b in atio n s, ” stands in stark co n trast to th e u n d isclo sed k n o w led g e o f th e rig h teo u s. It is a secret ritu al system in ten d ed to allow in itiates to in filtrate p o litical an d legal stru ctu res in a conspiracy “ to m u rd er, an d to rob, and to gain p o w er ” (H elam an 2 :8 ). T h e secret co m b in atio n s em erg e th ro u g h th e b o o k are fin k ed to th e “ oaths h an ded d o w n ev en fro m C ain , w h o w as a m u rd erer fro m th e b eg in n in g ” (E th er 8 :1 5 ). W h ile a B o o k o f M o rm o n n arrato r refu sed to reco rd th e details o f th is co v en an t, S m ith w o u ld reveal an in sp ired v ersio n o f G en esis w h ich revealed m o re o f th e first m u rd erer ’s o ath s o f secrecy, a satan ic p act in w h ich “ S atan sw are u n to C ain h e w o u ld d o acco rd in g to his [i.e., C ain ’s] co m m an d s, ” an d C ain receiv in g th e title “ M aster M ah an ” (M o ses 5 :3 0 -3 1 ). F o r o u r p u rp o ses, th e sig n ifican ce o f th is sin ister eso teric 232 The sacred, the “secret,” and the sinister trad itio n is its fu n ctio n in d ifferen tiatin g th e clo sed k n o w led g e o f th e rig h teo u s fro m th e “ secret co m b in ation s ” o f th e w ick ed . A b elief th at co n sp iracies m ig ht em p lo y eso teric ritu al ex p lain s in p art th e d eep sen sitiv ity L atter-day S aints have w ith th eir eso teric trad itio n b ein g lab eled a secret. T h ese d efin in g id eas w o u ld b e useful w h en liv ed eso tericism b ecam e p art o f th e trad itio n . W e ’ ll tu rn o u r atten tio n to th e rites first p erfo rm ed ab o u t a d ecad e after th e p u b licatio n o f th e B o o k o f M o rm o n an d th at have b een a crucial elem en t o f L atter-d ay S aint p ractice since. The Temple and Its Rituals T h ere is o ften a “ V isitor ’s W elco m e ” sign at th e fro n t o f m eetin g h o u ses o f th e C h u rch o f Jesus C h rist o f L atter-d ay S aints.Y ou d o n ’ t n eed to b e a L atter-d ay S aint to atten d a lo cal co n g reg atio n . In stark contrast, v isito rs are expressly n o t w elco m e in th e ch u rch ’s n early 200 tem p les.T h ere is a b rie f p erio d w h en all can to u r a n ew ly co n stru cted tem p le, b u t o n ce it is d ed icated, o n ly L atterday S aints w ith tem p le reco m m en d s are allo w ed to en ter and usually o n ly to p articip ate in ritu al o r to atten d m arital sealings o f a frien d o r fam ily m em b er. T o acq uire a tem p le reco m m en d involves a tw o -p ait in terv iew process. T h e L atter-d ay S aint first m eets w ith a local lead er fro m th eir w ard (i.e., co n g reg atio n ), eith er th e b ish o p o r o n e o f his tw o co u n selo rs, an d th en m eets w ith a m em b er o f th e stake presidency, a th ree-m em b er leader ­ ship b o d y in charge o f several w ards. T h ese in terv iew s — b o th id en tical — in clu d e a standard set o f q u estio n s dealing w ith th e liv in g o f m o ral standards, loyalty to th e ch u rch an d its leaders, an d accep tan ce o f specific beliefs. T h e q u estio n s have v aried across tim e, b u t th e cu rren t list as o f 2 0 1 9 has b een p u b lished o n th e ch u rch ’s official w ebsite. A t th e en d o f this process, th e L atter-d ay S ain t is g iv en a p ap er tem p le reco m m en d signed by th o se w h o in terv iew ed th em .T h ey w ill th en p resen t th e reco m m en d in th e foyer o f th e tem p le b efo re p ro ceed in g fu rth er in to th e b u ild in g . L atter-d ay S aints p erfo rm th ree m ajo r o rd in an ces o r rituals in th eir tem p les, in clu d in g b ap ­ tism fo r th e dead, th e en d o w m en t, an d sealings. B ap tism fo r th e d ead is th e p ractice o f b ap tizin g liv in g individuals o n b ehalf o f th e deceased. L atter-d ay S aints b eliev e th at a req u irem en t to en ter th e h ig h est d eg ree o f heaven, called th e C elestial K in g d o m , is fo r in d iv id u als to develop faith, rep en t o f th eir sins, an d b e b ap tized . T h o se w h o in life w ere n o t able to learn th ese teachings w ill have th e o p p o rtu n ity to d o so in th e afterlife, b u t th ey can n o t b e b ap tized w ith o u t b o d ies. D eath does n o t ex em p t th em fro m this req u irem en t.T h u s, L atter-d ay S aints are b ap tized v icario u sly fo r th e d ead w h o th ey b eliev e can accep t th e b ap tism if th ey so desire. L atter-d ay S aints believe this cerem o n y w as first in stitu ted by th e early C h ristian s an d is ev en referen ced in th e N ew T estam en t (1 C o rin th ians 15:29). A s w ith o rd in ary baptism s in th e L atter-day S aint trad itio n , baptism s fo r th e d ead are p erfo rm ed b y im m ersio n . W h ile baptism s fo r th e liv in g typically o ccu r in tu b-lik e fonts in lo cal m eetin g h o u ses, b ap tism s fo r th e dead cu rren tly o ccu r o n ly in th e tem p le baptism al fo n t lo cated in th e b asem en t o f th e tem p le. T h e tem p le fo n t is larg e an d in sp ired by th e laver in S o lo m o n ’s T em ple, co n stru cted o n th e backs o f tw elv e oxen. U n lik e o th er cerem o n ies in th e tem p le, p articip an ts are n o t ex p ected to refrain fro m sp eak ing of, o r d escrib in g b ap tism for th e d ead . B ecause th e o rd in an ce is n o w co n fin ed to tem p les, o n ly L atter-d ay S aints are present; how ever, it w as first p erfo rm ed p u b licly w h en it w as in stitu ted in th e M ississippi R iv er in 1840 (T o b ler 2 0 1 3). T h e en d o w m en t is p erfo rm ed in tw o parts th e first o f w h ich consists o f w ashings and an o in tin g s w h ich are freq u en d y referred to as th e in itiato ry o rd in an ces. L atter-d ay S aints so m etim es co m ­ pare this p o rtio n o f th e cerem o n y to an cien t priestly rites d escrib ed in th e H eb rew S crip tu res. W h en th e in itiato ry is p erfo rm ed fo r th e dead, it is also at this tim e th at th e d eceased m ale is o rd ain ed to the p riesth o o d (T alm age 1912, 94). It is also d u rin g th ese in itiato ry o rd in an ces th at 233 Christopher James Blythe o n e is g iv en cerem o n ial u n d erg arm en ts, “ referred to as th e ‘ tem p le g arm en t ’ o r th e ‘ g arm en t o f th e H o ly P riesth o o d . ’ ” O n ce en d o w ed , L atter-d ay S aints w ear th e g arm en t th ro u g h o u t their lives. A cco rd in g to th e ch u rch ’s official w ebsite: “ F o r C h u rch m em b ers w h o have receiv ed the en d o w m en t, the g arm en t rem in d s th em o f th eir co n n ectio n to G o d , th eir co m m itm en t to follow H is w ill, an d the blessings an d p ro tectio n G o d has p ro m ised th e faith fu l ” (L D S 2020 a). T h e secon d p art o f th e en d o w m en t is sim ply referred to as th e en d o w m en t an d has b een d escrib ed in a v ariety o f settings by C h u rch leaders. T raditionally, d escrip tio n s are d elib erately vague b u t u n d erstan d ab le to th e in itiated . F o r instance, B rig h am Y oung fam o u sly d escrib ed the en d o w m en t: “ Y our en d o w m en t is, to receive all th o se o rd in an ces in th e h o u se o f th e L ord, w h ich are necessary for you, after y o u have d ep arted this life, to enable y o u to w alk b ack to th e p resen ce o f th e F ather, passing th e angels w h o stand as sentinels, b ein g en ab led to give th em th e key w ords, th e signs an d tokens, p ertain in g to th e h o ly P riesth o o d , and gain y o u r etern al ex altatio n in spite o f earth an d h ell ” (V an W ag on er 2 0 0 9 ,2:6 46 ). W h ile th e fact th at Y oung u n d erstan d s th e en d o w ­ m en t is an ascent ritu al significant for th e afterlife is clear, th e q u o te is largely in co m p reh en sib le to outsiders. T h is is w h y L atter-d ay S aints have o ften b een co m fo rtab le citing this statem en t w h en in tro d u cin g th e tem ple. K ram er refers to th ese vague statem en ts o n ly fully u n d erstan d ab le to th e in itiated as “ tem p le co d e ” — th at is, “ an en tire g ram m ar o f cry p tic q u o tatio n , w ink in g, g estu rin g , an d o th erw ise establishing co n n ectio n w ith th e inside o f th e tem p le ” (2014, 75). W h ile tem p le co d e is cer ­ tain ly essential fo r L atter-day S aint discussions o f th e rites, over tim e, official sources have offered m o re details o n th e cerem ony. T h e m o st recen t d escrip tio n n o tes th at th e ritu al is p erfo rm ed “ in a g ro u p settin g ” an d p resen ted th ro u g h v id eo and “ tem p le officiators. ” “ D u rin g this p art, th e p lan o f salvation is p resen ted , in clu d in g th e C reatio n o f th e w o rld , th e F all o f A d am an d E ve, th e A to n em en t o f Jesus C h rist, th e A postasy, and th e R esto ratio n , as w ell as in stru ctio n o n th e w ay all p eo p le can retu rn to the p resen ce o f th e L o rd ” (L D S 2019). L atter-d ay S aints are also co m fo rtab le discussing an d p ro v id in g im ages o f th e room s th at th e en d o w m en t is trad itio n ally p erfo rm ed in . T h e cerem o n y begins in th e creatio n ro om , m o v es to th e G ard en R o o m ( “ ch aracterized by rich n ess an d b eau ty ” ), th en to th e W o rld R o o m d ep ictin g “ scenes typical o f th e earth after th e fall, ” an d th en to th e T errestrial R o o m n am ed fo r th e secon d d eg ree o f heaven in L atter-d ay S ain t th o u g ht. B etw een the T errestrial ro o m an d th e final ro o m , th e C elestial ro o m “ th e V eil o f th e T em p le h an g s ” (T alm age 1912, 283). W h ile n o t all tem ples have each o f these ro o m s, th e cerem o n y alw ays leads fro m so m e fo rm o f “ o rd in an ce ro o m ” into th e C elestial ro om . A gain, acco rd in g to th e m o st recen t descriptions, “ A t th e co n clu sio n o f th e en d o w m en t, p articip an ts sym bolically retu rn to th e L o rd ’s p resen ce as th ey en ter th e celestial ro o m . T h ere y o u can sp en d tim e to p o n d er, pray, read th e scriptures, o r q u ietly discuss your ex p erien ces w ith fam ily and frien d s. It is a p lace o f p eace, w h ere y o u can also fin d co m fo rt and d iv in e d irectio n ” (L D S 2019). L atter-d ay S aints ten d to em p h asize th e covenants o r vow s m ad e as p art o f th e en d o w m en t w h en ex p lain in g th e cerem o n y o u tsid e o f th e tem p le. A s o n e S aint in terv iew ed b y an th ro p o lo ­ gist B rad K ram er p u t it, th e en d o w m en t is “ basically ju st a series o f co v enan ts y o u m ak e w ith G o d ” an d regardless o f o th er details, “ th e covenants are still th e m o st im p o rtan t p art ” (q u o ted in K ram er 2 0 1 4 ,15 ). L atter-d ay S ain t p h iloso p h er Jam es E . F au lco n er also n o tes th at th e covenants are “ cen tral ” and sees “ the rites o f th e tem p le [as] th e m ed iu m th ro u g h w h ich celeb ran ts are m ad e read y to receive th e co v enan ts en m esh ed in th o se rites ” (2015, 204 — 2 0 5 ). H istorically, th e specific covenants have o ften b een treated as details n o t to be disclosed o u tsid e o f th e tem p le and have b een m o re o ften su m m arized b ro ad ly th an laid o u t direcdy. F o r ex am p le, Jam es T alm age in 1912 ex p lain ed th at th e “ o rd in an ces o f th e en d ow m en t em b od y certain o b lig atio n s o n th e p art 234 Ute sacred, the “secret," and the sinister o f th e in d iv id u al, su ch as co v enan t an d p ro m ise to observe th e law o f strict v irtu e and chastity, to b e ch aritab le, b en ev o len t, to leran t and p u re; to d ev o te b o th talen t an d m aterial m ean s to the spread o f tru th and th e u p liftin g o f th e race; to m ain tain d ev o tio n to th e cause o f tru th ; an d to seek in ev ery w ay to co n trib u te to th e g reat p rep aratio n th at th e earth m ay b e m ad e ready to receive h er K in g , — th e L o rd Jesus C h rist ” (T alm age 1912, 100). T h is h esitan cy tow ards articu ­ lating th e specific co v en an ts en d ed in 2019 w h en th e C h u rch p u b lish ed th e nam es o f th e five covenants (alth o u g h n o t th e specific w o rd in g ) th at in d iv id uals m ak e as p art o f th e en d o w m en t: the L aw o f O b ed ien ce, th e L aw o f S acrifice, T h e L aw o f the G o sp el, th e L aw o f C hastity, an d the L aw o f C on secration (L D S 2019). L atter-d ay S aints believe th at it is th ro u g h th e k eep in g o f these covenants th at th e sp iritu al blessings p ro m ised w ith in th e en d o w m en t are realized. T h e th ird cerem o n y p erfo rm ed in th e tem p le is th e sealin g cerem o n y w h ich establishes relatio n sh ip s fo r “ tim e an d eternity. ” T h ere is b o th a cerem o n y sealing an en d o w ed m an and en d o w ed w o m an as h u sb an d an d w ife, as w ell as a cerem o n y for sealing en d o w ed h u sb an d and an en d o w ed w ife o r a child (w heth er en d o w ed o r n o t) to th eir en d o w ed p aren ts. If o n e is b o rn to p aren ts w h o are already sealed b efo re th eir b irth s are “ b o rn in th e co v en ant, ” m ean in g th ey are co n sid ered already sealed to th eir p aren ts.T h e cerem o nies are p erfo rm ed in a specially d esign ated sealing ro om . A cco rd in g to th e ch u rch ’s w ebsite, th e m arital sealin g is p erfo rm ed as a co u p le “ k n eel an d jo in h an ds across a sacred altar. ” T h e cerem o n y is o fficiated by a “ tem p le sealer, ” w h o leads th e co u p le in “ sacred covenants w ith th e L o rd and each o th e r ” (L D S 2 0 2 1 ). T h e specific w o rdin g o r o th er details o f th e cerem o n y have n o t b een p u b lish ed b y th e C h u rch . Origin of the Endowment and Its Connections to Freemasonry T h e cu rren t eso teric rites p erfo rm ed in tem p les o f th e C h u rch o f Jesus C h rist o f L atter-d ay S aints h av e th eir fo u n d atio n s in th e rituals o f th e ch u rch ’s first tem p le b u ilt in K irtlan d , O h io, in 1836. In th e early 1830s, S m ith h ad d ictated a series o f rev elatio n s co m m an d in g th e b u ild in g o f a tem p le w h ere individuals w o u ld b e en d o w ed “ w ith p o w er fro m o n h ig h ” (T7?e Doctrine and Covenants 1981, 95:8). T h ese revelations as w ell as serm o n s S m ith p reach ed d u rin g this p erio d p ointed to th e requ irem ent o f sp iritu al p rep aratio n : “ T h e en d o w m en t ab o u t w h ich you are so an x io u s, you can n o t co m p reh end now , n o r co u ld th e A n g el, G ab riel ex p lain it to th e u n d erstan d in g o f y o u r dark m inds, b u t strive to b e p rep ared in y o u r h earts ” (S m ith 1835). In M arch 1836, S m ith in tro d uced this en d o w m en t co n sistin g o f w ashings, an o in tin g s, sp o k en blessings, an d a co m m u n al sh o u t o f “ h o san n a ” (H o w lett 2 0 14 , 2 2 -2 3 ). T h ere does n o t seem to have b een an o ath o f n o n d isclo su re b u t atten d an ce d u rin g th ese ritu als w ere lim ited to m en w h o had b een o rd ain ed to th e p riesth o o d . In 1 8 4 0 , w ith th e S aints n o w setd ed in N au v o o , Illinois, S m ith an n ou n ced plans fo r th e b u ild in g o f a n ew tem p le an d b eg an to en v isio n an ex ten ded ritu al co rp u s to b e p erfo rm ed th erein . In M ay 1842, S m ith first p erfo rm ed th e cerem o n y th at m o d ern L atter-d ay S aints w o u ld reco g n ize as th e en d o w m en t. H e d id so o n th e seco n d flo or o f his g en eral store th at h e had “ arran g ed rep resen tin g th e in terio r o f a tem p le ” (q u o ted in A n d erso n an d B erg era 2005, 2 ). T w o years later, th ere w ere th irty -sev en m en an d tw en ty -n in e w o m en am o n g th e en d o w ed . A s o n e o f th o se w h o atten d ed the first en d ow m en t cerem o n y ex p lain ed , “ th ere w as n o th in g m ad e k n o w n to th ese m en b u t w h at w ill b e m ad e k n o w n to all S aints, o f th e last days, so so o n as th ey are p rep ared to receive, and a p ro p er place is p rep ared to co m m u n icate th em ” (q u o ted in A n d erso n and B erg era 2005, 5). S m ith h ad in ten d ed th at th o se h e en d o w ed b efore th e co m p letio n o f th e tem p le w o u ld eventually ad m in ister th e ritu als to th e rest o f th e ch u rch w h en th e tem p le w o u ld be co m pleted . 235 Christopher James Blythe E arly p articip an ts in th e N au vo o en d o w m en t p o in ted to the co n n ectio n b etw een th e en d o w ­ m en t and F reem aso n ic cerem ony. In d eed , o n ly six w eeks b efo re ad m in isterin g th e en d o w m en t in N au v o o , S m ith h ad b eco m e a F reem aso n and ad v an ced th ro u g h th e d eg rees o f E n tered A p p ren tice, F ellow craft, an d M aster M ason. A cco rd in g to o n e o f th e first g ro u p o f in itiates, H eb er C . K im b all, S m ith had tau g ht th at “ th ere is a sim ilarity o f preast H o o d in m asonary. B ro th er] Jo sep h ses m aso n ary w as taken fro m p reasth o o d b u t has b eco m e d eg en erated b u t m en n y th ing s are p erfect (sic) ” (q u o ted in A n d erso n an d B ergera 2005, 9). In th e sam e w ay th at S m ith co n ceiv ed o f th e ch u rch as a resto ratio n o f p rim itiv e C hristianity, he b eliev ed th at h e w as resto rin g an an cien t rite o n ce p erfo rm ed in an tiq u ity vestiges o f w h ich rem ain ed in F reem aso n ry (B ru n o , S w ick , an d L itersk i 2021). W h ile th e resem b lan ce b etw een the ritu al system s w o u ld b eco m e a p o in t o f critiq u e by an ti-M o rm o n s in th e co m in g decades, d u rin g this p erio d , L atter-d ay S aints seem ed largely u n co n cern ed ab o u t th e sim ilarities. S m ith en co u rag ed L atter-d ay S aints to b eco m e in v o lv ed in F reem aso n ry lead in g to th e b u ild in g o fa M aso n ic tem p le in th e city (H o m er 2 0 1 4 ,16 5 — 1 6 6 ). A s an o th er in itiate o b serv ed , th e L atter-d ay S aint p articipatio n in F reem aso n ry “ seem s to have b een a step p in g sto n e o r p rep aratio n for so m eth in g else, th e true o rig in o f M aso n ry ” (E h at 1 9 7 9 ,1 4 5 ). T h e earliest sources do n o t address w h y th ere w ere sim ilarities ex cep t th at F reem aso n ry w as a co rru p ted v ersio n o f th ese o ld er rites. B ased o n th e tim in g o f S m ith ’s in stitu tin g th e en d o w ­ m en t o n ly tw o m o n th s after b eco m in g a M aster M aso n , it is reasonable to b eliev e h e h ad b een in sp ired by his ex p erien ce in F reem aso n ry to d ev elo p th e en d o w m en t.T h is w as assum ed by b o th o u tsid ers an d insiders. F o r instance, in 1899, o n e C h u rch lead er ex p lain ed “ Jo sep h , th e P ro p h et, w as aw are th ere w ere so m e things ab o u t M aso n ry w h ich had co m e d o w n fro m th e b eg in n ing an d he d esired to k n o w w h at th ey w ere h en ce [joined] the lo d g e.... Jo sep h en q uired o f th e L o rd co ncern in g th e m atter an d H e revealed to th e P ro p h et tru e M asonry, as w e have it in o u r tem p les ” (q u o ted in H o m er 2014, 318). Y et, in th e tw en tieth century, L atter-d ay S aints b ecam e m o re self-co nscio us ab o ut th e claim s that S m ith p irated th e cerem o n y fro m F reem aso n ry an d as a result a n ew u n d erstan d in g em erg ed w h ich claim ed th at S m ith m erely saw in F reem ason ry a co rru p ted fo rm o f w h at h e h ad already h ad revealed to h im ab o u t th e en d o w m en t. T h e ap o sde B .H . R o b erts w o u ld p o in t to elem en ts o f th e B o o k o f A b raham th at seem ed to also d ep ict th e co nten ts o f th e en d o w m en t p rev io u s to S m ith ’s in v o lv em en t in F reem aso n ry (H o m er 2 0 1 4 , 3 3 2 -3 3 3 ). O n e final elem en t asso ciated w ith th e N au v o o en d o w m en t w as th at it h ad d ev elo p ed across th e tw o years it w as p erfo rm ed in N au v o o , an d S m ith ap p aren tly b eliev ed th at it still n eed ed fu rth er d ev elo p m en t. A cco rd ing to B rig h am Y o u ng , S m ith co m m issio n ed Y o u n g to “ o rgan ize an d sy stem atize ” th e en d ow m en t (V an W ag on er 2 0 0 9 , 5 :3 10 4 ). T h at th e en d ow m en t m ig ht co n tin u e to ch an g e in d etail is a cru cial asp ect o f co n tem p o rary L atter-day S ain t b elief. A s ex p lain ed in a 2 0 2 0 ch u rch statem en t: “ T h e sacred teach in g s, p rom ises, an d cerem o n ies o f th e tem p le are o f an cien t o rig in , an d p o in t G o d ’s ch ild ren to H im as th ey m ak e fu rth er co v en an ts an d learn m o re ab o u t H is p lan , in clu d in g th e role o f th e S avior Jesus C h rist. T h ro u g h in sp ir ­ atio n , th e m eth o ds o f in stru ctio n in th e tem p le ex p erien ce have ch an g ed m an y tim es, ev en in recen t history', to h elp m em b ers b etter u n d erstan d an d live w h at th ey learn in th e tem p le ” (L D S 2 0 2 0 b ). Expose If safeguarding k n o w led g e w ith oaths o f n o n d isclo su re is a strategy o f sacralization, th en ex p o sin g th at k n o w led g e is a strateg y o f d esecratio n . L atter-d ay S aints have alw ays lim ited w h at w as avail ­ ab le to o u tsid ers — th e first ex am ple b eing th e g o ld plates th at Jo sep h S m ith said h e tran slated th e 236 The sacred, the “secret,” and the sinister B o o k o f M o rm o n from . In resp o n se to this strategy o f co n fid en tiality , critics drew o n discourses o f co n sp iracy an d expose. W h eth er early an ti-M o rm o n w ritin g s p ro p o sed to reveal th e tru e u n sav o ry ch aracter o f Jo sep h S m ith , d escrib e his p articip atio n in o ccu lt practices, o r detail th e alleged frau d th at h ad g o n e in to p ro d u cin g th e B o o k o f M o rm o n, th ey p rom ised a lo o k b eh in d th e scen es o f th e faith. It w as rare th at criticism fo cu sed o n statem en ts o f belief, scrip tu re, o r p u b lic discourses alone. A s tim e passed and L atter-d ay S aint “ secrecy ” b ecam e ritu alized , critics had a set o f spe ­ cific fo rm s and co n ten t th at th ey set o u t to unveil. C u rio u s an d co n cern ed o u tsiders m ade a read y au d ien ce fo r n ew p u b lication s, lectu res, an d parodic p erfo rm an ces. T h ese d ep ictio n s o f th e en d o w m en t w ere n ev er ro te d escrip tio n s o f w h at o ccu rred b eh in d closed w alls b u t w ere d o m in ated b y ad d itio n al scenes o f an ti-A m erican ism , polygam y, d o m estic abuse, an d violence. O n o n e h an d , th e prevalence o f rep o rts m ad e th e cerem o n y w h at h isto rian S p en cer F lu h m an called “ am o n g th e n atio n ’s w o rst-k ep t secrets ” (2 0 1 6 ,2 2 2 ); yet, fro m th e p ersp ectiv e o fL atter-d ay S aints th ese o ften -sen satio n alized exposes w ere, in th e w ords o f B rig h am Y oung, “ a g arbled m ass o f trash. ” Y o u n g b elieved th at w h en an en d o w ed S aint ab an d o n ed th eir faith, “ G o d takes th at k n o w led g e [co n cern in g th e cerem o n y ] from th eir m in d s ” (V an W ag on er 2 0 0 9 , 3:1292). N in eteen th cen tu ry exposes w ere o ften in accu rate, as Y o u n g suggested, o r at least th ey w ere ex p an d ed fro m w h at seem s to have actually o ccu rred in th ese closed spaces. T h is is useful fo r u n d erstan din g an ti-M o rm o n ex p o su re b ecau se w e can ex am in e th ese fictive scenes w ith o u t eth ­ ical co n cern s.A s th e h istorian D av id B rio n D avis (1960) established in h is classic essay, “ S o m e T h em es o f C o u n ter-S u b v ersio n : A n A nalysis o f A n ti-M aso n ic, A n ti-C ath olic, and A n ti-M o rm o n L iteratu re, ” th e earliest exam ples o f an ti-M o rm o n exposes w ere p art o f a larg er nativist literatu re p o p u lar in th e m id-n ineteen th cen tu ry addressing th e lim its o f A m erican identity. T h is literatu re w as rem in iscen t o f an ti-C ath o lic w ritin g s, such as th e Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk, in w h ich secret settin g s an d ritu als w ere used to m an ip u late in no cen t w o m en fo r sexual ends an d to cover th eir ab u sers ’ deeds (F oster 1 9 9 3 ,1 1 6 -1 1 7 ). In an ti-M o rm o n expose, w o m en w ere sim ilarly p laced in co m pro m isin g p o sitio n s for th e p leasu re o f lech ero u s M o rm o n m en . Im ages o f fo rced nudity, v o y eu rism , an d sexual assault w ere already p resen t in the earliest exposes. In 1846, th e W arsaw S ignal p u b lish ed an expose th at in clu ded b o th m ale an d fem ale in itiates “ tak en in to a ro o m to g eth er, w h ere th ey are strip p ed o f all th eir clo th in g , an d are m ad e to w ash each o th er h ead to fo o t ” (W arsaw S ignal 1 8 4 6 ). A fo rm er L atter-day S aint w h o h ad b een en d o w ed w o u ld resp o n d to th ese claim s in th e sam e n ew s ­ p ap er tw o m o n th s later, ack n ow led g in g th at she w as for a tim e n u d e an d “ w ash ed fro m head to toe, ” b u t d en ied th at an y m en w ere p resen t. “ A ll this w as d o n e b y sisters in th e ch u rch — n o n e o th ers w ere p resen t — it is false to say th at m en an d w o m en are ad m itted to g eth er in an in d ecen t m an n er ” (E m elin e 1 8 4 6 ). D esp ite this early denial, sim ilar claim s co n tin u ed to appear th ro u g h o u t th e cen tu ry . O n e expose, Fifteen Years Among the Mormons, im p lied sex u al acts o ccu rred in th e g ard en ro o m w h ere o thers n o t p articipatin g in th e cerem o n y co u ld w atch th ro u g h “ p eep -h o les ” (G reen 1858, 46). E x p o ses w o u ld freq u en tly b e illu strated w ith visuals o f th e d ifferen t scenes alleg ed to o ccu r in th e en d o w m en t. Im ages o f b are-ch ested o r o th erw ise scantily clad w o m en w ere co m m o n , so m etim es su rro u n d ed by g aw k in g m en . A series o f illu stratio n s in Increase V an D u sen ’s Spiritual Delusions show ed an u n flattering caricatu re o f B rig h am Y o u n g playing v ario u s roles in th e cere ­ m o n y , in clu d in g a scene o f h im “ in th e en jo y m en t o f his secret revelings, in dalliance w ith his ch o sen fair o n es ” (1854, 64). W h en an expose d id n o t claim L atter-d ay S aints literally m o lested w o m en d u rin g th e en d o w ­ m ent, th en they o ften d ep lo y ed the cerem o ny as a useful settin g to b u ild th eir harem s. T h e earliest d ep ictio n o f this sch em e w as in Jo h n C . B en n ett ’s 1842 History of the Saints w h ich claim ed 237 Christopher James Blythe th ere w as a secret so ciety established am o n g th e ch u rch ’s w o m en . Initiates w ere assigned o n e o f th ree degrees based o n th eir stan d in g in th e alleged sexual eco n o m y o f N au v o o . O f course, co n cern s over th e in tro d uctio n o f polygam y at th e tim e u n d erlaid th ese d ep ictio ns an d sim ilar w ritin g s ap p eared th ro u g h o u t th e n in eteen th century. M ale in itiates co u ld also b e su b ject to abuse an d v io len ce in th e tem p le o f th e n in eteen th ­ cen tu ry A m erican im ag in ary p articu larly if th ese m en p o ten tially sto o d in th e w ay o f a lead er b u ild in g his h arem . A ccording to Jo h n B en jam in F ran k lin s The Mysteries and Crimes ofMormonism, tem p le priests ex am in ed m ale n ak ed bodies to en su re th at in itiates w ere n o t “ w o u n d ed in th e testes ” an d if discovered to have su ch an in ju ry w o u ld be castrated. F ran k lin suggested this o ccu rred freq u en tly to th o se m en “ w h o had tak en a g o o d -lo o k in g w ife w ith h im , an d w o u ld n o t give h er u p to any o th er m an w h en req u ired (by th e H ig h P riest) ” (q u o ted in F o ster 1 9 9 3 ,1 2 3 ). T h e th reat o f v io len ce w as also designed to co m p el o b ed ien ce. B ead le m ad e th e singular claim th at the cerem o n y in clu d ed a p o rtio n referred to as th e “ search in g h an d ” in w h ich “ th e in itiates are placed o n e by o n e u p o n th e altar, stretch ed at full len g th u p o n th e b ack , an d th e o fficiatin g p riest passes an im m ense k n ife o r k een -ed g ed razo r across th eir th ro ats. It is u n d ersto o d th at if an y are false at h eart, th e S p irit w ill reveal it, to th eir in stan t d eath . ” W h ile this w o u ld certainly be a frig h ten in g scene, B ead le did n o t go so far as to claim th ere w ere m u rd ers in th e E n d o w m en t H o u se. “ O f course, ” he w ro te, “ all pass ” (1870, 496). T h e m o tiv atio n s b eh in d any g iv en ex p o se varies. T h ey m ig ht b e p erso n al as w ith th o se “ apostates ” eager to p ro test an in stitu tio n th ey n o w co n sid er co rru p t. M an y exposes in clu d e a ju stificatio n fo r b reak in g th e vow o f silence based o n th e assu m p tio n th at ex p o sin g secret evils is a rig h teo u s d eed . W h en Jo h n H y d e p u b lish ed a n o tab le expose in 1857, h e gave a series o f reasons fo r th e “ v io latio n o f [his] o ath s ” fo r w h y he w o u ld b reak his v o w to n o t disclose th e tem p le cere ­ m o n ies. M o st significantly, he h ad co m e to believe th at h e h ad b een co n n ed . H y d e b eliev ed th at m issionaries lu red n ew co n v erts to U tah w ith “ d ark h in ts ” o f th e en d o w m en t an d th ese “ d elu d ed M o rm o n s ” deserve to k n o w “ the v alu e o f th eir an ticip ated blessing ” (1857, 8 9 -9 0 ). A ro u sing p reju d ice against “ M o rm o ns ” th ro u g h p u b licizin g th eir secrets also had p o litical ends. H y d e ju stified his ex p o se in p art because “ th e o b lig atio n s involve treaso n against th e co n ­ fed eracy o f th e U n ited S tates. ” L ike so m an y o th er co m m entato rs, h e arg u ed th at th e n atu re o f th e tem p le cerem o n y p rev en ted L atter-d ay S aints fro m fully em b racin g d em o cracy . M o rm o n s w ere th eo crats w h o p o sitio n ed th eir o w n leaders above A m erican statesm en . T h is type o f rh et ­ o ric alongside ex p o se tend ed to ap p ear in m o m en ts w h en L atter-d ay S aints so u g h t a level o f self ­ ru le.T h is w as th e case in th e w ritin g s o fW illiam S m ith an d Increase V an D u sen w h o o p p o sed th e S ain ts ’ p etitio n for th e stateh o o d o f D eseret in 1849. T h e sam e w as tru e d u rin g th e co n tro v ersy co n cern ing th e seatin g o f th e first L atter-d ay S aint senator, R eed S m o o t, in 1904. H isto rian S p en cer F lu h m an has d o cu m en ted h o w th ese sam e suspicions o f a can d id ate w h o h ad tak en secret oaths in th e tem p le w ere d ep lo y ed in M itt R o m n ey ’s 2012 A m erican p resid en tial cam ­ p aig n (F lu h m an 2 0 1 6 ,2 2 3 ; 2 2 7 -2 2 8 ). In the final decades o f th e tw en tieth century, E vangelicals to o k th e lead in p u b lish in g tem p le exposes. In th eir 1969 p u b licatio n , Mormon Kingdom, Jerald an d S andra T an n er first p u b lish ed a p o p u lar ex p o se o f th e en d o w m en t cerem o n y w ith th e h elp o f a recen t dissident. In th e co m in g years, C h u ck S ack ett w o uld ab an d o n his L atter-d ay S aint faith an d leak a tap e reco rd in g o f th e en d o w m ent w h ich h e w o u ld also tran scrib e an d p u b lish in p am p hlet fo rm . S ackett w o u ld o rg an ize a re-en actm en t o f th e en d o w m en t fo r th e film God-makers associated w ith th e era ’s m o st in flu en tial an ti-M o rm o n ,E d D eck er. A rift in th e E vangelical an ti-M o rm o n m o vem en t em erg ed b ased o n w h eth er th e cerem o n y sh o u ld b e in terp reted as a d elib erate fo rm o f S atanic w o rsh ip o r w h eth er it w as m isg u id ed b u t so m ew h at less sinister (In tro v ig n e 1 9 9 4 ,1 6 3 — 1 6 6 ). T h ere co n ­ tin u es to b e E v an g elical-b ased an ti-M o rm o n m in istries, b u t th e n ex t step in an ti-M o rm o n ism 238 The sacred, the "secret," and the sinister has b een left to secular an ti-M o rm o n s w h o have scattered visual and film ed im ages o f th e tem p le cerem o n y th ro u g h o u t th e in tern et an d film . Im p o rtan tly , fro m th e n in eteen th cen tu ry to th e p resen t, th ere have b een p o p u lar cu ltu re rep resen tatio n s o f th e en d o w m en t in b o o k s an d film . W h ile th e use o f eso tericism as a relig io u s strategy seem s to provoke hostility, ex p o su re u n in ­ tentio nally serves religious co m m u n ities as w ell. A s I have n o ted above, ex p o su re o f sacred ritu al is v io len t an d ex p erien ced as su ch by th e in itiated . A s o n e L atter-d ay S aint expressed it, “ D iscussing th e tem p le cerem o n ies o p en ly is as insensitive as b u rn in g th e T o rah , sto m pin g o n th e E u ch arist an d d esecratin g a m o sq ue ” (q uo ted in F lake 1 9 9 5 ,6 ). C ritics stren g th en L atter-d ay S ain t id en tity b ased in p art in a h eritag e o f p ersecu tio n . W h ile th ere are n o co n tem p o rary m arty rs in th e faith, an ti-M o rm o n sacrilege h ig h lig h ts o n g o in g h o stility to w ard th e faith. L atter-d ay S aints to o k d ifferen t strategies in resp o n d in g to expose. T h e earliest, as ev id en t in th e B rig h am Y o u n g statem en t q u o ted above, w as a denial th at it w as ev en possible fo r so m eo n e to b reak th eir vow s o f co n fid en tiality an d th en relay th e co n ten ts o f th e en d o w m en t to an o th er. In tim e, rath er th an ch allen g e th e accu racy o f exposes, L atter-d ay S aints arg ued th at it w as im p os ­ sible to u n d erstand th e rite w ith o u t rev elatio n . A p o sd e W id tso e stated, “ S o m e o f th eir acco u n ts fo rm a fairly co m p lete an d co rrect sto ry o f th e o u tw ard fo rm o f th e tem p le serv ice; b u t th ey are p itifu l failures in m ak in g clear th e etern al m ean in g o f tem p le w o rsh ip and th e ex altatio n o f th e sp irit th at is aw ak en ed b y th e u n d erstan d in g o f th at m ean in g . S u ch attem p ts are o n ly w ords; sy m b o ls w ith o u t m ean in g ” (1 9 2 1 ,6 2 ). R elig io u s studies scholars have resp on d ed sim ilarly to th e lim itatio n s o f expose as a source. F o r instance, M ik ael R o thstein d eclin ed th e o p p o rtu n ity to stu d y th e eso teric lectu res o f S cientology, b eliev in g th at “ th e texts w o uld m ean n o th in g to th e u n in itiated , m y self in clu d ed ” (2009, 367). In th e tw en tieth an d tw en ty -first cen tu ries, o n e fascinating w ay th at th e ch u rch has resp o n d ed to ex p o se is in creased transparency. W h ile this m ig h t seem co u n terp ro d u ctiv e for an in stitu tio n th at w ish es to k eep th eir ritu als private, th e co n cern s o f m isrep resen tatio n have b een significant. F o r in stan ce, w h en th e Salt Lake Tribune p u b lished p h o to g rap h s o f th e in terio r o f th e S alt L ake T em p le th at th ey h ad p u rch ased fro m a L atter-d ay S aint dissident, th e ch u rch p u b lish ed th eir o w n in terio r p h o to g rap h s fo r th e first tim e (W algren 1996). T h e p u b licatio n o f th e tw o m o st w id ely read L atter-d ay S ain t b o o k s o n th e tem p le also cam e in th e w ak e o f w id esp read p u b lic d iscu ssio n o f th e en d o w m en t. Jam es T alm ag e ’s The House of the Lord (1912) w as p u b lish ed sev ­ eral years after th e S m o o t h earin g s an d B o y d K . P ack er ’s The Holy Temple (1980) ap p eared in th e w ak e o f th e rise o f E v an g elical exposes. T h e tim in g o f th e m o st recen t d escrip tio n s o f tem p le g arm en ts an d robes, as w ell as new w eb site d escrib in g th e rites is likely n o t u n co n n ected to th e rise o f in tern et v id eo s secretly film ed in the tem p le an d circu lated w idely. Latter-day Saints and Esotericism T h e en d ow m en t an d th e eso tericism involved in th e cerem o n y serves n u m ero u s in d iv id u al an d co llective fu nctio n s. T h e en d o w m ent fu n ctio n s as a rite o f passage m ark in g an in itiate ’s m atu rity in th e faith. F o r th o se raised L atter-day S aint o r th o se w h o co n v erted as ch ild ren o r adolescents, th e en d o w m en t is typically received in th eir late teens o r tw en ties sh o rtly b efo re o n e em b ark s o n an eig h teen -m o n th o r tw o -y ear m ission o r sh o rtly b efo re a tem p le m arriag e. S ingle L atter- day S aints w h o did n o t serve a m ission p rev io u sly typically receive th e rite so m etim e in th eir m id -tw en ties. C o n v erts are req u ired to w ait at least o n e y ear after th eir baptism s b efore b ein g en d ow ed . T h us, th e en d o w m en t serves sim u ltan eo u sly as a co m in g -of-ag e cerem o ny and a rite ak in to co n firm atio n in o th er C h ristian trad itio ns.T h e fact th at in itiates n o w share th e m ysteries o f th e faith m arks th is cerem o n y w ith deep significance. In th eir n ew status as en d o w ed L atter- day S aints, in d iv id u als are g iv en m o re religious o p p o rtu n ities an d are lik ew ise m o re acco u n tab le 239 Christopher James Blythe fo r bad b eh av io r. F o r instance, th e gravity associated w ith d ifferen t transgressions is co n sid ered m o re severe fo r th e co ven an t-b ou n d en d o w ed L atter-day S aint. T h e tem p le cerem o n ies p ro v id e in stru ctio n in p ro p er L atter-d ay S aint b eh av io r. O f course, this relates to th e co v en an ts th at d efin e p ro p er d ev o tio n an d an u n d erstand ing o f th e L atter-d ay S aint co sm o lo g y relatin g to p re-m o rtality an d afterlife. E v en m o re practically, th e tem p le p ro v id es in stru ctio n in th e co n cep t o f th e “ sacred ” th at governs L atter-d ay S aint in teraction s w ith each o th er an d outsiders. Jo sep h S m ith b eliev ed th at “ th e secrets o f m aso n ry is to k eep a secret ” (S m ith 1843). H e expressed his w ishes th at th e w o m en o f th e ch u rch b e “ sufficiently sk ill ’ d in M aso n ry as to k eep a secret ” (q u o ted in B ru no , S w ick, and L itersk i 2021, xxx). L ikew ise, o n e o f th e key p u rp o ses o f th e “ sacred ” is th e q u estio n o f w h at can b e discussed w ith w h o m an d in w h at co n tex ts. T h is o b v io u sly governs discussions o f th e tem p le, fo rg in g a co m m u n ity o f ritu al insiders, b u t also instills a sense o f cau tio n th at w as historically v ery useful fo r a faith th at tend ed to arouse d eep suspicions from outsiders. K eep in g a secret w as useful w h en Jo sep h S m ith an d o th er L atter-d ay S ain t leaders h id fro m law m en in th e 1840s o r w h en polygam ists tried to evade p ro secu tio n in th e 1880s. T o th e p resen t, a cu ltu re o f cau tio n also has reg u lated discussion o f certain th eo lo g ical m atters. T h ere are also a w id e v ariety o f beliefs so m etim es referred to as “ d eep d o ctrin e ” th at L atter-d ay S aints are cu ltu rally p red isp o sed to b e cau tio u s ab o u t discussing in public settings. T h ese o ften in clu d e item s related to d eificatio n, fem ale divinity, o r controversial h isto rical item s su ch as p lural m arriag e. Ideas co m m o n ly h eld b y L atter-d ay S aints b u t n o t tau g h t as p art o f th e ch u rch ’s official d o ctrin e are ex p ected n o t to b e discussed in official m eetin gs o f th e ch u rch , fo r ex am p le. F inally, th e en d ow m en t p o in ts th e in itiated to th e necessity o f seeking p erso n al revelatio n. R ecall th e earlier referen ce fro m th e B o o k o f M o rm o n above. N ep h i tells his b ro th ers th at th ey m u st ask G o d to u n d erstan d th e m ean in g o f th eir fath er ’s m y sterio u s use o f sym bols. In th e sam e w ay, in itiates are n o t given an in terp retatio n o f th e sym bols an d p erfo rm an ces th ey p articip ate in. R ath er, in d iv id uals are to ld to retu rn freq u ently to p articip ate in th e o rd in an ces an d to p o n d er an d p ray ab o u t th e m ean in g o f th e sym bols. In th e w ords o f Jo h n W id tso e, “ T o th e m an o r w o m an w h o goes th ro u g h th e tem p le, w ith o p en eyes, h eed in g th e sym bols an d th e covenants, an d m ak in g a steady, co n tin u o u s effo rt to u n d erstan d th e full m ean in g , G o d speaks his w o rd, an d revelations co m e...[N ]o h u m an w o rd s can ex p lain o r m ak e clear th e possibilities th at reside in th e tem p le service. T h e en d ow m en t w h ich w as given b y rev elatio n can b est b e u n d er ­ sto o d by revelation; an d to th o se w h o seek m o st vigorously, w ith p u re h earts, w ill th e rev elatio n b e g reatest ” (1921, 63). S ilvia H . A llred, a m em b er o f th e R elief S o ciety G en eral P resid en cy (a w o m an ’s lead ersh ip b o d y ), n o ted , “ W e all receive th e sam e in stru ctio n , b u t o u r u n d erstan d in g o f th e m ean in g o f th e o rd in an ces an d co v en an ts w ill increase as w e retu rn to th e tem p le o ften w ith th e attitu d e o f learn ing an d co n tem p latin g th e etern al tru ths taug h t ” (2 0 08 ,1 1 3 ). T h e co n ­ clu sio n o f th e cerem o n y in th e C elestial R o o m in w h ich p eo p le can stay as lo n g as th ey w o u ld like en co u rag es this so rt o f co n tem p lation an d ev en m akes space fo r q u iet discussion b etw een p articip an ts. It is n o t u n u su al fo r fam ily m em b ers an d frien d s to share th eir insights in to th e cere ­ m o n y in th is settin g . W h ile this p ractice o f q u iet co n tem p lation p o in ts in d iv id u als to p erso n al rev elatio n , it also rem in d s in d iv id uals th at th eir p erso n al revelations are n o t to b e sh ared w ith o ut restrain t (B lythe 2 0 2 0 , 252 — 255). L atter-d ay S ain t eso tericism is at th e cen ter o f th e faith. W h en a p erso n first receives th e en d o w m en t, th ey are o ften startled by ju st h o w d ifferen t th e cerem o n ies are fro m o th er aspects o f th e ch u rch . L atter-d ay S ain t chapels are sim ple. C lerg y d o n o t w ear relig io u s dress. M o st rites have v ery little fo rm u la to th em .Y et, in fact, th e in itiate h ad o n ly p rev io usly ex perien ced a p o rtio n o f th eir relig io n .T hereafter, eso tericism w ill play a cru cial ro le in th eir lives an d relig io u s id entity as it has fo r L atter-d ay S aints fo r n early 2 00 years. 240 The sacred, the “secret,” and the sinister References A llred, S .H . 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