What are the similarities between free masonry and the mormon faith?

Question

I already know the temple endowment ceremony was directly copied from masonic rituals of the first degree. What else?

ritual underwear, you mean garments. Yes that was the hardest thing to get off my daughters mom, her garments. They also have ritual underwear, thats too much but I think you meant garments, didnt know about the ritual aprons.

It is interesting to note that the endowment ceremony did not become a practice for mormons until Joseph Smith was a mason.

Answer 1

Suggestion to fellow LDS members: Don't get defensive about this; it's a legitimate question. Also, find out about the information before refuting it. This gentleman has some valid information and a legitimate question. Mormons and Masons actually do share a lot of key similarities.

Masons/Knights Templar uncovered lots of interesting things in their excavation of Solomon's temple during the dark ages. Many of the things they uncovered were symbolic carvings on the Temple structure, descriptions of rituals and ceremonies, and many other things. These have all been implemented into Masonic traditions and passed down in their temples. Just like the 'telephone game' children play, when the message gets passed down, it gets changed just slightly each time.

The LDS Church will tell you that the Temple rituals are a restoration of the pure version of those that were originally practiced in Solomon's temple, and that the Masonic rituals are the corrupted remains of those rituals that have been slightly modified by human error as generations have passed. Although there is much evidence to support this, there is also some evidence against it, and you can choose to believe it or not.

Both Masons and Mormons have the same carvings on their Temples as were found on the Temple of Solomon. The St George, Salt Lake, Manti, Kirtland, and Logan temples have the most of these. You can learn a lot about them on Wikipedia.

Yes, there is a ritual apron and there are Temple garments. They mostly look like a white tee and a pair of boxer briefs but they do have markings that are symbolic of the markings on Solomon's temple and of some of the rituals. They serve as a personal reminder of promises made to God for LDS members.

Joseph Smith was a mason from about 1836 onward. Mormon tradition states that upon seeing some of the Masonic rituals and their symbolism, he found a parallel with some of the revelations that he had purportedly received from God as well as some verses of the Bible where Peter writes to the high priesthood in his epistle. Upon taking this to the Lord in prayer, he was allegedly inspired to incorporate the rituals, in their original pure Solomonic form, into the Church. Because of his masonic experience, there were some Masonic methodologies that carried over into the LDS version. This dealt mainly with how the rituals were carried out, and not the rituals themselves (points of fellowship, arrangement of people and furniture in ceremony rooms, language used when presenting rituals, etc.). Because of this, later leaders in the LDS Church removed some of these 'methodologies' that didn't have a bearing on the rituals themselves, which is why they are not as similar today as they were 50 or 100 years ago.

Answer 2

I think James above stated it very well. It is not that the Mormon faith took the rituals from the Masons, but that the source of the rituals is the same (albeit the Masons from Solomons temple and handed down and the Mormons directly from God).

Answer 3

Interesting question, if nothing else. The temple endowment ceremony was not copied, it was divinely instructed to Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith was a prophet and a wonderful man, who was divinely appointed to restore the Gospel upon the earth. At 14, he prayed and was told that no other Churches on the earth had the full and complete Gospel, and was instructed by God to restore his Church. The Free Masons can't even compare.

The LDS Church has garments, not "ritual underwear." And, just for other people who have asked dumb questions in the past, we don't have horns. We don't sacrifice children or cats. We don't practice polygamy and haven't for a long time.

Answer 4

Quite a bit... but all still related to temple and endowments (i.e., symbols on garments, aprons, etc.). The mainsteam Sunday experience is relatively simple with structure, but no rituals other than sacrement (communion) and prayer.

Answer 5

Joseph Smith was trying to become a free mason or one of the higher ups, when he was rejected he came up with the LDS thing. Mormon undies have mason symbols on them and the rituals are slightly different in temple (god told JS the Masons had corrupted them)

Answer 6

We didn't copy free masons in our temple ceremonies!!!! There may be a few similarities, but that is all. I'm posting a link to a site that answers that question for you. Please read it. You many learn something. We also don't wear ritual underwear. We wear garments, yes. The temple clothing we were are symbolism's for other things. This site will explain some things about that too.

Answer 7

They line up because your suspicious ideas/nature make you spot issues that are literally not there. sure Smith became a Freemason yet it truly is the position it ends. you are able to interpret any Christian in an same way - they call it 'flora deity'... this refers to death contained in the wintry climate (Christmas, which equates to fall harvest and flora death) and being reborn contained in the spring (Easter) as a celebration of existence/eternal existence... does this analogy shrink the reality of Christianity on your eyes? no man or woman has ever been harmed be freemasons for affirming something about freemsaonry. Freemasonry is neither a cult nor a faith; there is no longer something satanic in any aspect of freemasonry - this stems from a shaggy dog tale that Leo Taxil performed in examining Albert Pike (examine up on Taxil Hoax, the in reality hoax those days is that uninformed human beings nonetheless have self belief it); you coach an intensive lack of information about freemasonry, faith, cult and LDS with this question.

Answer 8

Masons have ritual aprons, Mormons have ritual underwear.

Answer 9

The mormons love each other deeply, and so do the free masonry.

Answer 10

about the same difference as north to south