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Mormonism and Masonry: A Ritualistic Relationship?

By: Dr. Richard G. McNeill, Jr

May 14, 2005

Paper Presentation at Joint Meeting:

AZ Research Lodge # 1 & Southern CA Research Lodge

Parker, Arizona

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began in upstate New York in 1830 with six members. By 1844, when a lynch mob assassinated its 38 year old prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr., the flock had already grown to over 26, 000. Today, the Mormon Church is the fastest growing church based in North America. It has bypassed the Presbyterians, the Episcopalians, and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. The faith is expanding so rapidly that the non-Mormon sociologist Rodney Stark projects that by 2080 its membership will be approximately 265 million. It will become the most important world religion to emerge since the rise of Islam some fourteen centuries ago (Ostling & Ostling, 1999).

Today, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormon Church) live all over the world. Membership worldwide is more than 12 million, with over half of the members living outside the United States. Only 14 percent of the membership lives in Utah. About half of the members speak English as their primary language. 3,226,000 members speak Spanish as their primary language, and there are 780,000 Portugese-speaking members. 1,311,000 members speak languages other than English, Spanish, and Portugese (LDS, 2005).

The Religious Climate at Birth. Mormonism or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and written with a lowercase “d” in day, is a creature of its times.

On April 10, 1815, the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history happened on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa when Mt.Tambora exploded. Few people in North America were aware of it and almost no one was able to explain the persistent glorious pink sunrises and sunsets that the volcanic ash eventually created over New England and other places. The eruption of the volcano altered the climate and superstitious people believed that God had spoken to them to get their spiritual lives in order. Here is an account of what happened:

The following spring [1816] and one year after the [volcanic] disaster, flowers bloomed [in New England] as usual and birds began flying north [as was normal], but there was an ominous chill in the air. Farmers who should have been busy putting in their crops found themselves chopping ice instead. They all had faith that God would realize His mistake and right things again, but their hopes disappeared under a foot of snow that blanketed their fields in the middle of June. Temperatures rarely went above the forties after that until an early September killing frost set the stage for one of the coldest winters anyone could remember. New Englanders who lived through it referred to the year 1816 as “eighteen hundred and froze to death.” Even if large numbers of these people had drifted away from organized religions, all of them lived by the words of the Bible, and most of them were certain that the summer that never came and the brilliant colors in the sky were nothing less than signs and portents of Christ’s imminent Second Coming. They believed that the time was at hand to get their spiritual live in order (Harris, 2004, p. 8).

Following the climatic disaster in 1816, a episodic religious fervor swept the United States. The Second Great Awakening (approximately 1820 to 1830) was the second great religious revival in United States history (the First Great Awakening being 1730 to the years leading up to the Revolutionary War) and consisted of several kinds of activity, distinguished by locale and expression of religious commitment. In New England the renewed interest in religion inspired a wave of social activism. In western New York, the spirit of revival encouraged the emergence of new denominations. In the Appalachian region of Kentucky and Tennessee, the revival strengthened the Methodists and the Baptists, and spawned a new form of religious expression—the camp meeting.

By the end of the18th century (1700s), many educated Americans no longer professed traditional Christian beliefs. In reaction to the secularism of the age, a religious revival spread westward in the first half of the 19th century (1800s).

The evangelical enthusiasm in New England gave rise to interdenominational missionary societies, formed to evangelize the West. Members of these societies not only acted as apostles for the faith, but as educators, exponents of Eastern, urban culture. Publication and education societies promoted Christian education; most notable among them was the American Bible Society, founded in 1816. Social activism inspired by the revival gave rise to abolition groups and the Society for the Promotion of Temperance, as well as to efforts to reform prisons and care for the handicapped and mentally ill.

The revival in western New York – where Mormonism was to be born - was largely the work of Charles Grandison Finney, a lawyer from Adams, New York. The area from Lake Ontario to the Adirondack mountains had been the scene of so many religious revivals in the past that it was known as the Burned-Over District. In 1821 Finney experienced something of a religious epiphany and set out to preach the Gospel in western New York. His revivals were characterized by careful planning, powerful preaching, and many conversions. Finney preached in the Burned-Over District throughout the 1820s and the early 1830s.

Two other important religious denominations in America—The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints (LDS Church or Mormons) and the Seventh Day Adventist also got their start in the Burned-Over District (Wikipedia, 2005).

Birth of the Mormon Church Creed of Faith. On...a beautiful clear day, early in the spring of 1820 (described by Joseph Smith, Jr.'s diary, in the Burned-Over District in Palmyra, New York, a 14 year boy named Joseph Smith, Jr. had a vision. Amid the religious turmoil of the Second Great Awakening, spawned perhaps by the disastrous climatic changes in 1816, Joseph Smith sought refuge of a nearby woods where he was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ. Smith was told no existing churches practiced the true religion and that he would be an instrument by which the Church of Christ would be restored (Thorman, 2003, p. 2). Note: Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 (Barratt, 1973, p. 33).

Joseph Smith was confused about what his religious beliefs should be. Not only were there conflicting religious messages saturating western New York where he lived, in his own home, his father, his mother, and his brothers attended different churches. Joseph Smith, a 14 year old boy and raised in a religious family sought answers for himself in the woods of Palmyra, New York. Note: At the age of twelve years, Joseph had become seriously concerned with the role of religion in his life. He attended the different churches in the community and investigated their dogmas without finding satisfaction. Then he stopped attend church altogether, telling his mother, I can take my Bible , and go into the woods and learn more in two hours, than you can learn at meetings [church] in two years... (Barrett, 1973, p.43).

At age 17 and three years plus a few months after his first vision and on the evening of September 21, 1823, Joseph Smith had a second visitation, but this time not by God and Jesus but by the Angel Moroni. Moroni told Smith he was a resurrected being who had lived many centuries earlier on the American continent and that there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the sources from whence they sprang. Moroni also said that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; also that there were two stones in silver bows and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim – deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “Seers” in ancient or former times and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translated the book (written on the gold plates). Note: September is the 9th month or Masonic numbers 3 times 3 and the 21st day is composed on Masonic numbers 3 times 7. Also, exactly three years from this date, September 21, 1827, (27th year is numbers 3 times 9) Joseph is given the gold plates. Perhaps a coincidence in Joseph's carefully recorded diary?

Moroni would not allow Joseph Smith to remove the plates and other articles, but instructed him to visit the site frequently. At age 21 (age of Masonic maturity and numbers 3 times 7 and 3 months away from his 22nd birthday falling December 23, 1827), on September 21, 1827 (exactly three years to the day after the first visit by Moroni) Smith obtained the gold plates and other objects and began translating the Book of Mormon which was published by E.B. Grandin in early 1830 - again three years later (Homer, 1993, p. 5).

Note: The Mormon Church is so named in reference the Angel Moroni who visited to Joseph Smith in 1823.

According to their official website (LDS, 2005), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormon Church) is organized the same way that Christ organized His Church in New Testament times. The offices listed below are the same priesthood offices that Christ established in His Church—Apostles, Seventies, etc. Note: The Mormon Church refers to itself as the Church (uppercase “C”) and the following organization was originally constructed by Joseph Smith.

According to Jon Hales (2005), the Church is led at the top by a group of 15 Apostles Three of these Apostles have a higher function than the other twelve – the President is the chief visionary and only source of original revelation with two Counselors (1^st and 2^nd) appointed by the sitting president based upon their advisory skills. The 12 remaining Apostles – Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - along with the two counselors have a seniority rank and are charged to serve as substantiating witnesses for any visions or revelations emanating from the President. Thus, any visions or revelations will be fully supported by the Apostles.

At the death of the President, the two Counselors may or may not remain in appointed positions. If not, they fall back among the twelve to their seniority rank. Generally, the most senior Apostle becomes the next President. The new President and appointed counselors are all drawn from the Apostle ranks (Hales, 2005).

Timothy Thorman, a practicing Mason and Mormon, comments (2003, p. 12) that once the President has made a decision [administrative or revelatory], the counselors are bound to follow where he leads. Each member of the congregation “sustains” or votes [substantiating witnessing] to follow these leaders regardless of person opinion.

Further, the Mormon Church’s guiding document, The Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) (1981), firmly cement the infallibility and absolute authority of the Mormon Church’s President and the substantiating witness to this truth by the Apostles.

The following short synopsis is not meant to be inclusive and hopefully will not offend any practicing Mormons by its incomplete treatment. It sets the tone for the argument that will be made in this paper.

Mormonism is in the Business of Restoring the True Religion of Jesus Christ. In essence, the church believes, as revealed through Joseph Smith in 1820, that its calling is to restore the True Religion as originally taught by Jesus Christ while on earth. The Great Apostasy is a reference to the fact that all existing churches in 1820 were practicing a distorted version of what Jesus intended. Joseph Smith was told by God the Father and Jesus Christ that he would be the instrument through which the True Religion would be restored. Note: This sound familiar to Masons who contemplate on the Lost Word.

Joseph Smith Wanted to Restore the Priesthood of the Temple of Solomon. According to Smith, Masons in 1842 were practicing the vestiges of the True Priesthood from King Solomon’s temple. These Masons, according to Smith, were only going through the motion of a ritual that they did not fully understand. Smith felt that these rituals were important to restore as they reflected upon the time when the True Religion was practiced. Therefore, it became Smiths calling to restore them. More on this subject will be discussed and cited below, however the source of this material comes from Homer (1993) and Thorman (2003). So, existing religions and priesthood rituals were now restored to Joseph Smith’s revelations. Held by Mason (1942 the myths were believed to be true as going back into ancient times)

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate further research in the relationship between the past and present ritual practiced in the Mormon Church and that practiced in Masonic Lodges – both Symbolic Lodges and Appendant bodies. As indicated by the question mark (?) in the title of this paper, there may or may not be a relationship between Mormon and Masonic ritual. The purpose of this paper is to logically explore the question.

Clearly, the paper strives to reach a reasonable logical conclusion. It formulates a hypothesis and then presents premises intended to support a resulting conclusion. The hypothesis itself may disturb faithful practicing Mormons because it undermines Joseph Smith as a visionary prophet regarding his ability to envision the True Priesthood Ritual appropriate to the True Religion revealed to him by Jesus Christ in 1820. The hypothesis formally stated later in this paper is:

Masonic ritual forms the foundation of The Mormon Church’s Endowment Ceremony ritual and Joseph Smith and his Apostles adapted their Masonic experiences to provide ritual to a otherwise ritual-less church.

In other words, Joseph Smith did not have an idiosyncratic vision or revelation which established the signature ritual of the Mormon Church - The Endowment Ceremony. Smith, his Apostles, and predecessors adapted the then existing (1842) Masonic rituals for use as the Mormon Church Endowment Ceremony.

If the hypothesis of this paper’s is true, implications are to question the revelatory power of Joseph Smith. To counter external threats to Joseph Smith’ claim to be a true visionary prophet, Mormon scholars today have redacted the date which Joseph Smith first envisioned the contents of the Endowment Ceremony. They state that Joseph Smith first envisioned the ceremony in January 1841. This redaction predates the revelation from the time that Smith was made a Mason. The claim by these Mormon scholars is either true or an effort to counter other scholars observing the short period of time between when Smith was made a Mason (March 15, 1842) and the date of his first full Endowment Ceremony (May 4, 1842).

Scope. While there are many connections between Mormonism and Masonry and other papers have addressed them, the scope of this paper will be limited to examining the Ritualistic Relationships, if any, between Mormonism and Masonry

This paper will not attempt to empirically compare ritual item by ritual item between that practiced in the Mormon Church with that practiced by Masons. The reason for this is that both sets of ritual remain secret and closely guarded. In addition, both sets or rituals have evolved since 1842 and today. Further, how can empirical comparison be made with articles of faith and belief? The approach taken in this paper will be what a reasonable man might conclude. On one hand, the Mormon Church states that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Endowment Ceremony was revealed. On the other hand, Joseph Smith was intensely exposed to Masonry all of his life and particularly during the time that the Endowment Ceremonies were revealed.

Therefore, this paper’s methodology is to present verified secondary research sources from both Mormon and Non-Mormon authors. These sources will describe the significant exposure that Joseph Smith had to Masonic life and ritual especially coincidental to the formation of the Mormon Church. It will be left to the reader to conclude on the side of Faith or of high coincidental yet not conclusive evidence.

Author’s Research Stance. The author is a strong practicing Mason – current Master of his Blue Lodge, 32 degree Scottish Rite, Knight Templar, York Rite, 4^th Ancient, Masonic Societas Rosicruciana In Civitatibus Foederatis (MSRICF), and member of Allied Masonic Degrees (AMD), and member of several national and international Masonic research societies. He was raised a Protestant Christian. He is not a Mormon. The observations presented in this paper do not reflect positions taken by either Masonry nor Mormonism nor any religious or philosophical dogma. They do not strive to be conclusive, but attempt to observe data and to logically formulate a plausible argument. The author hopes that this paper will stimulate readers toward further research on the similarities between Masonry and Mormonism.

Which Brand of Mormonism? The discussion of this paper is limited to the main body of the church known as and referred to in this paper as, The Mormon Church. Its formal name is, The Church of Latter-day Saints (day spelled with a lowercase “d”) which was relocated by Brigham Young (Original Apostle and Mason) to its present headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. This main body of the church is different from several other break-off bodies, the largest being The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (day spelled with an uppercase “D”) and breaking off in 1860 - and now called the Community of Christ. Until the 1990s, this second largest break-off body was presided over by descendants of Joseph Smith and is headquartered in Independence, Missouri. It has approximately 250,000 members (Ostling & Ostling, 1999) compared with the Mormon Church in Utah with 12 million members (LDS, 2005). The Community of Christ does not accept the Temple Ceremonies of The Mormon Church (Thorman, 2003, p. 1).

Regarding the Mormon Ritual. The author of this paper is not a Mormon. Those Pro-Church Mormons writing about the Endowment Ceremony, if having experienced it, are not at liberty to discuss details. Those Anti-Church Mormons, if having experienced the Endowment Ceremony, willing discuss the ceremony, but may be biased. Additionally, it is believed that the ceremony has, like Masonic Ceremonies, evolved and changed since the first Endowment in 1842.

Regarding the Masonic Ritual. Since 1842, it has most certainly evolved. – Prior to 1850, Masonry’s origins were, through modern eyes, a bit fantastic. However, these origins were believed to be fact.. Additionally, Masonic ritual carries themes common to many ancient religions and mystery schools: Birth, Life, Death, and Resurrection. Therefore, because Joseph Smith may have had a revelation about the one True Religion which includes these similar common themes, one cannot reason that Smith obtained them directly from Masonry - ancient religious themes were derivative to Masonry itself and from many other

Before we examine the ritualistic relationship, if any, between Mormonism and Masonry, it is imperative that a few key terms be defined to mutually orient the reader with the author. This is especially true regarding the terms Revelation and Ritual which are central to the hypothesis tested in the rational argument of this paper. Take a moment and look at Appendix A for selected key definitions.

Masonic ritual forms the foundation of The Mormon Church’s Endowment Ceremony and Joseph Smith and his Apostles adapted their Masonic experiences to provide ritual to an otherwise ritual-less church.

The following argument presents several Premises that are intended to provide reasonable substantiation to support a Conclusion to affirm the Hypothesis.

Note: For the scientifically minded reader, we did not state a Null Hypothesis to be disproved, but stated the hypothesis as a statement to be affirmed.

Premise # 1. At the young impressionable age of 14 and at a time of the Second Great [Religious] Awakening (approx 1820 to 1830), Joseph Smith, Jr had his first vision visit by God the Father and Jesus Christ in the spring of 1820. Smith had a revelation, defined (Webster’s, 1996, p. 1646) as, a striking disclosure or an instance of such disclosure. In other words, Smith in an instant received a disclosure. The area of Palmyra, New York (about 30 miles east of Rochester) was a region so-called the Burned-over District because so many revival had swept the area. Confused over what religion he should follow he retired to the woods and received the vision that no existing churches practiced the true religion and that he would be an instrument by which the Church of Christ would be restored (Thorman, 2003, p. 2).

In summary, Premise # 1 asserts that Joseph Smith was in puberty and impressionable and that it is possible that he was confused, as many young teenagers generally tend to be. Specifically, he was confused about his religious beliefs and desperately sought answers. Perhaps he sought answers through meditation and/or other means common to Deliberate Mystics. The self-reported experiences by Deliberate Mystics have occurred throughout written history. These reports most often are described in the cultural or religious language common to one’s everyday experience. Therefore, if the Mystic is only familiar with Christian beliefs, encounters with the Ultimate Reality are described as encounters with God and/or Jesus. Similarly, a Mystic familiar with the language of the Koran might describe his/her encounter with Mohammed (McNeill, 2005, p. 3).

Premise # 2. Joseph Smith was exposed to the world of Masonry before his Spring 1820 vision. His father, Joseph, Sr., was a Mason. In Fall 1823 at age 17, Joseph Smith had a second vision this time from the angle Moroni who showed him the book written on gold plates. That same year, Joseph’s brother Alvin, who was also a Mason, died at the age of 23. And, Joseph’s other brother Hyrum, who was an Apostle and who was Endowed in the first full Endowment Ceremony in May 1842, was also a Mason at the time of the visit by Moroni.

In summary, Premise # 2 asserts that it is probable that 17 year old Joseph Smith was at least superficially acquainted with Masonry and some of its stories and symbolism.

Premise # 3. Joseph Smith, Jr. was also exposed to the Anti-Masonic fervor created by the Morgan Affair which erupted in September 1826 in Batavia, New York about 60 miles west of Rochester. Palmyra, New York, where Smith was born, lived, and had his visions is 30 miles east of Rochester (Thorman, 2003, p. 2). Since the Morgan Affair: (a) created enough controversy to spawn many Anti-Masonic newspapers with both true and false stories, (b) to generate enough Anti-Masonic interest to field a Anti-Masonic political party and run a candidate for president of the United States, and (c) cause the demise on large numbers of Masonic Lodges; it seems reasonable that Joseph Smith would be aware of Masonic activities and symbolic information exposed by the Anti-Masonic fervor. In September1827, one year after the eruption of the Morgan Affair, Joseph Smith received the gold plates promised by the angel Moroni in 1823. At age 21 (age of Masonic manhood) he began to translate and publish the book recorded on the plates. In 1830, he completed the Book of Mormon.

It’s ironic that in 1836, Lucinda Morgan, the widow of William Morgan (of the Morgan Affair) became one of Joseph Smith’s plural wives (Homer, 1993, p. 6).

In summary, Premise # 3 asserts that Joseph Smith was inundated with the Masonic controversy, both verbal and written, during the Morgan Affair years starting in September 1826 and continuing through September 1827 when he translated the gold plates and at least until 1830 when he published the Book of Mormon.

Premise # 4. Joseph Smith claimed that his reveled new religion, The Mormon Church (founded April, 1830), was a restored and True Church as originally intended by Jesus Christ. That other religions now existing in the world had distorted Jesus’ original message over the years. Interestingly, the religious story revealed by Joseph Smith from his first, 1820 vision, through his 1823 second by Moroni, visit, and through is translation of the Book of Mormon, 1827 to 1830 contains many vestiges strikingly similar to biblical stories using Seth, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, and other Patriarchs (Thorman, 2003, p. 15) also venerated in Masonry at the time and before. In particular, the Mormon Church’s mythology venerates King Solomon’s Temple. Additionally, the story of finding a golden tablet is similar to the legend told in the 13^th Degree of the Scottish Rite (updated circa 1870 by Albert Pike but originally from earlier French Masonic Rituals) which speaks of exploring a shaft in the ground and descending through nine arches to the hewn chamber where Enoch had hidden the treasure buried before the flood. The treasure was a triangular plate of gold with the Lost Word (Ineffable word written in the Hebrew letters) written upon it. Additionally, Smith described in the Book of Mormon the voyaging to America by the sons of Lehi who eventually became the ancestors of the American Native Americans. The sons split into two distinct tribes – the Nephites and Lamanites – and lived between 650 BCE and 400 CE and were visited in America by the resurrected Jesus. In some ways, Smith’s story of an unrecorded history reminds the author of other unrecorded histories such as the story of Atlantis which in 1830 was believed by many Masons to be an accurate account of the origins of Masonry.

In summary, Premise # 4 asserts that Joseph Smith created a new religion based upon many personages and metaphors found in the Bible, but particularly focused upon Masonic origin myths believed to be historical fact in 1830.

Premise # 5. In the century before the founding of the Mormon Church – 1717 to 1830 – Masonry and its ritual had experienced growth, expansion and revision. Joseph Smith and early Mormon leaders believed and taught that Masonry currently practiced rituals that were mere vestiges of the original rituals practiced by the priesthood in King Solomon’s Temple. This belief was to be expected since prior to 1850 and before substantial Masonic historical scholarship, Masonic legends were literally believed to be true. Smith believed that it was his duty to restore the rituals of Freemasonry back to what they were in the time of King Solomon. Smith’s efforts to expand, revise, and restore the rituals of Masonry were to be implemented in his design and practice of the Endowment Ceremonies – where select Mormons are endowed into the Quorum of the Anointed or Holy Order or Mormon Priesthood (Homer, 1993, p. 10).

Additionally, Thorman (2003, p.15) quotes Kenneth W. Godfrey in his book, Freemasonry and the Temple quoting a letter from Heber C. Kimball (An endowed Apostle in the first full Endowment Ceremony – 1842) to Parley P. Pratt, June 17, 1842, Joseph Smith suggested that the Endowment and Freemasonry in part emanated from the same ancient spring. The Nauvoo Masons thought of the Endowment as a restoration of a ritual only imperfectly preserved…and view Joseph Smith as a master of the underlying principles and allegorical symbolism.

This envisioned duty to restore that which was lost is similar to Smith’s first vision and visit in 1820 by God the Father and Jesus Christ where Smith learned of the Great Apostasy: That existing religions of 1820 were practicing a corrupted form of religion and one not intended by Jesus Christ and it was his mission to restore the True Religion.

In summary, Premise # 5 asserts that Joseph Smith not only wanted to restore the True Religion as intended by Jesus Christ, but that he also believed himself mandated to creating a new Mormon Priesthood – naming its two divisions, the Aaronic priesthood order and the highest order, the Melchizedek Priesthood. And, germane to this paper’s argument, Smith believed that the existing Masonic rituals were the basis of restoration to the original priesthood of King Solomon’s Temple. Thus, we get a first direct association between Mormon and Masonic ritual.

Premise # 6. While there had been a partial attempt to create a Mormon ritual around 1836 in Kirtland, Ohio - as reported by Thorman (2003, p.14), it was not until May 4, 1842, just six weeks after President Joseph Smith and his First Counselor, Sidney Rigdon had been made Masons, that the full Endowment Ceremony was performed. And, this new Mormon ritual was performed in the upper floors of Joseph Smith’s store which also served as The Nauvoo Lodge of Freemasons.

While the Nauvoo Temple was under construction, on May 3, 1842, Joseph Smith ordered Lucius Scovill (then directing the construction of the Nauvoo Temple) and several others “to work up and fit up” the upper rooms of Smith’s red brick store (where Smith and Rigdon had been made Masons six weeks prior) “preparatory to giving endowments to a few Elders” (Homer, 1993, p. 9). The next day (May 4, 1842), Smith initiated and “endowed” nine men: (1) Hyrum Smith, church patriarch and first counselor; (2) William Law, second counselor, (3) Brigham Young, Apostle; (4) Heber C. Kimball, Apostle (5) Willard Richards, Apostle, (6) Newell K. Whitney, Ward Bishop; (7) George Miller, Master of Nauvoo Lodge, (8) William Marks, Nauvoo Stake President, and (9) James Adams, Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois (Homer, 1993, p. 9).

All nine men Masons. One of the nine was the Deputy Grand Master of Illinois. Seven of the nine were Apostles including the First and Second Counselors. Also endowed was Apostle Brigham Young who later added dramatic parts to the evolving Endowment Ceremony (Thorman, 2003, p. 14).

Thorman who is both an Endowed Mormon and Mason, states (2003, p.15) that the ceremonies of the Temple are allegorical much like the Masonic degrees and that Joseph Smith and his contemporaries adapted the eternal truths contained in the Masonic rituals as well as in other religions and Mystery Schools of antiquity. They adapted these eternal truths for contemporary [1842] audiences (Thorman, 2003, p.15). The word adapted is highlighted since Jon Hales (2005) another strong practicing Mormon stated that the official Mormon position is that Joseph Smith would not adapt anything and all that came through him is Revelation – certainly not adaption. Perhaps, Thorman chose an inappropriate word, however the word used supports the argument of this paper. Let’s explore adaptation further using Thorman’s own words:

While little is recorded, we may be sure that the members of Nauvoo [Masonic] Lodge shared many of the secrets with Joseph Smith. The important thing to remember in this connection is that Joseph was willing to take the truth wherever he found it and adapt it to his own purposes….It is less sure that Joseph wrote the dramatic parts of the Endowment ritual. The signs and tokens were probably all he gave, and the dramatics entered in as the thought and revelation grew [revelations don’t grow but are instant according to Webster’s 1996] (Thorman, 2003, p. 14).

Further, we know by the D&C (1981), that the Quorum of Apostles accurately interprets the words, visions, and revelations of the prophet or President. Since Joseph Smith had exhibited his ability as a Deliberate Mystic in 1820 in the woods of Palmyra, NY, perhaps we can assume that he still retained this ability to dream or envision a needed church ritual. Using familiar Masonic language and knowledge of Masonic ritual, perhaps Joseph Smith unconsciously created an Endowment Ceremony that was strikingly similar to Masonic ritual. Since the job of his Apostles is to witness or support the Prophets vision, they did just that.

In summary, Premise # 6 asserts that Joseph Smith consciously or unconsciously envisioned the Endowment Ceremony based on Masonic ritual because he was intimately familiar with it. Additionally, Joseph Smith needed a church ritual to complete his ritual-less church and be ready for the Nauvoo Temple currently under construction. He had the Motive (need for church ritual), the Means (undisputed Prophet status), and the Opportunity (intimate exposure to Masonic ritual on being made a Mason).

Premise # 7. In the aftermath of the Morgan Affair and by 1842, the ranks of Masons began to rapidly grow in Nauvoo. Mormons swarmed to Masonry. After the Morgan Affair, many Masonic lodges in the United States disbanded – for example from 1826 to 1828 the number of lodges in New York decreased from 500 to less than 100 and there were only a total of 300 lodges left in the entire country. In April of 1840, there were only about 2000 Masons in the entire United States and about 100 in the state of Illinois.

Shortly after the arrival of Joseph Smith and the Mormons in Commerce (later named Nauvoo) in May 1839, the chartered lodges still remaining in the state of Illinois organized a new Grand Lodge. On April 6, 1840, Abraham Jonas was elected Grand Master and James Adams (one of the original Endowed on May, 4, 1842) was elected Deputy Grand Master. In .August 11, 1842, the Grand Lodge of Illinois had grown to a total of 12 Lodges in the state with membership of 480. Members of the Nauvoo Lodge (Organized December 29, 1841) totaled 253 – one Illinois Lodge, a Mormon Lodge, now constituted 53% of all Illinois Masons.

On December 30, 1841, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon petitioned for membership in the Nauvoo Lodge. Their petitions were favorably reported on February 3, 1842. On the evening of Lodge officer installation, March 15, 1842, Smith and Rigdon were initiated as EAs in Smiths business office in the upper floors of his store which also served as the Lodge room. The next day, March 16, 1842, both Smith and Rigdon were passed to FC and raised to Master Mason.

Within five months after Joseph Smith had been made a Master Mason, March 16, 1842, the Nauvoo Lodge had initiated 256 candidates and raised 243 others which was six times as many initiations and elevations as all the other lodges in the state combined

On April 5, 1844, the main Masonic Hall (The Nauvoo Lodge) was completed and dedicated. Joseph Smith attended and spoke at the dedication, which was presided over by Worshipful Master Hyrum Smith. As many as 550 Masons attended. Less than three months after the dedication, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were assassinated by a mob in Carthage, Illinois – which included a number of Freemasons. Shortly after his death it was reported that Joseph had given the Masonic distress call before falling through the jail window.

At the time of Joseph’s assassination there were approximately 700 Master Masons listed in the minute book of the Nauvoo Lodge. By the end of 1845 and the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple, there were over 1,000 Master Masons which indicates that lodge work continued at nearly the same pace during the one and one half years after the Smith’s death as it did during the previous two and one half years. (Homer, 1993, p. 7 & 8).

Premise #7 asserts that following the May 1839 arrival of Mormons from Kirtland ,Ohio to Illinois and the introduction of the Endowment Ceremony in the Nauvoo, Illinois Masonic Lodge above Joseph Smith’s store, the Master Mason population in Illinois had mushroomed: (a) April 1840 = 100 Masons in state, (b) April 1842 = 480 Masons in the state with 53% (253) in the single Nauvoo Lodge, (c) June 1844 = ? in the state but now 700 Masons in the Nauvoo Lodge, and (d) December 1845 = ? in the state and 1000 members in the Nauvoo Lodge. Of course the Grand Lodge of Illinois became concerned about the Mormon Masonic domination and a backlash was brewing. And , shortly after December 1845 when the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated, the Mormons began a trek to Utah

Premise # 8. This premise is not directly concerned with the Mormon/Masonic ritual relationship. It is intended to further support Joseph Smith’s and the Mormon Church’s close Masonic symbolic- similarities. As symbolism is a means to teach the most secret and hidden mysteries of an organization, the Symbolism adopted by The Mormon Church is strikingly similar to Masonic Symbolism. For example, on the Flying Angel (Moroni) that once adorned the highest point or steeple of the Nauvoo Temple, there is a distinct Square and Compass. Other symbolic symbolism will briefly be discussed below and is sourced from a paper by a Mason who is also an endowed Mormon – Timothy L. Thorman (2003):

1. The White Garment – Masonry’s white garment is the white apron. Mormons also use an apron but it is green. While it is well-known that Mormons are given a “union-suit-like” white garment during the endowment and Mormons wear it continuously under other clothes and are buried in it, there is another Masonic connection. When an EA is first received in the lodge, he is received on the point of a compass applied to his left chest area. When an FC is first received, he is received on the angle of a square applied to his right chest area. The white garment given during the endowment has Compasses embroidered (or patched) on the left chest area and a Square embroidered (Thorman, 2003, p. 16 & 17).

2. Obligations and Penalties. In the Endowment, Mormons take obligations, have signs, tokens and words. This is also true in Masonic ritual. Penalties were dropped in the Mormon Church in 1990 (Thorman, 2003, p. 17).

3. Light and Truth. Similar to Masonry, Mormons depict the drama of a journey from darkness to light. Mormon ritual in the Endowment Ceremony starts the candidate with three knocks and he/she proceeds through veils into three rooms - from a dimly lit room to the third room sumptuously decorated and brightly lit by crystal chandeliers.

4. Temple and Lodge Room Restrictions. No uninitiated Mormon may enter the inner Temple or no uninitiated Mason may enter the Lodge while open. Mormons have ID cards called Recommends. As Masons can loss their privileges to enter the Lodge, so can Mormons lose their privilege to enter the Temple (Thorman, 2003, p. 18).

5. Other Symbols. Masons and Mormons use the Beehive. The All-Seeing Eye is a motif of the Salt Lake Temple. The Sun and the Moon on the rods of Masonic Deacons are found on the Stones of the Temple (Thorman, 2003, p. 19)..

In summary, Premise # 8 demonstrates a few of the symbols used by Masonry and by the Mormon Church. While these symbols can be traced to antiquity, and some observers may state that their concurrent use in Mormonism and Masonry is accidental, given the close connections between Mormonism and Masonry explicated in the previous six Premises, Premise # 7 appears to reinforce the relationship between the two. A reasonable person might certainly marvel at the continuous close connections.

Overview. In the United States in a criminal trial for murder, the jury is instructed by the judge that a verdict of guilty should be decided only if the jury finds the presented facts, beyond a reasonable doubt. Beyond reasonable doubt does not mean certainty. It simply means that the facts would lead a reasonable man to conclude a verdict of guilty.

The title of this paper - Mormonism and Masonry: A Ritualistic Relationship? – signifies by the question mark in the title that the paper’s argument will seek reasonable doubt versus conclusive certainty. The objective of reasonable doubt was also clearly stated in the Methodology section of the Introduction to this paper. With this objective in mind, we stated a hypothesis which we would attempt to prove as true – beyond a reasonable doubt:

Methodology to create reasonable doubt was a systematic listing and cited description of Premises that would lead a reasonable man to conclude with certainty or with reservations, that Joseph Smith was influenced by Masonic ritual and used it as the basis to create the signature ritual of the Mormon Church – the Endowment Ceremony. Of course, the author expects that strong and faith following members of the Mormon Church will conclude with certainty that Joseph Smith had a unique revelation and that the evidence presented by the Premises are mere coincidences. Yet, there is a Middle Way in the conclusion to this paper.

Premises assert that Joseph Smith was an impressionable, religiously confused, pubescent boy who lived in a unique period of significant religious turmoil. Confused about his adolescent religious identity, and deliberately seeking to answer the question, “What should my religion be,” he sought refuge in the nearby woods (Hales, 2005). Meditating upon his question, he had his first vision and received an answer to his question. The answer was that he was to be the instrument to restore the True Religion that had been lost. That no existing religion practiced was the True Religion.

Premises further assert that Joseph Smith had been exposed to Masonry all of his life. First, his father was a Mason. Second, that his two older brothers became Masons while Joseph was still a teenager, Third, that the high profile Morgan Affair took place only 90 miles from Joseph’s Palmyra, NY and that national Anti-Masonic newspapers blanketed the US from 1826 through the 1830s (when Smith revealed the Book of Mormon – 1827 – 1830). Fourth, Joseph Smith was made a Mason on March 15, 1842 in the Masonic Lodge room above his store and held the first full Endowment Ceremony in the same Lodge room six weeks later, May 4, 1842. And, finally died as a Mason crying the words of the Masonic Grand Hailing Sign, “Oh, Lord my God…” as he was shot jumping out the upper floor window of the Carthage, NY jail.

Additionally, premises show that Mormonism and Masonry were very compatible. Mormons arrived from Kirtland, Ohio to Commerce (named later – Nauvoo), Illinois in May 1839. From a total Illinois population of 100 Masons in April 1840 Masonic members grew to 480 Masons in the state with 53% (253) in the single Nauvoo Lodge and by December 1845 the single Nauvoo Lodge had 1000 members. Shortly after December 1845, when the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated, the Mormons abandoned Nauvoo and began a trek to Utah

Premises further show that the Mormon Church is clearly associated with Masonry through the similarities of Symbols used.

There are four alternative conclusions: (1) One cannot conclude because there is not enough evidence. (2) Joseph Smith had a unique and revelatory insight or vision regarding the Endowment Ceremony ritual, (3) Joseph Smith overtly copied and/or adapted the Masonic ritual and shaped it into the Endowment Ceremony, or (4) Joseph Smith was a Deliberate Mystic (McNeill, 2005) and had a true vision or dream about creating the Endowment Ceremony and unconsciously used the language, symbols of Masonry as a guide. Let’s briefly look at each.

1. Not Enough Evidence to Conclude. This would be a reasonable stance since there really is not enough accessible evidence to conclude. Both Masonry and Mormonism protect the details of their rituals. Mormons who are also Masons usually may have a bias toward one or the other of their affiliations and are sworn not to reveal details of either of their affiliations. Thus, it would be a rare person who would have enough accurate empirical data to reach a conclusion. Additionally, the original Endowment Ceremony (1842) and Masonic Rituals of 1842 have both evolved with their 1842 ritual practices lost to time.

2. Joseph Smith Had a Unique and Uninfluenced Revelation Creating the Endowment Ceremony Ritual. As mentioned earlier in the methodology section of the paper, religious faith cannot be rationally argued. The answer from the faithful is, You either believe or you don’t (Hales, 2005). Thus, this conclusion alternative either is or is not. And, this conclusion needs no empirical support.

3. Joseph Smith overtly copied and/or adapted the Masonic ritual. The key word here is, overtly. While evidence presented in the Premises certainly indicates that Joseph Smith had an opportunity to overtly adapt the Masonic ritual, there is no clear evidence that he did so. There are only the facts that he had the Motive, the Means, and the Opportunity to do so.

4. Joseph Smith Was a Deliberate Mystic and had a Revelation which he Unconsciously translated using familiar Masonic Knowledge. A Deliberate Mystic (McNeill, 2005) is a person who intentionally seeks communication with the Ultimate Reality. Being a Mystic carries with it the ability to enter deep meditative states which often alter normal sensory perceptions. Perhaps this is the state attained by the 14 year old Joseph Smith when he sought answers to his religious questions in the wood of Palmyra, New York. And perhaps this was his state when he meditated upon the question and need to have a ritual for his new church. The single characteristic that defines a Mystic is that they have an experience that is next to impossible to describe. It is so extraordinary, that there is no common language to describe it to someone who has not had a similar experience. Thus, the Mystic uses the language common to their ordinary religious world and/or common cultural experiences. This language, common to the Mystic and common to the Mystic’s audience, is used to communicate the experience.

Conclusion. The fourth alternative conclusion is a Middle Way Conclusion. It neither denies that Joseph Smith did not have some sort of vision regarding the shape and design of the Endowment Ceremony ritual. Nor, does it deny that Joseph Smith was influenced and used Masonic ritual as a foundation for the ritual of the Mormon Church.

There is a Ritualistic Relationship between Mormonism and Masonry. The hypothesis is true. Joseph Smith had the Motive (His Church needed ritual), the Means (He was an accepted visionary Prophet) and the Opportunity (long exposure to Masonic world and as a Mason exposure to Masonic ritual). There is no evidence, however, that he overtly copied and/or adapted Masonic ritual for the Endowment Ceremony. And, there is evidence that Joseph Smith had since youth, the characteristics of a Mystic and thought of himself as one since the age of 14.

The conclusion of this paper do not deny that Joseph Smith could be a Mystic or person who has the characteristics of a popularly defined, Prophet. Further, it does not prove or conclude that Joseph Smith overtly copied and/or adapted the Masonic ritual for use in the Mormon Church ritual – the Endowment Ceremony. It does conclude that Joseph Smith, at a minimum, subconsciously used Masonic ritual as the foundation for the Endowment Ceremony.

In other words, Joseph Smith gained information from his everyday world and Masonic exposure which was implanted in his mind at the time he established the signature ritual of the Mormon Church - The Endowment Ceremony.

To non-Mormons, this adds substantiation to their existing questions concerning the revelatory power of Joseph Smith. To some Mormons, this conclusion may be dismissed since to them all is a matter of faith. To other Mormons, the Middle Way Conclusion may offer an explanation that reconciles their faith in Joseph the visionary mystic, prophet and the overwhelming coincidental relationships between Masonry and Mormonism.

To proactively counter external threats to Joseph Smith’s claim to be a true visionary prophet, Mormon scholars today have redacted the date which Joseph Smith first envisioned the contents of the Endowment Ceremony. Yet, their evidence is minimal. They state that Joseph Smith first envisioned the ceremony in January 1841. This redaction predates the revelation from the time that Smith was made a Mason. The claim by these Mormon scholars is either true or an effort to counter other scholars observing the short period of time between when Smith was made a Mason (March 15, 1842) and the date of his first full Endowment Ceremony (May 4, 1842).

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate further research in the relationship between the past and present ritual practiced in the Mormon Church and that practiced in Masonic Lodges – both Symbolic Lodges and Appendant bodies. As indicated by the question mark (?) in the title of this paper, there may or may not be a relationship between Mormon and Masonic ritual. The purpose of this paper is to logically explore the question. Since the conclusion of this paper is a “Middle-Way,” certainly further research is recommended to explore the extreme alternative conclusions.

Extreme Alternative One - Was Joseph Smith a true Prophet? And, did he have vision or revelation uninfluenced by the normal experiences of his daily living? Did he have another unique vision totally uninfluenced by his Masonic exposures?

Extreme Alternative Two – Did Joseph Smith overtly copy and then adapt Masonic ritual to create the ritual of the Mormon Church – the Endowment Ceremony?

Further research may move the conclusion away from the “Middle-Way Conclusion” of this paper and conclude either of the above extreme alternative.

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NOTE: There are many interesting Web Sites that an interested reader might find through an Internet search.

Priest. A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. Priests have been known since the earliest times and in the simplest societies Priests are generally regarded as having good contact with the deities of the religion he or she ascribes to, and other believers will often turn to a priest for advice on spiritual matters. In many (but not all) religions, being a priest is a full time assignment, ruling out any other career. In many other religions it is a position inherited in familial line (Wikipedia, 2005).

Webster’s Dictionary (1996, p. 1536) defines Priest as: 1. a person whose office it is to perform religious rites, and especially to make sacrificial offerings. 2. In Christian usage – a. a person ordained to the sacerdotal or pastoral office; a member of the clergy; minister, b. in hierarchical churches, a member of the clergy of the order next below that of a bishop, authorized to carry out the ministry

Prophet. In numerous religions and many forms of Paganism, a prophet is an intermediary with a deity, particularly someone who speaks for the deity or interprets the deity's will or mind. A prophet usually operates through some means of divination, channeling, or extra-sensory perception, and the prophet's pronouncements in the name of a deity are sometimes called revelation. Some utterances foretelling the future may be interpreted as having been prophesies. Some "prophecies" seem to have been made after the event; these are given the technical name vaticinia ex eventu.

The concept of a prophet is an old one, and the concept is important in numerous religions. The Greek oracles were inherited from autochthonous sacred sites that preceded the Greeks' arrival in the Aegean. The Bible refers to prophets of Yahweh, Baal, and other regional deities. Christians refer to John the Baptist as a prophet of the Christian god, and Muslims refer to Muhammad as The Prophet, the last and greatest of the prophets of Allah, or God. Mormons also commonly refer to Joseph Smith, Jr. and his successors as The Prophet (Wikipedia, 2005).

Webster’s Dictionary (1996, p. 1550) defines Prophet as: 1. a person who speas for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.

Ritual. A ritual is a formalized, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. The set of actions that comprise a ritual often include, but are not limited to, such things as recitation, singing, group processions, repetitive dance, manipulation of sacred objects, etc. The general purpose of rituals is to express some fundamental truth or meaning, evoke spiritual, numinous emotional responses from participants, and/or engage a group of people in unified action to strengthen their communal bonds.

Rituals may express a part of a larger social doctrine, or simply of a personal one. In religion, a ritual can comprise the prescribed outward forms of performing worship, the cultus or cult of a particular observation within a religion or religious denomination.

Although ritual is often used in context with worship performed in a church, the actual relationship between any religion's doctrine and its ritual(s) can vary considerably from religion to religion. Ritual often has a close connection with reverence, thus a ritual in many cases expresses reverence for a deity.

Webster’s Dictionary (1996, p. 1661) defines Ritual as: 1. an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite. 2. a system or collection of religious or other rites. 3. observance of set forms in public worship. 4. a book of rites or ceremonies. 5. a book containing the offices to be used by priests in administering the sacraments and of r visitation of the sick, burial of the dead, etc. 6. a prescribed or established rite, ceremony, proceeding, or service. 7. prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively, as in religious services.

The Endowment Ceremony of the Mormon Church is a ritual. And, the dramas played in Masonic Lodges are rituals – especially the initiation, passing, and raising of candidates.

Revelation. In monotheistic religions, revelation is the process in which God makes himself, his will, and/or other information known to mankind. The recipient of revelation is commonly referred to as a prophet, and sometimes is termed a messenger. There are a number of ways that religious thinkers have traditionally approached this topic; many widely differing views have been proposed. Generally speaking, one can find all of the following viewpoints in varying segments of Judaism and in varying groups within Christianity.

1. Verbal Revelation - Some people hold that God can communicate with humans in a way that gives direct, propositional content: This is termed verbal revelation Orthodox Judaism and traditional Christianity hold that the first five books of Moses were communicated by God in such a fashion. Most proponents of verbal inspiration in the Christian tradition do not subscribe to a dictation theory in which the writer simply records the words of God. Rather, they argue that inspiration is an organic process wherein God superintends the writing such that the document communicates what God wants to reveal using the writer's style and circumstances.

2. Aristotelian Revelation - The neo-Aristotelian philosophers of the medieval era held that revelation was the discovery of absolute truths about God, man, and man's place in God's universe, as discovered through logical philosophical inquiry. A prophet's connection to God was held to be the only way that a person could reach such a state of pure reason. A subset of this category is natural revelation. Some believe that God God reveals himself through His Creation, and that at least some truths about Him can be learned by studying Nature, physics, cosmology, etc. This view is evidenced by Biblical verses such as "The heavens declare the glory of God."

3. Non-Verbal Propositional Revelation. One school of thought holds that revelation is non-verbal and non-literal, yet it may have propositional content. People were divinely inspired by God with a message, but not in a verbal-like fashion. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel has written that "To convey what the prophets experienced, the Bible could either use terms of descriptions or terms of indication. Any description of the act of revelation in empirical categories would have produced a caricature. That is why all the Bible does is to state that revelation happened; How it happened is something they could only convey in words that are evocative and suggestive." ["God in Search of Man"]

4. God's Will As Revealed Through A People's Historical Development Of Their Faith - Some believe that God is non-anthropomorphic, and thus believe the above listed forms of revelation are impossible. Hence they believe God's will is revealed through the interaction of man and God throughout history. For instance, Rabbi Louis Jacobs proposes that by viewing how the Jewish people have understood God's will throughout history, we see how God has actually influenced the development of Jewish law Jewish; it is this process that we should recognize as revelation.

5. Revelation For All Mankind - In recent times, a new concept of revelation as being earned rather than being bestowed has emerged. This view argues that revelation from God is available to all those who seek it - provided they perform a certain level of sacrifice of the proper type - as opposed to being imparted to certain special individuals. The concept is a key tenet of the religion of Direct Worship.

Mormonism teaches that God reveals His will both to prophets or witnesses called by Him, and mankind, and that each man may receive revelation according to his stewardship -- himself or herself principally. Thus, prophets may receive revelation for the masses, and church officers may receive revelation only as it pertains to himself and those for whom he has authorized religious stewardship. The important consequence of this is that each man may receive confirmation that particular doctrines taught by a prophet are true, as well as gain divine insight in using those truths for their own benefit.

6. Existentialism - In the 20th century, religious existentialists proposed that revelation held no content in of itself; rather, they hold that God inspired people with His presence by coming into contact with them. In this view the Bible is a human response that records how we responded to God.

NOTE: Revelation or information from a supernatural source is of much lesser importance in some other religious traditions. It is not of great importance in the Asian religions Taoism and Confucianism, but similarities have been noted between the Abrahamic view of revelation and the Buddhist principle of Enlightenment (Wikipedia, 2005).

Webster’s Dictionary (1996, p. 1646) defines Revelation as: 1. the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure. 2. a striking disclosure, as something not before realized. 3. Theology – a. God’s disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures, b. an instance of such communication or disclosure, c. something thus communicated or disclosed, d. something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible. Synonyms: divulgation, admission, divulgence, exposure.

Symbol. A symbol, in its basic sense, is a representational token for a concept or quantity; i.e. an idea, object, concept, quality, etc. In more psychological and philosophical terms, all concepts are symbolic in nature and representations for these concepts are simply token artifacts that are allegorical to (but do not directly codify) a symbolic meaning. Spoken language, for example, consists of distinct auditory tokens for representing symbolic concepts (words), arranged in an order which further suggests their meaning (Wikipedia, 2005).