That would scare the hell out of me, and it did.
Sweaty palms and everything.
"Obey and give everything you own to the LDS"

Even after I resigned from the church it still took me a few years before I would talk about the tokens and penalties.

I still cannot say my temple name. That stuff really gets to you.

"I still cannot say my temple name. That stuff really gets to you."

My wife and I were Martha and Benjamin. There, I wrote them. And God didn't strike me dead or anything.

Oh no! We have a problem. My name is also Martha. I wonder how many Marthas will show up when you call out that name.

That reminds of the the joke about 'West Side Story': How could Tony go into a Puerto Rican neighborhood, yell "Maria!", and have only *one* girl stick her head out??

I can't believe it--my New Name is Martha, too!

Please--all you Martha's--watch out! When you get to heaven, if a hulking, thick-necked thick-headed man with beady close-set eyes and fat lips yells your name--run!

That's my wife-beater temple ex-husband, who still thinks I'm his possession.

I have changed my New Name, and I suggest you other Martha's do the same. My New New Name is Bambi.

I still think we should send somebody over to check on you.

This all happened before the internet and social media existed. There was no one to talk to about it. It was the church's little brainwashing secret with each person who had been through the temple. Generally speaking, parents didn't even warn their adult children about it before they went through. Shame on the church. Their secret is out now. I tell anyone who wants to know, about the temple death threats now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2016 09:22AM by azsteve.

I even tell people that didn't realise they wanted to know. LOL

.... and the missionaries can't seem to understand why no one is interested in their religion. These days, the joke is on the missionaries. Generally speaking, the non-member often knows about that ceremony, whereas the missionary themselves don't know about the nasty penalties that were removed from it in 1990. The church has tried to distance itself from that awful (supposedly eternal) ceremony ever since the advent of the internet and social media.

Do you think kids still go to the temple not knowing anything? Or is it just me who is naturally curious. I KNOW that if we'd had the internet in 1976 I would have looked it up.

But I know absolutely NOTHING about what to expect. Nada. I'd heard terms like "washing and anointing," "going through the veil" and "new name," and I'd seen my mother ironing her temple clothes, but just barely.

But I didn't even know the most basic things, like men and women sit on different sides, you'd be naked for the washing and anointing, they would put your garmies on you, you had to wear your robes over your temple dress, including that ugly polygamist-looking veil and not your wedding veil, you don't make vows to each other, etc. And of course, the hand shakes, death oaths, 5 points, etc. were huge surprises. Both the endowment and a few weeks later, the wedding were such shocks and not good ones.

Then I was stuck in those one-piece holy undies. Oh god, don't even get me going. So I decided that my daughter was going to know everything I could tell her (didn't tell her the actual passwords). It was after the 1990 change and I hadn't been through since the change but some people had told me some of the things they'd taken out and I told her that. I thought she was so prepared, but even at that, she said she was still shocked. I was just like, "how the hell do you think I felt?"

It still freaks my wife out a little every time I, a nevermo, make a reference to some specific aspect of a sacred/secret ceremony.

"Did you read about that on one of your horrible anti-Mormon sites?"

"Is my information wrong?"

"Well, no."

"Then does it matter where I got it?"

"You still shouldn't know about it. It's sacred!"

Uh-huh.

It was out there, one just had to know where to look.

Of course it was funny hearing about missionaries going to the library to take "anti" Mormon books and either put them on other shelves or even outright steal them (Akin to 'Lying for the Lord' I reckon)

But it was even funnier watching a couple of missionaries actually doing that one time at the Mesa library.

Good times...
- Raising Eyebrows -

I was 18...a month before my mission. I did have a WTF reaction, but kept it to myself. Mom and dad, both whom were there, didn't say much afterward. I said to my dad, "Um..hey dad...so what if I accidentally goof on my temple covenants, who will be cutting my throat and bowels out - is that the bishop or my home teacher?" He fought the urge to laugh and said, "Don't worry about it..."

my male parent the resident MORmON enforcement agent, capt A$$ hole, would have gone nuts had I said anything like that. So sorry that I did not have the presence of mind after experiencing the idiocy of the MORmON temple ceremony that I did not say: there is NO WAY that I am selling that BS on a full time basis for two years.

I even asked about the throat-slitting stuff *in the temple.*
In the "celestial room" after my first time through.
Because I thought the gestures & handshakes were ridiculous (and a little bit scary), even though I was TBM.

I knew we weren't supposed to discuss any of it OUTSIDE of the temple. But I thought inside was OK.

I was told, "We don't discuss those things."
I was told that IN THE CELESTIAL ROOM.

At the time, I wondered what was so "sacred" about this stuff that we couldn't even talk about it in the temple.

Not long after, I figured out why nobody would talk about it in the temple...nobody had any answers.
They thought it was ridiculous and scary too, and couldn't justify it, so they just told me to shut up and obey.

It all started with Rigdon's Salt Sermon. Sidney was a real piece of work. Not anything like what we were told in seminary.

I've always been astonished at people's lack of listening skills. It is explicit in the ceremony not to reveal the Signs, Tokens, and Covenants. Everything else about it could be found in old Church writings. Only certain ultra-uber officiators have gone overboard restricting talk about all temple activities.

The members were even told via Ensign article and speeches to start teaching their children about what happens in the temple. Too many kids were going through shock first time.

When I started talking about the Gospel principles involved with the temple ceremony in Elder's quorum once, several other elders blew their gaskets. The quorum president had to tell them I was not revealing anything sacred and to quit worrying about it. I even gave a lesson in HP group once about the temple covenants with the SP counselors present and the men all sat there like they were watching someone strip naked in the chapel. The general membership are some of the most stupid, ignorant, and credulous people I have encountered in my world travels. It is refreshing to see the children of those old duds walking out.

It was my wedding day, 1970. Live performance with 2 quite elderly people playing Adam and Eve. I didn't know anything! My parents had only been sealed to each other a few years before and had never been back to the temple.

I sat there, stunned. All these relatives there acting like it was no big deal to be pretending to slit their throats, disembowel themself and so forth.

It was my wedding day, though, so I just went along with it.

Cult, much?

Yep, yes. Agreed.

Everyone I knew who stood for laws for not breaking the rules and keeping our countries laws- stood around me in white robes slashing their throats

Cult

One BiG problem with the pre 1970 endowment ceremony was that it was conducted mostly on young adults that were brought up in the church and BEFORE they reached the mature, reasoned age of 25. As a 19 Yr. old, I remember slashing my throat in the temple and the cult, awful nature of doing so really didn't register with me until years later. It's much the same reason why the church today sends 18 year old teenagers on missions.

I went through in 1968 with all the gory details. It made me believe that there had really been Danites and that back in the day people suffered violently for betraying TSCC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2016 11:16PM by michaelc1945.

It was like an intervention. The only way a young person gets in is either on their wedding day, or after you've given your mission fairwell talk and already quit your job. They spring the death threats on you as a part of the ceremony and then within a few seconds, you have a major life choice to make. Your family and friends are also there. So, do you walk out of your life, your mission, or marriage? Or do you go through with these unplanned ceremonial death-through-disembowelment covenants as a means to maintain the status quoe?

A friend of mine who is a Protestant minister innocently asked me why Mormons who left the church were so disgusted with it. I asked him to put out his hand. I gave him the first sign of the Aaronic Priesthood and then made the penalty by slashing my throat in the authorized manner. He said, "Holy shit!" I said, "Exactly!"

The first time I went to the temple I was freaked out. I was 19 and heading on my mission. It was in the 80s so there was plenty of slashing going on.

I kept thinking this sounds like the Gadiaton Robbers. Secret society and secret combinations. I was freaked out but too scared to ask anyone about it.

Now I don't care.

I think guts hanging out would make a great costume for ward Halloween parties.

Better yet, go out in full temple dress.

You know how apologists have said that the "meaning" of temple rites haven't changed, even if the wording *has*?

This seems like a clear change that lessens the importance of a sacred ordinance.

Thoughts?

What they're saying to those who went through the pre-1990 ceremony is that those old threats still stand.

The whole thing is so sick and wrong, post 1990 or not. Can't imagine any sane rational person living in a first world country with internet would ever join that cult.

64monkey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The whole thing is so sick and wrong, post 1990 or
> not. Can't imagine any sane rational person
> living in a first world country with internet
> would ever join that cult.


Totally agree! I bolted a long time ago, but I never knew anything about the temple. Family members would just say 'we're not allowed to talk about it', so I always brushed it off and didn't think too much about it. Part of me was always was a bit curious, though. I just learned all this temple stuff this year and couldn't believe it. I am still stunned over it. I would love to confront my crazy TBM mother over this temple stuff the next time she tries (for the umpteenth time) to suck my children into the cult. My parents got married in the temple in the mid-70's, so they have done those death penalties/blood oaths mannnnny times. When I was a kid, they would hire a babysitter so they could go on a date to the temple. Now that I know what they were doing, I am so sickened by it! And why the f$&@ is going to the temple (even now) considered a date????

How about the oath of vengence that was in the old temple ceremony.

"You and each of you do covenant and promise that you will pray and never cease to pray to Almighty God to avenge the blood of the prophets upon this nation, and that you will teach the same to your children and to your children's children unto the third and fourth generation.[2]"

I asked the recent bride about it. (the wedding). She said it was beautiful, with a total "WTF just happened" look in her face.

Why not record the wedding ceremony? Such a special occasion. Let everyone see the marriage ceremony.

Exactly, and then just have everyone sign the Mormon non-disclosure agreement. It's a simple solution!

Now, post 1990, after the throat slashing gestures, you still can't have wedding ceremony photos.

A Mormon wedding is much different. Usually the bride takes her special wedding gown to the reception afterwards. What kind of wedding is that?
It's really stupid in my opinion.
Really, just let the bride get married in the wedding dress she has been preparing for her entire life.
What is really odd, is that the bride exists temple in her wedding gown that was not even part of the wedding ceremony.

Oh my God. Pre-wedding dress, the actual wedding dress, and exit the temple in the "wedding" dress.
No actual wedding dresses allowed in the House Of The Lord.

If the dress is temple "proper" the bride can wear it for the sealing. It is still covered with the temple robes. It must be white, have long sleeves, and a high neckline. I wore my wedding dress in the temple.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2016 10:38AM by liesarenotuseful.

In the Walking Dead last night, there was a gruesome scene where Spencer's bowel were slashed. As an exmormon, I immediately remembered my temple covenant and was glad that I am no longer a member of the mentally abusive cult that threatened violence and horrific acts on me - if I ever sold my tokens for money or defied the ritual.