The Garden of Eden story presented in the LDS Temple Endowment is a jumble of contradictory elements that concludes with the declaration of Adam & Eve that they are glad they disobeyed God. The apologist will argue that Adam & Eve are only glad for their disobedience because they repented and returned to God. This does not solve the fundamental problem: Why is the LDS Endowment teaching that it can be a good thing to disobey God?

The role of Lucifer in the Garden of Eden story is never well explained. When Lucifer explains to Elohim that he had Adam & Eve eat of the fruit of the tree of good & evil because that is the pattern, Elohim responds only with anger. By all accounts what Lucifer answered is true - Adam & Eve needed to eat of the fruit. So why is Lucifer such a bad guy for helping them do this? I know the usual LDS answers but none get to the heart of the matter. The Endowment story NEVER explains what Lucifer did wrong. He is wrong because God says so and viewers accept this because we know Lucifer is bad and the personification of evil. So Lucifer bad, Elohim good and we can ignore the fact that Elohim never addresses Lucifer's comment that eating of the fruit is the pattern.

Also never explained is what was Elohim's plan for Adam & Eve if they were to never eat the fruit? Elohim never helps Adam & Eve progress. The Endowment actually never shows Elohim visiting Adam & Eve and giving "further instruction". What kind of God is Elohim who doesn't do what he says he will do, doesn't teach Adam & Eve how to progress, leaves Adam & Eve to negotiate with Lucifer in ignorance and then Elohim gets angry at everyone.

The God of the LDS Temple is a mercurial, absent being - like the gods of Greek mythology. And yet LDS eat it up and think this presentation explains deep knowledge. I find it painful and spiritually empty.

As it’s presented, Lucifer is the one who we ultimately obey.
“LUCIFER: See--you are naked. Take some fig leaves and make you aprons. Father will see your nakedness. Quick! Hide!

[Lucifer withdraws from view.]

ADAM: Brethren and sisters, put on your aprons.”

No one comes out looking good in the LDS temple Garden of Eden story.

God (Elohim & Jehovah) are absent until they return and get angry, like a parent coming home and finding the kids made a mess in the kitchen. Lucifer is actually doing for Adam & Eve what needs to be done but he is dishonest and self serving. Adam is a dweeb. Eve is curious but also manipulative.

Per LDS theology, the Fall of Man is one of the most important acts of our Salvation and apparently it came about from carelessness, boredom and ignorance. The Brighamite temple ceremony and contradicts scriptures including Sermon on Torah more known as Sermon on the Mount. Nibley finds pagan sources to justify the Brighamite temple, not scriptural.

W.C. Fields — 'If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.'

  
  

"BOW YOUR HEAD AND SAY YES!"

The only thing I felt when I went through was I was glad it was over as I had imagined all kinds of things that would happen in there (I had warning about the washing and anointing). Took me a few times to decide to never go back.

It was hideous. I don't understand why so many people still are mormon and still go to the temple (like my daughter). A week or so ago she posted something about her and her husband and one of her mormon moms from here in this neighborhood and her husband had gone to tour the new St. George temple and then they went to the old St. George temple. Is it open? Are they touring that one now, too, or did she go to a session? I'll have to look that up.

Very interesting post, laying it all out very bare, the inconsistency of it all. Something I think I felt on some level but never really teased apart in this manner.

However, I always had this thought that if the Christian god is true, then it felt like the Mormon version of him(both in the text and how he reportedly interacted with Joseph) felt like the "other guy" masquerading as the good god. Like that was the feeling in my gut when I read about JS suffering sleep deprivation at the hands of Moroni when he was 14, and getting struck down by a dark force in the woods to wake up to two lighted figures, all personages who refused to touch him despite that being his own stated proof of the difference between angels and malicious spirits. Like, if I were to give any grace to JS at all that he wasn't the aware manipulator, then HE was the one being conned by agents of hell to bring their confusing and abusive religion to power and prominence on earth under the guise of the "truest" version of Christianity.

I mean, the more I analyze and pick apart the theology of Christianity, the more that too simply sounds like two powerful beings, neither totally good nor totally evil who are at odds with one another at some times and in concert with each other to win over the hearts of humanity (likely for enslavement in the next realm; i dunno. What does a death god want with dead people?) So I am not totally sold on anything really. It all sounds like old tribal blood rituals once you stop begging the question or giving "purity" points to Christianity for no reason.

Temple clearly teaches Satan is the God of this world.

Doesn't that help a lot of stuff to make more sense?

The church is rich enough to buy up armies and navies.

William Blake once famously said that John Milton, the author of "Paradise Lost", was Blake famously wrote that Milton was "of the Devil's party without knowing it." The sequel "Paradise Regained" is far less convincing artistically than "Paradise Lost" is. Milton's Jesus is also much less sympathetic in some senses than angry arrogant Lucifer who rants "Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n." (There is no basis in the 66 book canon for saying that Satan rules in Hell; he is merely another prisoner there.)

The same problem exists with the Endowment. Its author(s) end up making Lucifer the most rounded character in a collection of cardboard cutouts and two-dimensional tropes. If you were an LDS actor, then Lucifer would be a more fulfilling role to play in that drama than any of the others. The Endowment Lucifer is essentially a Promethean figure, who brings knowledge to mankind as well as priestly costumes and priesthoods. Lucifer even pops up when Adam offers a sincere prayer while Elohim and Jehovah don't answer. (The Greek myth of Prometheus has often been co-opted/conflated in high circles as an encoded form of Lucifer for "normies", because he brought useful gifts from the gods and was punished for it.)

The Endowment borrows liberally from Freemasonry and there are persistent rumours that the highest degrees of Masonry have certain positive ideas about Masonry. Secrecy in Mormonism and Masonry has not served either well.

I can't edit the last post but I hope it is obvious what I meant about Blake and Milton.

I was taught, in Primary, circa 1956, that when Milton got married, he soon began writing "Paradise Lost" and that years later, when his wife died, Milton wrote "Paradise Regained."

I've never had reason to dispute what my Primary teacher said...

All religious doctrines are incoherent. They're formed as small ideas that then get applied beyond their original scope. New issues arise and new answers and doctrines are created for the needs of the moment. Eventually it all falls apart as a series of faith kluges and perhaps a new religion is created or other solutions arise in the society.

Have you seen this video of literal temple worship? Most of these youth don't even know what goes on in a temple.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-j7oAdPwdEE

After a “wedding couple” pops out of the temple - why do the youth worshipping the temple look like they’re giving the Hitler salute??

LDS leaders originated the idea Lucifer would force us to do good? Where did that come from?