Subject: Temple Names and a question
Date: Dec 20 07:56 2002
Author: J.
I have heard more than one very odd temple name mentioned on this board.
My question is this: did you ever question the wisdom of the choice of name you were dubbed with in the temple?
I believe most of them would have come from the bible or the BoM?
Was anyone thinking they'd been named after a particular character you thought erroneous in your case?
Of course, you were stuck with it then, weren't you?
You were only able to reveal the name to your husband if you were a woman (and I guess you were able to talk a little about it, even tho you were not supposed to discuss anything about the temple outside the temple).
Ah, but if you were a man then you were unable to discuss the name with anyone !!!
So any questions would be silent ones.

On the other hand, perhaps some liked their new name and were delighted with it? Stranger things have happened.

p.s. I'm aware that you received the same name as others on any given day on any given month as most people are here. but at the time you must have believed it was highly individual and there was a special one chosen for you and the guy in front and the guy behind . . .


Subject: Julia here
Date: Dec 20 10:06
Author: msmom
I was SO disappointed,t he name does nothing for me. I was hoping for Saraih, (sp?) Lehi's wife, and the only woman with a name in the Book of Mormon.

I thought I might have overheard drdad give his name as Mark going through the veil when we got married. Duh, he would have been going through for someone else and was giving name of the day, but I never thought that through, just kinda thought he was a mark.

Imagine my surprise years later when he told me his new name was Lehi! See - I KNEW I was supposed to be sariah. (I know there's an i in there, I just can'tremember where!)


Subject: My wife's name of "Margret" ...
Date: Dec 20 10:11
Author: Weeder
put me off quite a bit (even as a TBM). I thought ... oooh how special that is NOT!!!

At least my name was an ancient one "Amos".

When I received both these names I was completely ignorant to the fact that EVERYONE that day got the same name. I learned that latter as I began listening in on other people "at the vail" beside me ... that was quite an eye opener for this TBM and really took the magic out of it for me.

Oh, J., you may or may not be interested to hear that every time I reminded myself of my wife's name (usually on repeat temple visits) I would just visualize England's very own Thatcher -- and I'd have it. :-)

 

Subject: oh your poor wife —
Date: Dec 20 10:38
Author: J.
to be visualised as the iron lady. yuck!
yes, i did find that interesting, weeder. i wonder what the other chaps do/did to remind themselves of their wife's name.

funny, you not being able to imagine dear hubby as a lehi, julia


Subject: Frederick, it isnt even a bible name is it ?? n/t

 

Subject: but did it bother you to be given the name Frederick?
Date: Dec 20 11:33
Author: J.
Did you feel like a Frederick?
That's my intention and objective here.
Whether some took to their new names like ducks to water?
and how many of you secretly wanted to tell? but couldn't.
I think Delbert for Aussiejohn is the most ridiculous name. yet he hung onto the secret to the bitter end.
sorry, AJ!!! : )
So this thread wasn't particularly a roll call of temple names people were given. but it can be if you want it to be! : )

 

Subject: You mis-heard it. Her name is Ethel. Yes, "FRED & ETHEL"
Date: Dec 20 14:32
Author: Kim
Danboyle, your name is seriously Frederick too? So is mine. I've never pretended to be a biblical scholar, but I don't think that name appears in there. Since you and I both went to France...even the same years, maybe they saw us coming and they snickered behind our backs and gave us that name.

Hell, maybe we went through the temple the same day. I did the Salt Lake Temple on Sept. 22, 1979. I did always think that Frederick was a really dumb "new" name, and yeah I hated it. But, since, I've had fun with it.

Several years ago, a co-worker did some grocery shopping during her lunch break and brought back the groceries in the office. One thing she had in her sack was a box of Cocoa Pebbles for her kids. Inside the cereal was a Flintstones action figure. I think she had a Barney. I asked her if there were any left at the store with a Fred, because I'd really like my own Fred. She said there indeed was at least one Fred left that she saw. A TBM co-worker heard this and said that he had a coupon to save 75 cents off Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles and he'd bring it in the next day for me, but wanted to know why I wanted a stupid Fred Flintstone doll. I told him that it was secret and I couldn't divulge that information. Of course, that just intrigued him more. So, the next day, he brought the coupon and I bought my Cocoa Pebbles. (I made the other co-worker take the cereal after I got my Fred, cause I couldn't possibly eat that shit.) So, my coupon-offering co-worker demanded to know why I wanted the Fred. I again said that I couldn't divulge this information, only this time I added that if I divulged it, I would surely die (bringing my hand across my throat in a throat-slitting gesture.) He then knew it had to do with my temple name and then he got angry at me for "divulging" it. Later, he asked me if my name REALLY was Fred because he couldn't believe that anyone would ever get such a weird unlikely name as a temple name. I told him yes, but I don't think he believed me.

Subject: Crappy Temple Name
Date: Dec 20 11:39
Author: kristinela
When I received my new name, I was completely disgusted. It was the name of my mother-in-law who hated me (and of course I didn't have warm fuzzies for her either). I chalked it up to God hinting to me to be forgiving but I sure didn't like it. I did not know till much later on that everyone got the same name for the day. That's sure made it seem a bit less inspired. My husband thought his name was cool. He suggested it as a baby name for one of our boys though we didn't use it.

 

Subject: Just call me Abraham . . .
Date: Dec 20 11:45
Author: Schweizerkind
Abe for short. The name meant nothing to me -- the only good thing was that since it began with the same letter as my given name, it was easy to remember.

Otherwise-I-might-well-have-forgotten-it-by-now-ly yours,

S

 

Subject: Re: Temple Names and a question
Date: Dec 20 12:00
Author: ricky
It's amusing to me now to think about what came to my mind first was a lame afternoon vampire/soap opera TV show that had a major character with my name--Barnabus. That was more connected to me than any ancient or sacred thing.

It was a little disappointing in finding out that the names are all the same each day. But when I found out, I was already out, so it just kind of cemented my impression that the whole thing was just too weird for me.

 

Subject: Trying to unconfuse myself,
Date: Dec 20 12:22
Author: happy and exmo
what is the point, then, of blessing an infant with his given name (on that lovely Fast Sunday they do that ritual on) and then telling him years later "oh, by the way, we were really kidding! Here, this is your real name, but don't tell anybody! (Not even that equally worthy guy next to you since that might be his name too"). Holy Christ! What a joke! Why not just tell the kids they're nobodies until they get their identity from the name bucket at the temple? Until then, even if they get baptized when they're 8, like they've been taught, they won't quite make it into heaven. (okay, I better stop, I'm getting lightheaded!)

 

Subject: Hagar for my wife
Date: Dec 20 13:49
Author: anon
Can you imagine anything uglier? And Hagar wasn't really a real winner. Well, maybe it's more that Hagar was second fiddle. My wife certainly shouldn't be named aftre someone like that.


Subject: I shared the name of one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
Date: Dec 20 13:56
Author: Ron G.
...but it wasn't Donatello, Michelangelo or Leonardo.

For many years the visual arts were a part of my personal religion, and I always loved the work of Raphael. It was fun having that secret link to him...

:-)

Ron

PS
My wife can't even remember what her "new" name was, but I still do from when she had to tell it to me in the temple when we were married 18 years ago.

 

Subject: Your wife's new name, Ron G.
Date: Dec 20 14:42
Author: Kim
Your wife can't remember her name but you do? Of course you are allowed to know hers and she is NOT allowed to know yours. Of course, we all now know it, but I suppose she won't be reading this thread to see yours.

Shouldn't she know her own name? Is it allowed for you to tell her since you remember it and she doesn't? Maybe she wouldn't believe you no matter what you tell her. Do you think she would go for "Endora?"

Subject: Mine's Dorothy...quite appropriate as in "Wizard of Oz" n/t

 

Subject: "Surrender Dorothy!"
Date: Dec 20 14:12
Author: Ron G.
I remember that choice bit of graffiti in view of the DC temple from my days living in suburban Maryland...

:-)

Ron

Subject: I Was "Reuben", But I Never Felt Like A Sandwich, n/t

Subject: Re: I Was "Reuben", But I Never Felt Like A Sandwich, n/t
Date: Dec 20 15:54
Author: Lucky Fast Eddie
Dittos on the Reuben


Subject: Me too
Date: Dec 21 07:04
Author: Hai Kolob
Wow, three Reubens, what are the odds?

Maybey we all went through the temple on the same day.

I dont recall the exact date, but it was in July of 1980.


Subject: I was surprised when I got my name . . .
Date: Dec 20 15:08
Author: Ex-caliber
My name was Job, after the fairytale character in the Old Testament whom God allowed to be beaten up by Satan, himself. Of course there is the fairytale ending of Job passing his test and becoming obscenely wealthy as a reward.

I was pissed when I got that name because I didn't want to be another fall guy for Satan's shenanigans again.

Of course, I actually got a better reward than Job did. After years and years of suffering, god let me out of that crazy Church. Even Job's reward can't match that one!

My ex-wife's temple name was the same name as my closest cousin’s wife. I thought that such a common name was silly. Why not something in the Adamic language like Horenthor or something? That would have truly impressed me at the time.

 

Subject: Re: Temple Names and a question
Date: Dec 20 15:30
Author: L in NM
When I learned that my name was Caroline, I felt special, loved, and that I truly was a "child of god" who had been given such a beautiful name. I could be a caroline....

My husband (at the time) came out of the temple with some questions as to why he would get such a lame name, and "do you think they just make them up?" which, of course freaked me out at the time, being the TBM that I was!

I still don't know what his name was/is. I never thought to ask.

 

Subject: Humph!!!
Date: Dec 20 15:53
Author: AussieJohn
J...just what is wrong with Delbert???? (omigod - hahahahahhehehehehohohohohhoohoohoohoo - ROTFLMAO)

Delbert L. Stapley was a modern day apostle - see mormon royalty and who wouldn't want to be named after mormon royalty?
One of the sweetest, kindest, sincerest missionaries I ever met - in fact the third missionary I ever met was Delbert Kim Johnson. Hmmm, he never used Delbert, was known as Kim.
He went by the moniker D. Kim Johnson.

Geez, it gets easier all the time - D-E-L-B-E-R-T.

It is not my place to reveal my ex-wife's name, which I still remember, but that was REAL mormon royalty - the first lady of moronism, so to speak.

 

Subject: That must be Barbara then.
Date: Dec 20 22:48
Author: Kim
I always think of Barbara B. Smith as the first lady of the Mormon Church. That is because as General Relief Society president in the 70's, she had that huge Barbara B. Smith hairdo that was the envy of all the Relief Society ladies.

And, Aussie John, I'm sorry, but Delbert is not a very inspiring name or one to be proud of. (No offense of course to the poor hapless creatures unfortunate enough to receive the moniker.) For me "Delbert" is not only a name, but a descriptive noun. Used in a sentence, one might say, "He's such a delbert." This is synonomous to saying "he's such a twit, lamebrain, doofus, nerd, etc.) Again I hope no one takes offense. I just don't hear of many people naming their newborn sons Delbert these days. Does anyone know of even one child named Delbert?

 

Subject: I cared for an elderly, senile man.........
Date: Dec 21 00:37
Author: Mandy
.......in a nursing home named Delbert. If we left him alone for 5 minutes, he would whip out "little Delbert" and go to town.....didn't matter who was there. He was quite funny, though. Liked to hit on all of the nurses and nurses aides.

 

Subject: Re: Temple Names and a question
Date: Dec 20 15:48
Author: PhantomShadow
How many chances do we get on resurrection morning? My name is either Rachel or Rebecca. I can never remember which.

 

Subject: I was named Moroni, along with everyone else that day...
Date: Dec 20 16:10
Author: Deconstructor
My new name was Moroni. But so was everyone else that entered the temple that day.

Just like everything else in the church, the new name is a cookie cutter system. The new name given to people changes everyday in the temple, but there is only one new name per day, so everyone who entered the temple the same day gets the same name.

It's a pretty arbitrary systen, but TBMs suck it up and think their new name has individual meaning. What a joke.

 

Subject: Re: Temple Names and a question
Date: Dec 20 16:16
Author: Jennifer a.k.a. Ruth
It didn't strike me as being very significant. I was supposed to be delighted for some reason, but I had never had any warm fuzzies toward the Ruth of the Bible, so it didn't move me. I was just happy that it was the same name as my friend's daughter, so I'd be able to remember it!!

Subject: One of the Beverly Hillbillies
Date: Dec 20 23:03
Author: Kim
I've written this story on here before, but it makes me giggle each time I think of it.

I have friends Roger and Michael, who are a couple. Both used to be mormon. Roger went on a mission so he went to the temple and had a "new name." Michael never did and didn't have such a name. When they first met each other, Michael wondered what Roger's new name was. Instead of telling him, Roger wanted to see if Michael could guess it. Michael guessed it was Elly Mae. Roger was overcome with emotion and knew at that point that they were meant to be together. His new name was Jethro!

The day in the gay bowling league when we used our temple names on our bowling score sheets, we discovered the presence of both a Cain and an Abel. Things got a little tense there for a minute.

 

Subject: New Temple Name
Date: Dec 21 00:33
Author: JB
I received my new name on the morning that I was married. The temple was a total overwhelming experience. I didn't want to be there from the washing and flashing on. So, when they gave me my new name, I was totally overcome. What the hell kind of name was that? Where was I supposed to use that god-awful name? It must have been a sign of the divorce to come.

I never heard my new name again .... until one day at work after my divorce. There it was - in the obituaries. Some old lady died with the name, "Hulda." I was again overcome - with laughter. I showed it to my non-believing co-worker and we laughed the rest of the lunch hour. The TBMs were not nearly as amused as we were. To this day, my co-worker cuts the obits out of the paper to remind me of my new name. I testify to you that's the only time I'll ever use it!!

 

Subject: Got my grandmother's name
Date: Dec 21 00:56
Author: bremerin
I received the name of MARTHA, it was the middle name of my father's mother. I loved my Oma, but not that name. Well that was 35 years ago, and I have left the sinister temple spook behind me.