Posted by:
bobcat
(
)
Date: November 14, 2010 12:40AM
My dad was a Mason as was my grandfather. Yes, there are many similarities & to anybody who knows about the Masonic rituals, it's obvious that JS used it as the model for the temple ritual, what with the aprons, handshakes, etc. What I meant in the earlier post was that the Masonic ritual is a great deal more interesting, IMO, than the repetitive drivel in a Morg temple. After years of temple attendance before I walked away from all that, after listening to my dad & attending grandpa's funeral which was conducted by his Masonic Lodge members, and after reading just about all of the recommended links found on the RFM board, it seems to me that the Masonic ritual has a much clearer story line & purpose than the promised enlightening knowledge one is supposed to receive in the Morg temple rituals.
I went through when the throat-slashing, etc., was part of the ceremony. I remember thinking at the time how similar it was to a scene from the movie Murder By Decree when Christopher Plummer acted out the slashed throat, ripped out heart, & disembowelment. Of course, by then, it was too late to leave the temple endowment session for me & all of it gave me much to contemplate for many years afterwards, basically, "What the Hell did I get myself into?"
The "we will go down," the "return & report," the bad acting & ridiculous makeup, the "lions & tigers, & bears, oh my," line, & the fact that I never learned anything other than I was bound by a blood oath to a church, has made me realize that the Masonic rituals at least stick to a storyline & isn't half as convoluted as the Morg temple ceremony.
I wasn't trying to spread misinformation nor am I delusional. Neither Dad nor Grandpa ever commented about Masonic initiates falling asleep during their ceremony, but I can sure remember that "Awake & arise" in the Morg temple ceremony was a cue for many male participants to stir themselves from their snoring.