Singular Saints

Over the past few weeks I’ve been watching the reaction to Big Love’s “Outer Darkness” episode and have come to the conclusion that ignorance is both blissful and dangerous.  I’m still at somewhat of a loss to understand why the producers felt it was necessary to include depictions of elements of the LDS Temple ceremonies.  Forgeries are worthless to all but the ignorant - and it seems so in this case.

The blog traffic by non Mormons seems split between sympathy for Barb’s torn feelings and dismissive of the importance of the ritual. What is utterly lacking is any objective, informed discussion of whether or not there might be any substance to the subject.  This is unfortunate, since there are qualified sources who have discussed the prevalence and history of signs, symbols and gestures in religious practice and fraternal organizations going back as far as the earliest civilizations; The Minoans’ (2700 to 1459 B.C) and Egyptians (3100 B.C. - 450 A.D.) both left evidence.  J.S.M. Ward’s “Secret Sign Languages” contains several examples of just how ancient some of the gestures are - far predating the foundation of the modern Masonic order.

More recently, there has been enough information published to allow anyone to become informed on the content and scope of many symbolic rites, including the LDS and Mason’s, and develop an informed opinion on the similarities and differences.  Further, the details of early LDS history are coming out in much greater depth, to the point where it’s possible to even pin down the date, time and place of events in the life of Joseph Smith which are related to the temple. In “The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith”, Scott Faulring noted that on March 15th and 16th, 1842  Joseph officiated at the installation of the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge and received the first three degrees of Masonry.  This was *after* his references to the the grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood and the temple were prepared for publication in the March 15th edition (Volume III No. 10) of the Times and Seasons.  Clearly, Joseph knew about signs, tokens and key-words before his brief association with Masonry. Unfortunately he didn’t publically comment on Masonry, as far as we know. However, he openly emphasized how important it was for the Latter-Day Saints to obtain the knowledge available in the temple.

I note also that what was depicted in the Big Love episode bears no resemblance to any Masonic ritual which I am aware of.  (See Michael Bradley’s “The Secrets of the Freemasons”)

ScienceDaily (2009-03-24) — Individuals who eat more red meat and processed meat appear to have a modestly increased risk of death from all causes and also from cancer or heart disease over a 10-year period, according to a new article. In contrast, a higher intake of white meat appeared to be associated with a slightly decreased risk for overall death and cancer death.

I’m reminded of a blonde football joke I heard recently:

A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team’s bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience.

“Oh, I really liked it,” she replied, “especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn’t understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents.”

Dumbfounded, her date asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: ‘Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!’  I’m like…Helloooooo? It’s only 25 cents!!!!”

There are times  when we think we know what someone else is doing, but we don’t have a clue why  they are doing it.  I suspect this is true of the situation regarding Sunday’s episode of Big Love.

Anyone who has ever seen a LDS temple - the Salt Lake temple in particular - has probably asked themselves; “What are they doing in there?”  Mormon’s reluctance to discuss the subject probably doesn’t help - although the answer is really very simple.

They are making promises and helping others who can’t help themselves.

The promises Mormons make inside the temple have a lot to do with the way they act outside the temple.  They are the reason that between between 1985 and 2008 LDS Humanitarian Services provided more than $1.11 billion in aid to needy individuals in 167 countries and recently shipped over 100,000 pounds of medical supplies to Myanmar.  The promises they make to keep the commandments are why Latter-Day Saints are known for their honesty and integrity.  The promises they make to be faithful to their spouses and children is why they have a reputation for strong families.  The promises they make are also the reason when a prominent Latter-Day Saint falls short of perfection, they can expect to be vilified in the press.

There is no doubt that what is done inside LDS temples is different than what happens outside.  Everything about the temple is intended to elevate your thoughts and actions towards becoming more Christlike. This may not be obvious to the casual observer and it’s highly unlikely that any depiciton on screen or stage can address that deeper question.  It’s about much more than getting the quarter back.  It’s about learning to be unselfish, keeping commitments, being honest, reliable and consistent - all the things we hope for in others and expect of God.

With the increasing buzz over this coming Sunday’s episode of “Big Love”, which is supposed to feature elements of the LDS Temple Endowment, I found myself wondering if there wasn’t some sort of hidden agenda going on.  A quick search on the web turned up that Mark V. Olsen and WIll Scheffer, the executive producer and lead writer of the series, are in an openly gay relationship.

Maybe they’ll do an episode where the Henricksons visit the stock exchange and see the addresses and phone numbers of all the contributors to Prop 8 scrolling on the quote boards.  Better yet, they can use the names and addresses of all the Mormons who contributed to Prop 8 as the guest list for an upcoming episode featuring the largest polygamous wedding in history. But that wouldn’t be about Mormon’s either now, would it? 

It seems to me that the secret/hidden agenda in this is in Olsen and Scheffer’s script, not the Latter-Day Saints Temple ceremony and this not so subtle manouver is an attempt at blackmail of the lowest grade. On another blog I saw a comment which read; “Stay out of my bedroom and I’ll stay out of your temple.”

That is a very interesting comment as it contrasts what goes on in the bedroom of gay couples with what goes on in the temple. It is that association that illustrates the pettiness and deceit in the airing of what are sacred ceremonies.

I think the bigger question is whether it’s even possible to have a dialog on a higher level.  The Latter-Day Saints and homosexuals have a clear disagreement regarding what does and does not constitute appropriate expressions of human sexuality, marriage and family.   In terms of numbers; there are about 1.5 million Big Love viewers and 6 million Mormons in the U.S.  The CDC estimates that 2.3% of of the U.S. population is homosexual, so does that make the LDS a protected minority too?

At the same time, perhaps it’s time to become more familiar (and open) with what is in the scriptures regarding the temple and temple worship.  For example, here are Moses’ instructions regarding the clothing to be worn by the sons of Aaron who were to serve in the House of the Lord:
Exodus 28:40 “For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.

Exodus 28:42 “You shall make for them linen breeches to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs.

Leviticus 16:4 “He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on.

Later, the Savior said: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven…”

“Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops”

It is left to the reader to decide who in this story is revealing things that are done in darkness.

-df

I came across an interesting factoid the other day which challenged on of my assumptions about space-time. Although I knew that the rotational velocity of the earth is slowing, I didn’t consider how that may have had an impact on the creation story.   Genesis 1:5 says: “And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” The Hebrew word used here is yom (ש”ע) יום .

According to the article on Wikipedia; The length of one day about 4.5 billion years ago was about six hours. It was 21.9 hours 620 million years ago as recorded by rhythmites (alternating layers in sandstone). Because of the way the second is defined, the length of a day is increasing by about 1.7 milliseconds per century.

Depending on how literal you want to be about the creation story, this would have the effect of speeding up the “daily” rate of progress on the infant earth by about 400%, since a day is the time interval between light and darkness.

ScienceDaily (2008-06-16) — Scientists have identified brain patterns that help healthy older people regulate and control emotion better than their younger counterparts. The study identified two regions in the brain that showed increased activity when participants over the age of 60 were shown standardized pictures of emotionally challenging situations. (Click for more details.)

I heard a rumor today that Friday’s episode of Law and Order featured garments, but from the blog traffic on this it would appear that the context was a story about some “fundamentalist” teenage boys from a polygamous faith who are involved in a murder investigation and have drawn on their personal underwear.  I haven’t seen the episode and probably won’t go out of my way to, but it seems to me that LDS reaction to this can make a big difference in avoiding amplifying any sense of persecution in the wake of Prop 8.

Latter Day Saints aren’t the only group that has distinguishing clothing. Policemen, Firemen, Soldiers, Sailors and able bodied Seamen all wear special clothing. So do Catholic, Lutheran and Presbyterian ministers, and Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto monks. The big difference is that they all wear their vestments on the outside while Latter-day Saints wear them under their clothes.

In both cases, the clothing is a reminder of the commitment and dedication the wearer has to their faith or their job.  The big difference between LDS deacons, teachers. priests and high priests is that there are many times more of them in a typical congregation than in a protestant or catholic congregation.  A Christian minister, someone who has totally committed themself to Christ, wears special clothing to manifest and remind that they are different, set apart from the rest of the congregation.  In the LDS Church, there may be dozens of men who have made that same commitment and they will be wearing a symbol of that just like the others do.  What is so surprising about Mormons being embarrassed to have their underwear exposed in public?  Try going up to someone at work and saying; “Hey!  Show me those Victoria’s Secrets!”  and see what happens.

For some comparisons here are some links to sites that explain Catholic , Syriac and other vestments. Legal justices wear them too.  We even wear robes when we get our diplomas in High School.  What’s all the fuss?

It’s hard not to think that this isn’t the result of the BLTG agenda in LA taking another swipe at Mormons for Prop 8.  As for me, I’m neither ashamed of my underwear or my commitment to my faith, just modest about them.

The daily news is full of commentary and observations about the current financial crisis.  Today’s hot button is the proposal to give new (first time?) homebuyers a break by offering them loans at 4.5% interest.  That’s not a bad place to start, but it doesn’t go far enough IMHO.  The problem is that it doesn’t really solve the real problem, which is that with $10.5 Trillion in mortgage debt, assuming 4.5 percent interest and a term of 30 years the interest alone totals 30 trillion dollars.  That’s got to come from somewhere and the where is *you* working for the next 30 years to pay off the principle and twice that in interest.

It amazes me to hear people talk about “the government” giving money to business to help them survive. Where do people think that money is coming from when the National Debt is already 10.6 Trillion dollars? It’s another loan ie; more debt.  A more effective solution would be to cut interest rates to zero and let *everyone* refinance for a limited time, say, 7 years.  That way we all don’t end up paying three times more for our houses than they are actually worth. Once you’ve done that, the payments can be reduced to a reasonable level. The result; *everyone* gets out of debt sooner.  This would dramatically change banks’ business model for a while, but it lets everyone openly share the burden - which we’re all going to have to do anyway.  It beats the alternative; bankruptsy.

One of the more unusual aspects of LDS scripture is the inclusion of three facsimiles of portions of Egyptian Funerary writings in the Book of Abraham.  Over the years a great deal of ink has been spilled over the question of whether Joseph Smith got it right and if so, how close did he get?   A couple of years ago I began studying hieroglyphics and Egyptian religion in an effort to try to broaden my understanding of the subject.  After buying copies of about a dozen books, viewing another dozen web sites and combing them all for relevant information, I decided to put up an article on Wikipedia on the subject of the Joseph Smith Hypocephalus, also known as Facsimile No. 2 from the Book of Abraham. (BTW - of all the books, I recommend “Hieroglyphics The Writings of Ancient Egypt” by Maria Carmela Betro and “How to Read Egyptian” by Collier and Manley, as they are both current and relevant.)

Most of the prior commentary on the subject is hopelessly out of date, based on hundred year old observations by Egyptologists who laid the foundations for the current understanding of ancient Egyptian language and culture.  Over the past 30 years some significant progress has been made in those fields and some of it is very relevant to this little scrap of papyrus.  Joseph Smith’s explanations are very interesting in the context of our current understanding of the Egyptian creation stories, particularly the involvement of a god named MN.  Some of my comments in the article may approach original research or synthesis, but it’s fascinating none the less. I found the ideographic meanings of the symbols for Khnum-Ra particularly interesting.  I tried to be strictly factual about the subject and avoid drawing any conclusions about Joseph Smith’s skill at translation or any other of the red herring/straw man issues that are usually woven into this sort of discussion.  I hope you find it interesting.

While we’re considering the dust kicked up over the LDS Church’s involvement in the GBLT rights issue, here’s another thing to be aware of; It’s already a law that the Federal Government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.  This is contained in Public Law 104-199 which you can view here. The Wikipedia article is available here. The bill was passed by Congress by a vote of 85-14 (85%) in the Senate and a vote of 342-67 (83%) in the House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996.

So, why aren’t the protesters encircling the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument or White House? Maybe I shouldn’t give them any new ideas…