It may seem surprising that Joseph Smith would incorporate so much Masonry into the endowment ceremony in the very weeks when all his leading men were being inducted into the Masonic lodge. Joseph Smith Sr., Joseph Smith Jr., Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Newel K. Whitney, John C. Bennett, John Taylor, Sidney Rigdon, and other Mormons were Masons. Shortly after their temple endowment ceremonies, Joseph Smith Jr. and other Mormons were expelled from the Masonic order for violating their oaths. It was May 4, 1842 that Joseph Smith introduced the Masonic Ceremony as the Mormon Temple Ceremony and declared that it was "received as a revelation from God." (History of the Church, vol. 5, pp. 1-2)
Joseph Smith became a Mason on March 15, 1842 and rose to the sublime degree the following day. This initiation took place in his upper business office or Masonic lodge room (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 550-551). Only a few weeks after Joseph's initiation into Masonry, he taught the other LDS Church leaders in the same Masonic lodge room. Joseph's interest in Masonry became so infectious that many Mormon elders
How Can Mormons Be Masons?
Re: How Can Mormons Be Masons?
Masonry probably appealed to Joseph Smith for several reasons. Like millions of other 19th-century Americans who joined fraternal organizations (including the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of Labor, and the Knights of Columbus), Joseph may have seen political and commercial advantages in belonging to the Masonic network. At a time when he feared for his life, he may have hoped that Masonry would offer protection: his last words at Carthage
Jail--"Oh Lord my God!"--were probably an attempt to give the Masonic sign of distress. Furthermore, Masonic ritual was useful for cultivating a climate of secrecy and loyalty in which Joseph could institute plural marriage.
But Masonry's attraction for Joseph was devotional as well as practical. Joseph had a life-long passion for learning, and Masonry offered him a whole new world of knowledge: esoteric teachings purportedly connected to biblical figures as well as to ancient Greek and Egyptian mysteries. Given Joseph's patent interest in lost scripture and ancient teaching, it is not surprising that he should want to know what Masonry might have to say about these. Also, the Masonic idea of advancing by degrees likely resonated with Joseph's vision of progressing "from grace to grace" (D&C 93:13) or receiving "knowledge upon knowledge" (D&C 42:61).
It's not hard, actually, to see why Masonry would appeal to Joseph; it's harder to determine why, and whether, Joseph shifted from an anti-Masonic stance earlier in his life. Historians and biographers have noted parallels between early 19th-century anti-Masonic rhetoric and passages from Joseph Smith's revelations denouncing secret combinations. If Joseph began as an anti-Mason (and certainly anti-Masonic sentiment would be consistent with the evangelical tone of his early religious activities), how to explain his openness to Masonry during the Nauvoo period? Perhaps the answer is that Masonry encompasses intellectual realms beyond traditional Christianity--and thus came to attract Joseph's sympathetic attention at a time when his own worldview was expanding to include untraditional ideas (in Joseph's case, ideas such as plural marriage, uncreated intelligences, men becoming Gods, and a God who is an exalted man).
Finally, Masonry exposed Joseph to a new ritual style, one he clearly found congenial and would emulate in the endowment.
Jail--"Oh Lord my God!"--were probably an attempt to give the Masonic sign of distress. Furthermore, Masonic ritual was useful for cultivating a climate of secrecy and loyalty in which Joseph could institute plural marriage.
But Masonry's attraction for Joseph was devotional as well as practical. Joseph had a life-long passion for learning, and Masonry offered him a whole new world of knowledge: esoteric teachings purportedly connected to biblical figures as well as to ancient Greek and Egyptian mysteries. Given Joseph's patent interest in lost scripture and ancient teaching, it is not surprising that he should want to know what Masonry might have to say about these. Also, the Masonic idea of advancing by degrees likely resonated with Joseph's vision of progressing "from grace to grace" (D&C 93:13) or receiving "knowledge upon knowledge" (D&C 42:61).
It's not hard, actually, to see why Masonry would appeal to Joseph; it's harder to determine why, and whether, Joseph shifted from an anti-Masonic stance earlier in his life. Historians and biographers have noted parallels between early 19th-century anti-Masonic rhetoric and passages from Joseph Smith's revelations denouncing secret combinations. If Joseph began as an anti-Mason (and certainly anti-Masonic sentiment would be consistent with the evangelical tone of his early religious activities), how to explain his openness to Masonry during the Nauvoo period? Perhaps the answer is that Masonry encompasses intellectual realms beyond traditional Christianity--and thus came to attract Joseph's sympathetic attention at a time when his own worldview was expanding to include untraditional ideas (in Joseph's case, ideas such as plural marriage, uncreated intelligences, men becoming Gods, and a God who is an exalted man).
Finally, Masonry exposed Joseph to a new ritual style, one he clearly found congenial and would emulate in the endowment.
Re: How Can Mormons Be Masons?
Non Sequitur.