Just as mormons have tried to downplay any ties to freemasonry, masons have. Joseph smith, in reply, said that the endowment was older than masonry and had been revealed anew through him and that masonry was merely a corruption of the original endowment. He wrote or translated the book of mormon whichever you prefer at a time when antimasonry was at something of a height in th. Joseph smith, brigham young, john taylor, wilford woodruff, and lorenzo snow all were members of the fraternity. Masonry the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. With the publication of the book of mormon, commentators on both sides. Anti masonic rhetoric and the book of mormon paul mouritsen journal of book of mormon studies 121 2003. Riley, in effect, went back to exploring the kinds of parallels campbell had suggested between the nineteenthcentury. Yesterday i downloaded a file by ed decker at mad his name was always used with the word virul so given they dont like him he must be okay. Joseph smith was a very prominent mason in pennsylvania, the temple museum had a second edition book of mormon gifted to them by joseph smith himself, apparently he was a mason of the highest level, and achieved such a level in an unusually short period of time, supposedly because of the divine instruction he was receiving about temple. Some have suggested that during joseph smith s day, secret combinations exclusively referred to a wellknown fraternity called the freemasons or masons, and that this fact supports the theory that the book of.
The full text of this account can also be found in karen lynn davidson, david j. As the mormon movement grew into its ohio and missouri era, joseph appeared to make several attempts to restore freemasonry outside the bounds of the organized fraternity. Exploring the connection between mormons and masons deseret. Captain morgan and the masonic influence in mormonism. Some of mormons and masons is based on browns prior studies and writings, but he didnt just. Was mormon founder joseph smith a 33 degree free mason. Hiram abiff, by the way, is an important figure in the legend and lore of masonic history. Joseph had access to the book of enoch during the revamping of his history. Joseph smith, freemasonry, and ancient occult teachings. Are the striking similarities of freemasonry found in.
Woodbridge riley questioned it in his 1902 book, the founder of mormonism. Mormonism, masonry, and mischief byu scholarsarchive. Part 1 of book of mormon warnings of secret combinations. Why am i watching a video made by mormons at 1 oclock in the morning. The making of mormon cosmology, 16441844, noted the following in reference to the story of the discovery of the gold. However, there was a disagreement between the masons and joseph smith about the rituals that the masons were doing. In the evening i received the first degree in freemasonry in the nauvoo lodge, assembled in my general business office. Joseph smith then returned the golden plates along with some other items to a cave in the hill cumorah.
The church of jesus christ of latterday saints, sometimes seen abbreviated as lds, was organized by joseph smith after he experienced a series of visions from 1826 to 1830 that called him to restore true christianity. After publishing a book in which he revealed the masonic ritual, william morgan. What is the true story behind joseph smith and masons. Great historical overview of joseph smiths link to masonry and temple rites. Reading about joseph smith and early lds church history led me to believe that joseph smith was killed by a mob of masons. Throughout the book of mormon, the phrase secret combinations is used to describe the evil activities of secret, oathbound societies like the gadianton robbers.
Freemasonry and the temple encyclopedia of mormonism. What is the relationship between masonic lodge rites and latterday saint temple ordinances. Exploring the connection between mormons and masons. Within a week of the book of mormons publication, joseph smith baptised. Captain morgan and the masonic influence in mormonism chapter pages 151169 from.
In december 1841, 18 mormon masons organized a lodge in nauvoo. There are several ways to approach this, the simplest way to deal with it is to assume that he had a change of opinion. According to mormon tradition, joseph smith found golden plates containing the book of mormon by digging into the hill cumorah and he even refers to the plates as the keystone of his religion on the title page of the book of mormon. Latterday saint authors have traditionally wanted to distance joseph smith from the. That joseph smith, brigham young, and other early church leaders were, at least for.
And the masons had a similar rule as well, no mormon could be a mason. Joseph smith himself was the son of joseph smith, sr. Concerning this record, the prophet joseph smith, who translated it by the gift and power of god, said, i told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book see the introduction at the. The history of freemasonry in america began as early as english. Joseph smith history of the church wednesday, march 16. Is there a relationship between the masonic lodge rites and mormon temple ordinances. Early mormon temple masons were told by joseph smith that the masonic rituals were sourced from the old testiment melzhizedek priesthood but had become distorted.
Matthew brown graduated from byu with a degree in history. The restored gospel preached by joseph smith had a remarkable attraction to members of the masonic fraternity. Historical sources do not explain joseph smiths motives for joining the freemasons. Joseph smith received the first three degrees of masonry on march 15th and 16th of 1842. See nauvoo masonic lodge minute book 1, 15 march 1842, chl. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Reflected in book of mormon joseph smith becomes a mason masonry in temple ritual only one explanation embarrassing questions conclusion. Top 10 embarrassments of the mormon religion listverse. Andrus claims that joseph smith obtained essential elements of the.
Some of the areas impacted by masonic lore and ritual include the book of mormon, joseph s personal life, and the lds temple ceremony. Moroni moroni delivering the book of mormon to joseph smith, lithograph, 1886. Church founder joseph smith and his brother, hyrum, were. If joseph smith seems to be condemning the masons in the. Thus, some nauvoo masons thought of the endowment as a restoration of a ritual only imperfectly preserved in freemasonry and viewed joseph smith as a master of the underlying principles and allegorical symbolism heber c. The prophet joseph smith suggested that the endowment and freemasonry in part emanated from the same ancient spring. Hereafter the term the prophet will refer to joseph smith, unless otherwise designated. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. Joseph smith s claim of receiving gold plates from a holy angel, has attracted over ten million converts to the mormon church, a church which doubles its population every 10 to 12 years at the rate of 840 new members a day. The moroni visit changed over time, and the church was willing to put money down to hide that fact. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture.
The book of enoch was clearly in the jst teams hands by the time the joseph smith history was written. History of the church, by joseph smith, deseret book, 1978, vol. The following summarizes the comparisons between the masonic legend of enoch and joseph smith s story. Smith translated the book of mormon from gold plates that he said the angel moroni revealed to him. The video also notes that while joseph became a mason only in nauvoo on march 15, 1842, his brother hyrum joined a masonic lodge in palmyra, new york, and that joseph smith, sr. Smith claimed the angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a. Less than two months later may 4, 1842 he gave the endowment ceremonies. Freemasonry is a centuriesold, worldwide group of fraternal organ.
After joseph smith was murdered in cold blood, brigham young made it a rule that any mormon who became a mason was excommunicated. No, such striking similarities are proof that joseph smith was a simple farmhand chosen by god to be a prophet. The subject of joseph smith and freemasonry sparks a wide range of responses. This seems to have been a stepping stone or preparation for something else, the true origin of masonry. During the third week of march, 1830, the book of mormon was offered for sale at palmyra, new york. Joseph smith s involvement with magic, masonry, and the occult how joseph smith put it all together.
The relationship between mormonism and freemasonry began early in the life joseph smith. Joseph smith, 1832 history, in joseph smith letterbook, ms 155, box 2, folder 2, 5, church history library, salt lake city. The temple ceremony or the endowment is nothing less or more than joseph smith s copying of masonic rituals. Smith plagiarized 478 verses from the book of isaiah, and 201 are identical to the king james bible. Here are 5 fascinating facts about latterday saints and masons. The materials that are listed here represent a variety of opinions that are held by latterday saints on this topic. Masons told a story about how their ancient forebears had learned stonemasonry, used it to build solomons temple, protected the temple site, and held knowledge about their craft as a closely guarded secret. Lee, who was executed for his part in the mountain meadows massacre, wrote about smith s giving the masonic distress sign before dying, joseph left the door, sprang through the window, and cried out, oh lord, my god, is there no help for the widows son. The spalding theory, which still has its advocates, dominated mormon and anti mormon literature until i. I was with the masonic lodge and rose to the sublime degree.
This summary page contains bibliographic references for various electronic and print items that discuss or are related to the mormonism and freemasonry issue. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers. The hidden connection between freemasons and mormons. Mormon temple worship shares an extensive commonality of symbols, signs, vocabulary and clothing with freemasonry, including robes, aprons, handshakes, ritualistic raising of the arms, etc. Its been nearly a quarter of a century since freemasons in utah. In this helpful guide, trusted lds scholar matthew b. Everett collection historicalalamy the book of mormon told the 1,000year history of the israelites, who were led from jerusalem to a promised land in the western hemisphere. Modern lds scholars have dismissed joseph smith s claim about that the masonic temple ceremony is from the old testament. Even the symbols on lds temple garments precisely the same the major symbols of a freemason, which are tools of a stone mason. The masonic roots of joseph smith and mormonism the left.
The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Joseph smiths negotiations to publish the book of mormon. Joseph smith, founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, was a freemason. The subject of joseph smith and freemasonry sparks a wide range of responses among latterday saints, from curiosity to suspicion to outright excitement. Brown clearly and skillfully addresses the subjects history, theology, traditional understandings, and myths. Enochs treasure includes a gold plate with engravings. The most consistent thing about histories of freemasonry by its most eminent historians is the noncommittal position in. There are specific quotes in the book of mormon that are found in the king james bible and other modern works that joseph smith had access to.
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