How many of you went by yourself, wearing the Pillsbury Doughboy costume with green apron, and take a stranger of the opposite gender by the hand and do all those rituals? What did you think to yourself in the aftermath?

Those of you who held hands with your spouse doing so, did it leave a positive or negative impression on you and your marriage?

no matter what, I was traumatized. I only participated once because they make you the first time. I had the wrong kind of veil. It had a comb and it wouldn't stay on when you put it over your face. Everyone had to wait for me to get it to stay on and I couldn't hold it on.

Worse was doing sealings. They pulled me aside as someone hadn't shown up and they sent my husband on to do an endowment. I got to do sealings to a complete stranger and he was weird. I'm sorry, but he just was, and he kept looking at me like he was "in love." I've had some real weirdos stalk me in my life, so this really freaked me out. Why didn't they have my husband do sealings with me? Can't figure that one out.

I had 40 minutes to wait for my ex to get through the endowment session and I sat in the foyer of the temple and "meditated." I never went back. That sealed the deal.

I hated having to do the 5 points of fellowship with a complete stranger WHO YOU COULDN'T SEE through the veil.

They perform a prayer circle during sealings?

in the patriarchal grip and they did the sealing over and over, and I had to say "yes" over and over to this strange man. It was traumatizing. Every trip I made to the temple was traumatizing.

Did it once because they required me to before going on a mission. Never volunteered to do the prayer circle after many other sessions. Always had two key thoughts running through my head, "When is this damn thing going to end...and I can't wait until the turn off the lights so I can take a nap." Definitely no trauma from the temple, but that's just my hard headed personality at work.

Yes, and without my husband (who remained seated).

What I especially didn't like was, due to my being a female, I had to cover my face with the veil.

Let me ask you: how did you feel about the whole costume?

I contend that there are more than a few people that thoroughly enjoy dressing up and doing these rituals. Was it because you were not told beforehand that these things are done before you went the first time?

Other than make me think, "Geez, what a load of crap this church is," no trauma or affect.

I never -- NEVER! -- could understand how people could possibly think this supposed "true order of prayer" was anything but something somebody made up while drunk.

I felt like I was in a kids club house doing an initiation. My hubby really hated it too. We both preferred to sit in our seat and just check out. Now that I think of it, we never went to the temple just for the sake of going. It was always because we were part of a ward group, or with relatives. Date night? Oh HELL NO.

Why would a prayer circle be traumatic? Being goosed by strangers during anointings freaks some people out. They're like "Hey, you can't touch me there. I didn't even buy you a drink."

It reminded me of the costuming of the Sith Lords or water witches in Dune , or Gandalph in Lord of the Rings ;
But it wasn't as romantic. Kind of boring no circles of power rising. We weren't levitating. very disappointing, quite a let down. I'd been planning on talking with angels and co silting with an eternal career advisor in the temple, but what do you know retired folks and tires tread worn carpets instead. a video which spoke in code with mirror image costuming ; identical costumes surrounded me seated as if in a theatre as we acted it out, then bouncing like a bunny to the stage I joined in waiting for the circle to spin, or levitate or something like that. Silly rabbit

To me today, l d s tricks are for kids. Other kids.

I nearly fainted once in the prayer circle. The veil over my face was so hot and then standing in close quarters with the others almost did me in. I absolutely hated that ritual and soon I hated everything about the damn temple.

On another note about the women veiling their faces...I've never understood the reasoning behind it. I wonder what would happen if a woman either in the circle itself or sitting in the congregation refused to do it. Would she be removed from the room? Get disciplined by the bishop? Ex'd?

that the veil over our faces was something to do with women can't look upon God--maybe someone can elaborate.

I almost fainted kneeling at the alter the day I got married. The person conducting talked SO LONG and my legs started shaking.

I can see how someone with clausterphobia could have a big problem with the whole veil thing.

Myself, I kinda liked it. It felt like I was finally able to close myself off from all those people in the room. Nobody could see me drifting off, rolling my eyes, or anything else my face was doing. It did get a bit difficult to breathe under that thing though. I don't know how the Burqua(sp?) women live like that in a place that's hotter than hell no less.

No. However, in the 30ish times I went through I did the prayer ceremony circle j*@K most of the time just because I needed to stand up.I continually had an unusual reaction when standing in the circle. Not particularly a violent person so I don't know why every time I got my arm up and resting with arm to some square somewhere, I would imagine a self defense, multiple attacker, karate situation and visualize all these people suddenly jumping into aggressive action, complete with me fighting back. I know sounds wacko but I never had that feeling anywhere else. Any ideas on why I would react that way? I don't think I felt threatened, usually just bored. Ready for your pop psychology diagnosis. ?

Strangers touch your shoulder and you are expected to open your body arm edge touching by another person ... balance can rock and step as others touch

Sending on place in circle may be left with turned away from with your back turned on the large seated temple session group and have to look directly at not the circle but be aware or wary of over unknown people behind you, as you turn defenseless and vulnerable raising vigilant defensive survival need

All through the session in 1983 they kept saying that your life may be taken, or that my life may be taken So you swear raise your arm to the square and make the token of the .... and all around as folks made throats cutting gesture a group agreed in unison to be killed by throats slashing. And disembowling.

You have had to be on Valium not to be quite upset vigilent alert to danger ... they are not immitating a dojo they re swearing to be taken out by the cult as in Brigham youngs vigilantes and blood atonement, as a groupm(before they made changes) like we are with Jim jones in the big times , where's the cool side? That's what I'm thinking last time I went. Fortunately for me a car overheated and I just missed my last planned temple session with friends took it for an omen or sign

Creepy place terrifying re enactment of violence
Triggers to parental beatings by adopted mother
Real masochistic to keep agreeing in the group to be killed but it was expected
It was like you were agreeing to abuse
Making the gestures nod your head and say yes
And then

As always leave the template sworn threatened coerced to silence about goings on just like in an abusive childhood

Great gosh how'd I survive being temple endowed at all, well maybe not very well after all ...

It's just once you feel safe once you stop being afraid or anxious in your real lifestyle...then the ward trip sends you back and you're triggered about death threats you e heard in the past you look up you see it on the screen.... you stand frozen totally still trying to be safe invisible bend in

It's as surreal from hoping to find safety somewhere and walk into some horror parody macabre joke. I heard uncles and cousins and grandpa threatening and planning murders for mob at lunch off and on my entire preschool and jump clinging for safety to my one Mormon grandma...

And you know What happens when I show up at the Temple ? Right the death vows lathes your life to be taken
Neck. Slashing . Disemboweling .

F....

Good god you brought up some very valid points.

I went through the temple on my wedding day in 1973. Totally clueless as to what was going to be happening. I felt like I was being sexually assaulted by one of my grandmothers friends. It caused me to go into shut down mode.

I couldn't take it in when the throat slitting disemboweling promises were going on. I was going along to get along. Just like i'd been taught all my life. Shut up and you won't get the shit beat out of you. I did resolve in my mind that if anything else went down like the washing and anointing, I was getting the hell out of there.

After sexually assaulting me, they had me pile on a mountain of clothing. Long john garments that weren't mine and had been worn by others, ICK! My so called wedding dress that was ugly because it met all the requirements, a toga, sash, apron,heavy ugly weird veil(not my wedding veil). stockings, garter belt (panty hose weren't a thing yet) some ugly rental bedroom slippers, and a mountain of anxiety.

I never went back to the temple with my husband. In fact, I divorced him 20 months later for being a JS clone. I just didn't know who he was mimicking at the time. Lucky for me, I totally believed in birth control. No kids with that F'd up guy.

Mormonism really screwed up a huge portion of my life. I hate that religion with a passion.

There was a local girl who converted to marry a boy. During the temple endowment ceremony she could not take it and ran crying from the building. The groom's family who were all in the session with them were horrified, her family waiting outside the temple was horrified when she came running out and told them all the culty stuff she suddenly was faced with. I think they got a civil marriage.

The death vows were in place because NOBODY else would go if they knew what the hell really goes on inside. THAT'S the reason. If folks talked about it, who in their right mind would go back or even go one time?
Women wear veils because gawd doesn't want to see ugly coming into heaven.
My first time, in 1983, I spent a week at the Wash. DC temple. We went at 5am when they opened and stayed all day. There was a cafeteria, open all day. I even found a room with a cot in it to take a much needed NAP! Grueling long days. I met a temple worker who showed me the whole building. He worked in the AV dept. He showed me the top floor which was for priesthood. Looked like a big Gym floor with chairs on each end of the room. The room was the width and length of the temple- huge. I felt kinda shy knowing I probably wasn't supposed to be there. Overall, after immersing myself in this new venture, sadly to say, I DID NOT feel anything special or wonderfully new at the time. I was worried about the new secret, mesh underwear I was wearing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2017 01:47AM by cutekitty.

When you put it that way, I am surprised I didn't start swinging. Thanks for those powerful images.

can you get together with NewNameNoah and make this a reality?

cause this is funny stuff . . . :)

Yes, the entire mormon temple ritual including the bizarre baker outfit has to be one of the most humiliating visual aids ever devised for a whacked out, money grubbing, God CON temple ceremony that I have ever encountered in my lifetime! In my opinion, the mormon temple ceremony is the Golden Calf of mormonism! There's also no doubt that jo smith jr. was a deranged, intimately corrupt, sexual predator/career criminal consumed with self who devolved into a delusional, imbecilic ignoramus with delusions of grandeur! Just look at his train-wreck of a life/all the innocents who put their trust in him but ended up with ruined lives - many of whom eventually perished because of his insane obsession for money, power/of course - his mormon God CON that would make it all possible! The real jo smith jr. was mentally ill, consumed by his perception of self/finally - a narcissist supreme! That's as close as he gets to anything remotely God like! You can insinuate from this statement that I have no use for this well documented creep of false religion! As Always, tnurg (GRUNT)