I actually liked doing baptisms for the dead as a kid. It was always a fun trip to Atlanta, and we always went out to eat at someplace fun afterwards. There were always plans to take a two day trip, and do six flags the next day, but the logistics never worked out, as our ward could never secure a temple appointment on a Friday when school was out, or early enough on a Saturday to make it worth the time.

The rest of the temple was just plane creepy. I remember putting on the cheap felt apron and other temple clothes and wondering if the temple was so sacred, why were we dressing up with stuff that looked like it belonged as children's dress up clothes.

Then again, naked touching just freaked me out. Even the church knows that naked touching is wrong, as they never encourage trips for people to go and do them. It's always about either baptisms or endowments, with the naked touching be reserved for the truly dedicated TBMs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2013 02:00PM by forbiddencokedrinker.

The secrecy. That coupled with the claim that it's not secret
is really weird.

The power of the endowment ceremony is its secrecy. Without
that it would be nothing. The claims of "richly symbolic" and
"I learn something new every time I go" would not exist without
the secrecy. Otherwise there would be discussion of "symbolic
of what, exactly," and "what did you learn this time?"

Since none of that can be discussed it takes on the trappings of
deep, arcane knowledge that is unmentionable. Take ANYTHING and
make it a big, super-sacred secret and it suddenly becomes
creepy.

The cafeteria

Hey, that was my favorite part! Going on turkey dinner night, eating a huge plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and a roll, the snoozing my way through an endowment session along with half the other people in the room :)

There was a sign in the Atlanta temple cafeteria that said all the food had been 'pre-blessed'. I still wonder what this was about. Was this to keep people in the cafeteria from blessing their food again, since a second blessing cancels out the first?

Weird sign.

In seriousness, it was probably to manage the flow and volume of people more efficiently.

I herby pre-bless all the food I will ever eat. Ever.

One blessing and you are good to go forever - saves a bunch of time.

I just bless the groceries before I put them away. ;)

Bless the grocery store before you go in.

Having to make a "covenant" on the spot under duress with the heaviest of consequences in the balance...heaven or hell. Making the mental decision to go ahead with it, and then finding out in the middle of the f-ing ceremony that I was Promising to cut my own throat rather than tell anyone about it. Total PANIC.

That people actually believe that the dress up and the names and the hand shakes the childishness of the movie and the phrases used are all true and this whole thing came from God! I pass the St. George temple on my way to work each day and the parking lot is over flowing with cars. I just shake my head and think how could mature adults believe in this fairy tale. Are we that scared of death or what I don't get it.

It's gotta be the part where Satan turns to the audience and says unless you keep every covenant you will be in his power.

Honorable mention to the chanting prayer circle.

And just all the ancient of days temple workers directing you around.

The atmosphere. It felt dark and creepy and wrong to me. I'll admit, some of it was just fear because I had no idea what I was getting myself into or what was going on the first time I went. Then, after the first time, I was nervous during the whole session - worried I'd get the signs and tokens wrong. I wonder if that helps with the brainwashing - having people worry about getting things wrong and feeling a bit off-footed. After that, I liked the temple well enough because it was a place to zone out.

The naked touching didn't bother me so much because it was like some ancient, pagan rite. I wish I'd question why something that seemed like an ancient, pagan rite was in the temple. Also, I was covered up with that drape-thingy at the time. After leaving the church, different things creep me out like how huge the temples are and how little of it members actually see, how much money is spent to worship a God who was against vain displays, the creepy, Satan-related symbols on Salt Lake City's Temple Square and the way Satan is the real star of the movie - how everyone obeys him when he says to put on an apron like him.

Nothing that happens there could be called "worship" by any stretch of the imagination. My idea of what happens in a temple is nothing like what LDS (and masons) do.

I about fell out of my chair. First thing that came to mind are the "5" points of fellowship. The guy with the really bad breath behind the veil in an "intimate" embrace. I had been warned about the naked touching--or I might have freaked out.

The prayer circle. That certainly blew my mind.

Sometimes, being a nevermo, I daydream about getting a fake temple recommend just to see what it's like, and then make a scene... like openly criticizing the movie, or refusing out loud to make any kind of oath. But I guess I have better things to do, like flying model helicopters, swimming in the ocean, playing an instrument, watching movies, etc :-)

Has anyone ever heard of someone making a scene at the temple and leaving? That would be an awesome tale to read.

You're not missing much. It's mostly just incredibly boring. Watch the YouTube video and you'll get the basic idea without having to sit through the whole long, boring thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 6 u d e w 9 a x m d M (remove the spaces)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2013 05:02PM by jackjoseph.

OMG!!! The endowment ceremony is made by a recorded voice? That's so un-spiritual, it's unbelievable. Thank you so much for posting the link, now I really understand what the temple experience is.

You are right, now I don't feel like getting a fake TR anymore :-)

I'm just curious (I never actually wound up getting to the temple) What is the naked touching? That sounds sort of.....awkward

This was changed in I think 2005 - now it is just a blessing.

During the initiatory you would wear a "shield". This was kind of like a gown but with both sides open.

In the initiatory they would recite a "blessing" where they would talk about different body parts e.g.

"Your loins that you may be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth that you may have joy in your posterity".

They would go through the blessing twice - once to wash - a little water on their fingers and once to anoint - a little oil on their fingers.

The never touched anything "private" but for loins they would rub their finger across your belly a few inches below your belly button. And so forth.

How they tell teenage kids that there are spirits walking the halls and hanging around waiting to get "done" with whatever cult ritual they are talking about.

The creeps who run the place.

Creepiest thing? That I wasn't at all creeped. Couldn't understand why others were creeped. I just walked in like a little morbot and walked out like a little morbot. Remembered and resighted like a little morbot. Promised away my life like a little morbot. Nothing. Back in those days I never cried. I never questioned. I obeyed, exactly. I was...a programedly perfect little soldier in the army.

Now...everything creeps me out about it. The more I learn the more I'm creeped. And now I cry. And now I question. And now I rejoyingly don't obey. And I am a soldier in another army. The army of truth and logic and a deeply fabulous relationship with MY mind and heart. Wearing horrific cult clothing on My body to remind me of the promises I made (when I covenanted my life away) in the temple? I think not.

Am I mad? Yes, I'm mad! How dare anyone make claim on MY life and my choices and my money and my sex life and my husband and my body and my underwear and my children and their futures and their choices and their hope...and their.... How DARE they!

I had an argument with the SP a week prior to attending an endowment session. While standing in the prayer circle with him and hearing that I should leave the prayer circle if "the best of feelings" were not present within those within the prayer circle, made me cringe. Neither the SP nor myself left the circle.

To answer the question, the blood oaths were the most horrific action I participate in with the allegiance to the cult for everything I was blessed with, will be blessed with was paramount to my temple undoing.

On the comical side is the verbiage, and in this particular order, "lions, tigers, and bears" for which "Oh my!" would have been an audible response.

Gawd, what a feeking mess mormonism is. Just butt fugly.

I think the creepiest thing was how non-spiritual it was and the thought that people I loved and respected did this same thing and thought it was "special". How could intelligent, grounded people be involved in something so non-spiritual.

Totally agree starkraving....I would constantly look around for someone else rolling their eyes....the first time I saw all those dusty plastic plants in the garden of eden, I thought this is not just a cult but a very low class cult....

I thought I was going to get a happy ending during the Washing and Anointing. That was pretty creepy.

The throat slashing gesture.

Oh many occasions I saw temple workers who were the most crabby, cranky, foul mood prunes ever to grace this planet.

It would blow me away at how sour so many temple workers were.

It's weird that a church would make young teens get naked, wear ugly suits and be dunked again and again in the names of long dead strangers who are all proclaimed to be officially mormon.

There's a moment in the temple ceremony, before they tell you what you are going to covenant, where they give you one last chance to back out.

Right after this 'point of no return', before they even launch into the video, they dim the lights measurably and the narrator's tone of voice changes from benign to sinister. I always found that moment very creepy.

This smacked me of witchcraft for Jesus. But then I had dabbled into the occult before going. It creeped me out because this was supposed to be The Houze of The Lawrd and not the Coven-ant People.