I'd like to preface by saying thanks to everyone who helped answer my temple question about what actually happens at a sealing.

Again I'm a never-mo but live in an area of Phoenix littered with them, mori of my girlfriend are. I've seen the whole endowment on youtube from beginning to end and it freaked the hell out of me. Have any of you known anyone to freak out in a "session" (what they're called, correct?)? Or any friend freak out to the point they canceled their mission or their upcoming wedding? Know anyone to actually leave the ceremony?

I've been to a fair share of baby blessings and farewells, but those aren't anything like a temple anything. I would think more than a few people would just leave because it's unlike anything of the mormn-norm.

I'm interested in freak out temple stories, please tell me you have some?

I don't know why I am so fascinated by mormons temples or mormons for that matter.

Was a faithful regular temple goer for decades. I never once saw a "freak-out."

But the environment is so oppressive it doesn't really encourage that.

The first time people they go through, they are generally escorted by a close friend (or someone who is trying to be) and are surrounded by people whom they trust (very often their bishop, family members, and endowed friends).

The room is often filled with people who OBVIOUSLY know what they are doing, and THEY aren't freaking out, so why should the new person. If someone is inclined to freak, they will likely think there is something wrong with themselves, as all those other people have it all together.

Cult.

That namby pamby current version of the endowment freaked you out?? Buddy, you REALLY need to research the pre 1990 version.

I've researched the old one, death oaths? Beyond creepy! Unfortunately youtube doesn't have all that!

Man I really wish they had YouTube back in the 80's

My cousin's BIC TBM wife had a freak out getting the namby pamby post-1990 endowments. I found this out from my younger hipster TBM sister. It was because no one had prepared her for anything, despite the fact that she had gone to "preparedness classes".

captainlee....me too I am in phoenix...its all fascinating and they are every where!...I have asked this many times...I can say if I were ever in that Temple I would freak out!! Big time...lmao

Did I freak out? Nope. But I'm now posting/lurking on rfm. :/

Seeing the Temple Ceremony gave me the mental freedom to think my way out of the church -- it was SO crazy, and no one else seemed to think so. It took a couple of months before the cog-dis (or whatever) was too much, and I snapped out of mo-mode.

How can anyone think the ceremony is sane?

My MORmON male parent had his freak out after attending the temple for the first time. Days later he went into some kind of funk. they thought he was possessed. the bishop came over, he demanded to see the secret handshakes to know if the bishop was a legit messenger of God, just like the deal as portrayed in the temple ceremony between adam and peter james and john, which is also a big no no out side of the LDS temple, the Bishop relented and gave the secret handshake to my dad. then they gave him a blessing to get rid of the evil spirit that they figured had possessed him.

My goofy aunt let it slip out that there where secret handshakes in the temple ceremony when I was about 10. I thought there is NO way that the temple ceremony has anything THAT stupid in it.
because the temple ceremony is splendid and profound .... WHATEVER IT IS !!!!!

9 years later when I went through the temple prior to my full time mission. there were the STUPID secret handshakes.

I should have said: "that's it, This is BS!" right then, but what did I do ? I went out and sold this LDS BS because I was a real MORmON!

When Brenda Lafferty was murdered MORmON temple penalties style, I was really shaken up. should have quit then too, but I did not. I just had to have my ass kicked even more.

STUPID DAMN CULT!!!!

A lot of people go through for the first time, not just surrounded by those they love and trust, but prior to a big, huge life event like a mission or marriage. They've spent months preparing for this event and everyone knows they are leaving for the Tokyo, Japan mission or has received their wedding invitation. They CAN'T freak out because there are two layers of social pressure, from those inside and those outside the temple. Some people never go back. Most people just figure they need to understand things better and that the fault lies with them. If only they go to the temple a few more times ...

After a while, it becomes normal, purely through repetition. And you often grow to like it because you feel like you are special, spiritual, chosen. It's a feeling of self-satisfaction, rather than peace.

Isn't it funny how the LD$ inc. ties that super-secret ceremony to these big life events. This is an abusive trap - especially for non-RM women, as they are essentially coerced into accepting the temple rites or not marrying the love of their life.

Your point is one of the reasons I started questioning! Especially when my older sister was visibly shaking after her first session and couldn't talk to me about it. (She went after one year of marriage, so it wasn't wedding jitters.) And, get this. . . she denies being shaken by it now, which is highly disturbing to me.

I remember hearing about a youg women in our ward who freaked out on her wedding day and the story to follow was that she wasn't worthy and just couldn't go through with it. Now I'm wondering if that was just a coverup! Wouldn't that be classic.

I definitely freaked out, but I kept it to myself and went on my mission anyway. Once, after a mission-wide session, a fellow elder asked out loud if anyone else felt as "weird, like a fish out of water" as he did afterwards. He said it as we were all descending the steps in front of the Mesa temple, and everyone within earshot went completely silent. I've chided myself numerous times for not speaking up, but I did tell him later that I agreed. He was one of my favorite fellow mishies, and one example of why I was able to make it through the full 2 years. He basically spent his entire mission in trouble for speaking his mind and I'll always admire him for that.

I went through the temple with my bishop and his son that had his mission call ----- so it was his first time. Well, after that session he told his dad/bishop there was no way in the world he was going on a mission or back to church ------ he sill doesn't attend. I wish I was that smart then!

Awesome! I admire him for doing that.

I went through in the 70's. I spent my freshman year at a local (non church) college before my mission. The college had a book in the library that explained the endowment, word for word, with pictures. I checked the book out and read it. After all, no one makes covenants before they go to the temple that they won't read about it, do they? End result was I was entirely prepared and hence, no freak out.

When I went to the temple for the first time, I had a terrible panic attack while sitting thru the endowment session. This was in the Washington DC temple, and it was the straw that broke the camels back for me.

Mind you, I'm not a weiner by any means - I'm a good ol' college degree holding country boy who has worked in and around the mines for years, (I knew four of the guys killed in the Upper Big Branch mine explosion a while back), I live and thrive in the hills of appalachia, and few things rattle me - but this did.

I was also a fourth generation BIC mormon, descended from some of the first members in West Virginia.

None of this prepared me for the just down right creepiness and ritualistic Rocky Horror Picture show-ish mumbo jumbo that is the temple ceremony.

I am free, and happy about it!!!

Well, I'm pretty much a wiener, and the ceremony freaked me out as well. I briefly lost my testimony halfway through the first session, but by the time I reached the celestial room and saw my smiling parents, I was okay again. Never freaked out after that. Now I just think the whole damned thing's just so silly.

was this before or after 1990 when they took out the mock throat slashing and other gore ?

I do know a young girl who freaked out and didn't go through with her wedding. They did get married civilly later, but she was so upset that she was crying and she refused to ever go into the temple again. I don't think she stayed in the Church either. I saw her only occasionally after that incident.

I vaguely remember one other person who freaked, but I can't remember the details of that one.

There'd probably be a lot more freak-outs if you could remember how to get out!

I definitely wanted to run, but all I could think was "OH SH*T!! I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!"

Because you have to go through so many different rooms and processes and it is very confusing, if you aren't paying attention you'll be trapped.

Great observation!! It's like a casino!!

In 1989 I.went thru the SLC temple for my own endowment. There 4 of us noobies. One 20 something woman bailed out about halfway thru. It was confusing, but I remember respecting her ability to resist the enormous pressure placed on us to "trust" and simply go thru the motions. It was creepy. I worried.that someone would touch my man parts. Weird. Weird. Weird.

There was a couple in our Ward that converted to TSCC, were extremely active and faithful and, after a year, went to the temple.

We never saw them again. I gather that they stayed through the entire thing, but were so put off by it that they just walked away. Yea, them!

A voice in the wilderness again. The forms of the endowment make much more sense when we understand their historical bases. The "blood oaths" originally were understood as what outsiders would likely do to the initiated few if the outsiders ever learned their identity.

As far as moving from room to room: for whatever reasons, the designers of the endowment chose to model the ceremony after the old Greek mysteries, especially those of Eleusis. The Masons typically do not progress through a series of rooms. In fact it would not be stretching the truth to declare that Mormonism is a living example of a real-life mystery religion. Do some research and you will be amazed at the parallels.

slskipper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>... The "blood oaths" originally were understood as what outsiders would
> likely do to the initiated few if the outsiders ever learned their identity.

Technically that is correct, for the endowment version from the 1930s to 1990. The wording is "...rather than reveal the [first/second/token of the Aaronic/Melchizedek] priesthood, I would suffer my life to be taken." Although it was referred to as a "penalty," it was not the wording of a real penalty. It implied that outsiders would be taking the life of the Mormon for NOT revealing the token.

However, in the earlier version, it was indeed worded as a penalty. The wording of the penalty for the first token of the Aaronic priesthood was:

"We, and each of us, covenant and promise that we will not reveal
any of the secrets of this, the first token of the Aaronic priesthood,
with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so, we agree
that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by
their roots."

That is quite different, and implies that violating the secrecy would invoke death by Mormon enforcers.

The other two penalties were also quite graphic:

"We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not reveal
the secrets of this, the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood,
with its accompanying name, sign, grip or penalty. Should we do so,
we agree to have our breasts cut open and our hearts and vitals torn
from our bodies and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of
the field."

"We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not
reveal any of the secrets of this, the First Token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do
so, we agree that our bodies be cut asunder in the midst and all our
bowels gush out."

Those are visually graphic and ugly oaths! No wonder my In-laws avoided going to the temple! They went through in the 40s. Their parents who went through in the 1920s didn't go back either....who would? Ick "gushing out" "fed to the birds" "torn out by the roots."

We both speak the tgruth. I was referring to the very first incarnation of the rite, as a set if simple password/countersign exchanges by the Templars post-downfall, used to identify fellow Templars and also to warn each other graphically of the fate that awaited them from outsiders if any of them were revealed to the authorities. And in the 1300's, the authorities would not hesitate for a second to disembowel anybody they wanted to.

Over the years the reasons for all these oddities were lost (or else repurposed for the benefit of this or that Masonic-style leader, to where the penalties became weapons of control by the group rather than shared reminders of the infamy of the outside power establishment. Certainly that is how BY saw it. As usual, he completely turned around the original meaning.

I have been very comfortable with tscc and even the temple when I was going through. I read how many of you had problems processing or believing. I've often wondered why I didn't have so much stress going through the temple or even in much of what the church taught.

I mean, I was wondering if I was completely gullible all the time and a huge idiot.

For me, if something seems irrelevant or strange, I assume there's a spiritual dimension I'm not understanding and will do so later. Also, I looked at a lot of stuff in a symbolic way.

Like the signs and tokens, I didn't believe it literally. I figured it was symbolic and mysterious and I didn't get it, yet. However, later while visiting the temple, I had a respected older brother known for his intelligence and spirituality speak to a group of us regarding symbolism in the temple. He pointed out a bunch of numerology things in aspects of the temple and the clothing. Afterwards, I looked at the things he said and realized he had everything wrong. People do deceive themselves.

As for the washing and anointing, if you're familiar with the OT, this is exactly what Moses did to Aaron and his sons in preparation of sacrificing in the Temple. Hence, the initiatory was acceptable to me. Although, I did go through only in 2007 and I didn't have to get nekkid and groped.

The endowment portion was boring. A rehash of genesis, really? No new knowledge, no new doctrine. Nothing uplifting. To me the temple was just some place to go and meditate while they played a movie. Ultimately, I stopped because I felt I learned more staying at home and setting aside some time to ponder/meditate. There was too much busy-ness in the temple with all the covenants and such.

I was glad to learn the temple was false. It means God is more inclusive and less partisan than I was begining to think.

Prior to taking out my endowment, pre-mission, I had a feeling it would be weird, and I certainly wasn't dissappointed. I remember sitting in the endowment room for the first time listening to the tape and watching the movie, but feeling terrible because all the while I was thinking to myself "holy crap, this is totally invasion of the body snatchers". My family were in tears of joy and all smiles but all I could think was, "handshakes and passwords? This is bullsh#t".

The hand coming at you through the veil? Trying to repeat the name for the partriarchal grip (or sure sign of the nail) took forever. I had this old-as-dirt veil worker who whispered and was almost completely deaf. By the end of it - I had to keep asking him to speak up - he was yelling the script "HEALTH IN THE NAVEL!! MARROW IN THE BONES!! I started laughing, which helped alleviate my nervous tension, but did not impress my family.

I was disappointed. I kept waiting for the "big reveal." I thought there would be hidden doctrine and truth revealed. You know: MEAT. There was virtually nothing other than a lot of stuff borrowed from the Masons. I was well prepared for that since I had read extensively on the ceremony. I knew the explanation that the masons had a corrupted form. I tried to convince myself of that. I went in the 1970's to a live session the first time. Where we did the slashing throat stuff and old people played Adam and Eve. But as others had said, there is so much social pressure, so many family members are with you and friends that you just keep going. I was more focused on the wedding and the huge mistake I knew I was making. It is easier to see how weird it is when you read it or watch a video and aren't in the actual moment. If you think about it objectivly a lot of religious ceremonies are rather weird, if not appalling. Take the Jewish circumcism for just one example. Even the whole eating of the actual blood and body of Jesus is rather weird if you actually believe that. So, you just play along.

I went through the SLC temple in 1980 for my endowments and sealing. No freak out then. In fact, I didn't remember much about it for many years.

Fast forward to 2003. I'm sitting in a room where a ritual is being performed by Thelemites (Google it) and they are using the same or similar signs and tokens and I start to freak completely out and want to run. I realized I had been given the same ones in the temple but at that time I had also learned to penalties for revealing these things to outsiders. Something in my brain snapped.

Even though I'd left the morg many years before, that was when I finally needed answers about the temple, the BOM and all the rest and I originally found RFM.

I'm so grateful that someone besides me has witnessed the same rituals performed. I saw it with the OTO, whose purpose is to force one's will upon the cosmos rather than discern God's will and become aligned with it.

Thelema is OTO. :)

Personally, I didn't have a freak-out (went through in 1991) but that's primarily because my relatives made sure that I was very prepared, and because I was thoroughly indoctrinated by a lifetime in the church by then.

I once saw a freak-out in the Provo temple. It was a young man going through for the first time with a huge group of family. He got up and left at the part of the endowment where the "God will not be mocked" threat is heard. His family/friends all left, too.

My mom once told me about a freak-out she witnessed in the 70s, back when the endowment was even more scary. She was the escort for a very young bride who freaked out at the end of her own endowment, at the veil. She refused to go through with the rest of the endowment and the sealing, even though she loved her fiance very much.

Thank you everyone for all your replies! It really is fascinating and mind boggling at the same time.