It was a cold day, January 11, 1983. My friend Dana and I drove up to the LDS (Latter-Day Saint) Temple in Provo, Utah. As a missionary in South Georgia, Dana had baptized me into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) December 13, 1981. Now, I was scheduled to report to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo Utah on January 13...exactly one year and one month after converting to Mormonism. At age 19 I was going to be a missionary in the Nevada Las Vegas mission.
Before going on a mission, young Mormon men must attend the temple for the first time. The temple is different from the regular Mormon church building that average members attend every Sunday. The temple is only for members of the LDS Church who meet the highest standards of the faith. It is seen as so sacred to Mormons that they never discuss what goes on inside. In fact, as I was to find out, they make special agreements ("covenants") to that effect.
So I walk in the temple, both Dana and I dress in our Sunday suits even though it was a Tuesday afternoon. We show the man sitting at the desk who is dressed in a white suit our "temple recommends". It is a small card issued to Mormons by their leaders that confirms that they are living the commandments of Mormonism. The questions I was asked at two different interviews are:
1. Do you believe in God, the Eternal Father, in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost; and do you have a firm testimony of the restored gospel?
2. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator; and do you recognize him as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?
3. Do you sustain the other General Authorities and the local authorities of the Church?
4. Do you live the law of chastity?
5. Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?
6. Do you affiliate with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or do you sympathize with the precepts of any such group or individual?
7. Do you earnestly strive to do your duty in the Church; to attend your sacrament, priesthood, and other meetings; and to obey the rules, laws, and commandments of the gospel?
8. Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?
9. Are you a full-tithe payer?
10. Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?
11. Have you ever been divorced or are you now separated from your spouse under order of a civil court? If yes, (a) - Are you current in your support payments and other financial obligations for family members, as specified by court order or in other written, binding commitments? (b) Were there any circumstances of transgression in connectionwith your divorce or separation that have not been previously resolved with your bishop?
12. If you have received your temple endowment -- (a) Do you keep all the covenants that you made in the temple? (b) Do you wear the authorized garments both day and night?
13. Has there been any sin or misdeed in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but has not?
14. Do you consider yourself worthy in every way to enter the temple and participate in temple ordinances?
They once asked married couples if if they were "guilty" of having oral sex, but they dropped that one. I guess it was too weird even for them.
I went in and paid to rent special white cloths. I went to a locker room and stripped down...totally nude. I was given a "shield" to put on that looked like a bed sheet with a hole in the top for me to put my head through. I then went through the "washing and anointing" ceremony where an elderly temple worker took water and repeated the following:
"Brother Dunn, having authority, I wash you preparatory to your receiving your anointings, that you may become clean from the blood and sins of this generation.
I wash your head, that your brain and your intellect may be clear and active; your ears, that you may hear the word of the Lord; your eyes, that you may see clearly and discern between truth and error; your nose, that you may smell; your lips, that you may never speak guile; your neck, that it may bear up your head properly; your shoulders, that they may bear the burdens that shall be placed thereon; your back, that there may be marrow in the bones and in the spine; your breast, that it may be the receptacle of pure and virtuous principles; your vitals and bowels, that they may be healthy and strong and perform their proper functions; your arms and hands, that they may be strong and wield the sword of justice in defense of truth and virtue; your loins, that you may be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, that you might have joy in your posterity; your legs and feet, that you might run and not be weary, and walk and not faint."
All the time, the worker would lightly touch the named parts of my body with water. After he finished, the process was repeated with olive oil.
Suddenly I was in a very strange and foreign world. I was also given a secret "new name" (mine was Manassah) after going through the washing ritual. Fifteen minutes later I was standing in a theater style room with other people, dressed in white pants and a white shirt, clothed in the "garments of the Holy Priesthood" and being asked to go through the symbolic motions of slitting my throat. In my mind, I was asked to repeat the following words while at the same time drawing my thumb quickly across my throat:
"I ________, think of the new name, covenant that I will never reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, and penalty. Rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken."
Suddenly, as a Mormon I was "made". I was down the rabbit hole into a brave, new world.
Before going on a mission, young Mormon men must attend the temple for the first time. The temple is different from the regular Mormon church building that average members attend every Sunday. The temple is only for members of the LDS Church who meet the highest standards of the faith. It is seen as so sacred to Mormons that they never discuss what goes on inside. In fact, as I was to find out, they make special agreements ("covenants") to that effect.
So I walk in the temple, both Dana and I dress in our Sunday suits even though it was a Tuesday afternoon. We show the man sitting at the desk who is dressed in a white suit our "temple recommends". It is a small card issued to Mormons by their leaders that confirms that they are living the commandments of Mormonism. The questions I was asked at two different interviews are:
1. Do you believe in God, the Eternal Father, in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost; and do you have a firm testimony of the restored gospel?
2. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator; and do you recognize him as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?
3. Do you sustain the other General Authorities and the local authorities of the Church?
4. Do you live the law of chastity?
5. Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?
6. Do you affiliate with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or do you sympathize with the precepts of any such group or individual?
7. Do you earnestly strive to do your duty in the Church; to attend your sacrament, priesthood, and other meetings; and to obey the rules, laws, and commandments of the gospel?
8. Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?
9. Are you a full-tithe payer?
10. Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?
11. Have you ever been divorced or are you now separated from your spouse under order of a civil court? If yes, (a) - Are you current in your support payments and other financial obligations for family members, as specified by court order or in other written, binding commitments? (b) Were there any circumstances of transgression in connectionwith your divorce or separation that have not been previously resolved with your bishop?
12. If you have received your temple endowment -- (a) Do you keep all the covenants that you made in the temple? (b) Do you wear the authorized garments both day and night?
13. Has there been any sin or misdeed in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but has not?
14. Do you consider yourself worthy in every way to enter the temple and participate in temple ordinances?
They once asked married couples if if they were "guilty" of having oral sex, but they dropped that one. I guess it was too weird even for them.
I went in and paid to rent special white cloths. I went to a locker room and stripped down...totally nude. I was given a "shield" to put on that looked like a bed sheet with a hole in the top for me to put my head through. I then went through the "washing and anointing" ceremony where an elderly temple worker took water and repeated the following:
"Brother Dunn, having authority, I wash you preparatory to your receiving your anointings, that you may become clean from the blood and sins of this generation.
I wash your head, that your brain and your intellect may be clear and active; your ears, that you may hear the word of the Lord; your eyes, that you may see clearly and discern between truth and error; your nose, that you may smell; your lips, that you may never speak guile; your neck, that it may bear up your head properly; your shoulders, that they may bear the burdens that shall be placed thereon; your back, that there may be marrow in the bones and in the spine; your breast, that it may be the receptacle of pure and virtuous principles; your vitals and bowels, that they may be healthy and strong and perform their proper functions; your arms and hands, that they may be strong and wield the sword of justice in defense of truth and virtue; your loins, that you may be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, that you might have joy in your posterity; your legs and feet, that you might run and not be weary, and walk and not faint."
All the time, the worker would lightly touch the named parts of my body with water. After he finished, the process was repeated with olive oil.
Suddenly I was in a very strange and foreign world. I was also given a secret "new name" (mine was Manassah) after going through the washing ritual. Fifteen minutes later I was standing in a theater style room with other people, dressed in white pants and a white shirt, clothed in the "garments of the Holy Priesthood" and being asked to go through the symbolic motions of slitting my throat. In my mind, I was asked to repeat the following words while at the same time drawing my thumb quickly across my throat:
"I ________, think of the new name, covenant that I will never reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, and penalty. Rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken."
Suddenly, as a Mormon I was "made". I was down the rabbit hole into a brave, new world.
