I was raised in the Mormon Church. I was baptized and attended Brigham Young University for two years. I have entered Mormon temples to be sealed to my parents and brother. I have performed baptisms for the dead. However, I never took part in the endowment ceremony that is going to be depicted on Big Love on March 15. Therefore, I am curious about what parts of the ceremony will be shown on this week’s show.
You might think that, as a former Mormon (I removed my name from the church’s records in 1997), I would know about the endowment ceremony. However, not only are the temple ordinances not spoken of with non-members; they are also not discussed outside the temple, or among members who have not yet attended. Even though I have read accounts written by former members and have spoken with Mormon friends and family members, I couldn’t honestly tell you what happens in those ceremonies. The fact that Mormons hold these ceremonies to be sacred and not appropriate for casual conversation are one of the reasons that Mormons are angry that this subject matter will play any role in any television show, period — not just Big Love.
When Mormons are baptized, they make promises called covenants with God. They promise to keep the commandments and to repent of their sins, among other things, as I recall. This is not extraordinary for religions. When a young man or woman is preparing to go on a mission for the church or to marry, they seek a temple recommend. The recommend process involves two meetings with two church leaders in which you answer questions about the integrity with which you conduct your life; you cannot enter the Mormon temple without this recommend, unless the temple has not yet been dedicated.
The endowment ceremony, as it is called, is a ceremony at which Mormons enter into deeper covenants with God. I don’t know what these covenants are; as I said, I have never done it. The show’s creators insist that depicting the endowment ceremony is critical to understanding Barb’s relationship with the church — particularly as she faces losing it. I assumed, in watching the show, that Barb had been ex-communicated from the church when she and Bill decided to embrace polygamy. However, it seems entirely possible that Barb remains a member of the church. After all, they are not completely public with their lifestyle.
To be asked to leave the church, or to leave it voluntarily AFTER these covenants have been made is a very serious and painful thing for most people who have been true believers in the faith. I was a true believer; if I had already taken out my endowments (as it is called to go through the temple), I don’t know that I could have removed my name from the church’s records. I am not sure I could have done so, at any rate, without believing my soul was in peril. As it was, leaving the church as an arduous process.
I am only writing about my own particular experience with this to try put Barb’s feelings into perspective. The show won’t have the time to fully depict any Latter-Day Saint temple ceremonies; therefore, I can’t help but wonder about whether any LDS reaction to this episode is a thinly-veiled plea for attention. [This post is a completely unveiled plea for attention. Look over here!!!] However, I think the depiction will show what I have tried to explain: Barb’s attendance in the temple amplifies both her commitment to the church, and her potential devastation if she is ex-communicated. It may not seem like a huge thing to outsiders and observers, but, and forgive me for being glib because I am actually very serious: I feel Barb’s pain.
I’m curious: Will you be watching? And are you LDS?
Clacked by Jen Creer
on Mar 15, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
So Polygamy on TV is ok but church ceremonies aren’t?
Interesting.
Reminds me of how mormons funded the campaign for chapter 8 in California.
This is really eery if you ask me. I don’t really like systems that keep to themselves but influence others.
Hey Sebastian–Mormons really don’t keep to themselves. I can send some over if you want to know more!
No worries, I have some over almost every year. And I’m living in germany. They actually have their own church in my town. Great, isn’t it?
Haha, I always have to chuckle when I read about religious ceremonies… Pure comedy gold!
That said, though, I’m sorry for the pain you had to endure while/after leaving the church. It’s always hard to get out of a sect when you have been brainwashed to such an extend and I admire those people that have the strength and courage to do it. Luckily for me, I grew up in an enlightened environment and decided at a young age that all this religious stuff was a tad silly, really.
This isn’t just an LDS thing. I chose to leave the Roman Catholic church almost 25 years ago and still find myself missing parts of it at times. I continue to recognize the RC influence when I’m at ceremonies in other churches. Once it’s ingrained in you, it’s there, at a primal and almost subconscious level. That’s why so many churches emphasize bringing your children to church as much as possible (and having as many kids as possible).
We occasionally have LDS missionaries in my town as well. I treat them with respect — I certainly wouldn’t do what they do for my faith. I discuss religion and ethics with them, and they tend to be very thankful that someone actually wants to have a real discussion with them. They’ve never convinced me, nor will they. I teach American Literature, and the Book of Mormon is clearly a piece of 19th century Biblical fan-fiction. But most LDS members that I know are good people who live solid lives. I’m certainly in no position to judge them.
having said all that, I don’t believe in secrets either. and this season of Big Love has been very nice. They aren’t doing nearly enough with having Bill’s crisis of faith as compared to the wives’.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I watched the Big Love episode. I was truly surprised at how tasteful and beautifully it was portrayed. The LDS
Church has every right to be concerned but they should look back in history.
After JFK’s funeral mass was televised, there was a surge in inquiries about joining the Catholic Church. People were moved by the ritual and the beauty of the ceremony.
I would not at all be surprised if the same thing happens again.
The MORMON BLOOD OATH in the TEMPLE PRE 1990
* Stage 1 : “my throat … be cut from ear to ear, and my tongue torn out by its roots;”
* Stage 1: The participant placed his or her right hand palm-down with the thumb extended and the tip of the thumb just under the left ear. The execution of the gesture was made by drawing the tip of the thumb swiftly across the throat until the thumb was just under the right ear, then dropping the hand and arm quickly to the side of the participant’s body.
Feel the truth about the Mormon BLOOD oath in the TEMPLE pre 1990
* Stage 2 : “our breasts … be torn open, our hearts and vitals torn out and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field;”
* Stage 2: The participant placed his or her hand in a cup form over the left breast. The execution of the gesture was made by pulling the hand-cup swiftly across the breast, then quickly dropping the hand and arm to the side of the participant’s body.
The MORMON BLOOD OATH in the TEMPLE PRE 1990
* Stage 3 : “our body … be cut asunder and all your bowels gush out.”
* Stage 3: The participant placed his or her right hand palm-down with the thumb extended and the tip of the thumb on the left of the torso, just above the left hip. The execution of the gesture was made by drawing the thumb swiftly across the stomach until the thumb was just above the right hip, and the hand and arm were quickly dropped to the side of the participant’s body.
Beginning in 1919, church president Heber J. Grant appointed a committee charged with revising the Endowment ceremony, which was done under the direction Apostle George F. Richards from 1921 to 1927. Among the changes that were instituted was a modification of the oaths. While the execution of the penalty gestures remained unchanged, the church replaced the verbal description of the penalty with the phrase, “rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken.
In April 1990, the LDS Church eliminated the oaths and the penalty gestures from the Endowment.
Some groups within the Mormon fundamentalist movement continue to practice the Endowment without the LDS Church’s 1927 and 1990 changes.Consequently, these groups still participate in these oaths when performing the Endowment.Some of the denominations that continue to perform the original Endowment include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Apostolic United Brethren, and the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days.