Thursday, August 18, 2011

Freemasons and the LDS Temple Ceremonies

For over 150 years, there has been contention about whether the LDS temple ceremonies were essentially stolen from the initiation rituals of Freemasonry. As it happens, I am a Freemason; of course, long-time readers of this blog are well-aware that I am a Latter-day Saint, as well. Being intimately familiar both with the LDS temple ceremonies and the Masonic initiation rituals, I have some thoughts on this matter. I shall be presenting those thoughts as a streaming video on the Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry website (http://www.weofm.org/) this Saturday, August 20, at 8 p.m. Eastern. Thereafter, the hourlong presentation will be available through the Video tab on the WEOFM website, at least through the end of 2015.

I have wanted to address the controversy on this issue in a productive way for many years. I am very grateful to the Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry, and its current master, Brother Albert McClelland, for giving me this opportunity to present my thoughts. My presentation is respectful to both traditions; this is not an expose of either. This is not a “talking head” show, either; I have included hundreds of photos and illustrations.

I am looking into publishing an expanded version of this presentation through an on-demand publisher. Watch this space for more details. In the meantime, enjoy the video presentation.