There’s a video on YouTube that’s been getting a lot of buzz around the net that supposedly depicts secret Mormon temple rituals.
I’m not sure what to make of it. It some ways it seems kind of mundane - why would someone go to all the trouble to fake this but not make it REALLY wacky? It just has a feeling of people going through a well known, well worn routine.
On the other hand, God is hiding behind a curtain and sticks his hand out? Seriously? If that is truly part of the endowment ceremony, then the higher-ups know the whole thing is a scam.
But hey, I would have thought the Kolob business was some sort of joke, so who knows?
Very likely a hoax, but it’s an interesting video.
Yes, but obviously there’s a real person behind that curtain, so some members (at the very least the guy behind the curtain sticking his hand out) know that it’s not really God.
No, it’s not a hoax. Just about every Mormon and former Mormon could tell you it’s hidden camera footage of actual temple ceremonies.
I didn’t have time to watch all 8 minutes (I skipped around to make sure that it was real) but unfortunately, some of the captions are a bit annoying. Just from what I saw, it said the children are being “used” for baptisms in the basement, which is simply stupid. Also, I noticed it said something about a “Hispanic girl” being baptized for her ancestors. While you are strongly encouraged to bring in names of your own relatives, you don’t absolutely have to, and the ethnicity is of no importance. It was dumb to bring it up.
You’ve misunderstood. The guy is standing in for God. No one thinks he is actually God. It even specifically states this fact during the ceremony. I can dig up exactly what is said during the ceremony if you like.
Also, once you are pulled through the veil, you can see the old guy whose hand you were practicing the secret handshakes on. So there is absolutely no question of anyone thinking it’s actually God.
They claim that when they die, they will face God behind a curtain. In order to get into Heaven, they will need to go through a specific ritual with code words and special handshakes. The video shows people practicing the ritual with real people who they know are real people.
The captions though are clearly very biased… once they start talking about Mormons taking over the government and then start talking about Mitt directly I knew they weren’t worth reading.
I agree with this. The captions do a disservice to the video. I don’t think that there is anything that will get me to vote for Mitt but I don’t for a second believe that he wants to make the US a Mormon theocracy.
And, as yet another tidbit about Mormonism, when you get married in a Mormon temple, the groom plays the God role and sticks his hand through the veil, and the Bride has to successfully complete the secret handshakes and passwords and then he will pull her through the veil. I certainly hope she doesn’t think he is God!
But all these ceremonies are considered practice for after death when Mormons believe they will be required to give secret handshakes and passwords to be able to get into Heaven.
So, after you die, if you don’t know, or screw up, the handshake or password, do you just stand there for all eternity watching others bypass you, do you go to hell, do you disappear in a puff of smoke, or what?
Which would seem to indicate that they don’t believe in an all-knowing god because they have to do the ritual to get in and not knowing the ritual keeps them out. I imagine that I am over-simplifying things though.
Another part of the captioning that was lame is claiming that they worship a god called Elohim and that is somehow different than the regular Christian God. I think that it’s the same god with a different name.
Regarding their “saving” of deceased non-Mormons:
Little do they know I have my own ritual that counteracts their ritual. It involves drinking beer plus the usual hand waving, but it is very effective.
Please DO NOT TELL the Mormons about this or they will redouble their efforts to counter my counter ritual.
Regarding the temple ceremony, also known as the “Endowment”, Brigham Young has said,
As many church leaders have said, the temple ordinances are “not secret, but sacred.” There is nothing taught in the temple that is not available in other places, and in fact you can find the entire temple ceremony posted verbatim on the internet by those seeking to discredit the church.
We don’t share this with the world because we consider it to be sacred and holy, and something that should not be held up to ridicule by those who do not understand or respect its value, as Jesus instructed in Matthew 7:6
