Is the Endowment Ceremony the Real Thing?

[Jeremy]

Is the endowment ceremony when/where we receive our endowment?

This question comes from these comments in another thread:

I don't have the endowment ceremony memorized, but I recall that the beginning words are something like, brothers and sisters, you are not hereafter Kings and Priests, but have only been anointed to become such and can become such through your faithfulness.

Therefore, the endowment ceremony, which we have been through is merely symbolic of another very real ordinance, which I presume is carried out by very real "true messengers" from Father who bring us to the Lord who then ordains us to become Kings and Priests as we read about in D&C 76 and brings us through a real heavenly veil.

I do have it memorized and the power of the priesthood is given to ourselves and our family for time and eternity. The endowment power is real
and given to people everyday, all over the world. We have what the Lord wants us to have in these latter days.

Doesn't it say something like "Brethren and sisters, if you are true and faithful, the day will come when you will be chosen, called up, and anointed kings and queens, priests and priestesses, whereas you are now anointed only to become such. The realization of these blessings depends upon your faithfulness"?

The endowment ceremony is just that, a ceremony. The actual endowment doesn't occur in a temple built with hands.

WRONG...
We do have the Priesthood power, it is not just administrative, and yes, the endowment is predicated upon your faithfulness.
The endowment is given in the Temple of our God, built with hands.

The endowment is spiritual. It is not the physical signs and tokens and names that you hear there, those are actually only symbolisms.

Read the New Testament and find the place where the Apostles received their endowment from on high. It was Acts 2.

We do receive all the blessings through our faithfulness. Let's not spread half truths by saying we haven't received an endowment. some people are very faithful and you think God will withhold the blessings after they stayed steadfast and immovable?

What is the endowment?
Is it literal or symbolic?
Do you believe if you have gone through the endowment ceremony that you have received your endowment?

[zionminded]

It's a symbolic experience how one transcends mortality to return back to the presence of God in this life. Note, it isn't about death to return to God, rather to overcome death, spiritual and physical. It also teaches how to communicate with God and also angels for more light and knowledge. The "gift" of the endowment is what you receive from the Lord through the veil. At some point you experience this in reality, as we are taught symbolically in the endowment ceremony.

[Zathura]

You can go through the endowment session a million times without ever receiving the endowment.

The endowment is a spiritual endowment, and when it comes, it is powerful, just like Acts 2. The disciples were told to wait in Jeruselam until they were endowed from on high . Acts 2 was when they received it.
The endowment is not a bunch of memorized signs and tokens.

The endowment is not a subtle impersceptible experience, and clearly it can be received in or outside the walls of an LDS temple.

Just like a man and woman can participate in the sealing ordinance without the Holy Spirit of Promise ratifying it, it will be not be ratified until the Lord approves. The sealing would then be ratified at a later time in life, in or outside the temple

[zionminded]

That's right. It's like baptism. You can be baptized, but the real rebirth often comes later in life.

[marc]

I highly recommend reading Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling. It's seven hundred pages, but packed with important church history, revelations and fully supported with citations.

God revealed to Joseph Smith the importance of receiving an "endowment of power" as was offered to the Israelites who rejected it. This is the power that rends the veil and brings us literally back into God's presence as with the people of the city of Enoch.

Is the ceremony a real thing? Yes and no. The bottom line is we are all still not "endowed with power" because we are still separated from God's presence. In other words, we are not yet redeemed. We are not yet Zion. We are not calling down fire from heaven, turning rivers from their course, defying armies of nations, breaking mountains, etc. We're just pretending. Plain and simple.

[Jeremy]

The endowment is not a subtle impersceptible experience, and clearly it can be received in or outside the walls of an LDS temple.

Agreed. But the dwelling place of God is where it happens and that place is not in a temple built with hands. It is within the true temple, which every LDS temple is a symbol of.

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple.

[zionminded]

I highly recommend reading Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling. It's seven hundred pages, but packed with important church history, revelations and fully supported with citations.

God revealed to Joseph Smith the importance of receiving an "endowment of power" as was offered to the Israelites who rejected it. This is the power that rends the veil and brings us literally back into God's presence as with the people of the city of Enoch.

Is the ceremony a real thing? Yes and no. The bottom line is we are all still not "endowed with power" because we are still separated from God's presence. In other words, we are not yet redeemed. We are not yet Zion. We are not calling down fire from heaven, turning rivers from their course, defying armies of nations, breaking mountains, etc. We're just pretending. Plain and simple.

There is a process of zion being built, then there is an individual process of coming back into Christ's presence.

[kennyhs]

I highly recommend reading Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling. It's seven hundred pages, but packed with important church history, revelations and fully supported with citations.

God revealed to Joseph Smith the importance of receiving an "endowment of power" as was offered to the Israelites who rejected it. This is the power that rends the veil and brings us literally back into God's presence as with the people of the city of Enoch.

Is the ceremony a real thing? Yes and no. The bottom line is we are all still not "endowed with power" because we are still separated from God's presence. In other words, we are not yet redeemed. We are not yet Zion. We are not calling down fire from heaven, turning rivers from their course, defying armies of nations, breaking mountains, etc. We're just pretending. Plain and simple.

"The scriptures teach that miraculous experiences occur, " In His own time and in His own way."( D&C 88:66)


Large scale miracles are occurring in the Church's family history work. The effect of our family search internet geneology in the time it has been available is truly miraculous. Family history work is exploding in a miraculous way.

Another far reaching miracle, there is no rational way to explain is why young men and young women give a year and 1/2 or 2 years of their lives to
missionary work.

There is also something miraculous about the way members of our church pay their tithing so faithfully and are blessed for doing so.

" We do have miracles today, beyond imagination" Spencer W. Kimball

The greatest miracle is not such things as restoring sight to the blind, healing an illness, or even raising the dead, since all these things will
happen in the resurrection. An even greater miracle is a mighty change of heart by a son or daughter of God." ( Mosiah 5:2)

Dallin H. Oaks

[kennyhs]

In the dedicatory prayer of the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, the Prophet Joseph Smith pleaded "that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord's house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness" (D&C 109:13).

[marc]

26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!

6 Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

7 Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

8 And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.

9 And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.

10 And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.

27 And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

28 It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;

29 And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

31 To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

32 And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

Jacob 4:6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

30 For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith.

27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?

29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.

30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.

35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?

36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?

37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.

15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.

[marc]

20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

[kennyhs]

Nephi prophesied about the rejection of miracles in the last days;

2nd Nephi:6

" Behold, hearken unto my precept;
if they shall say there is no miracle by the hand of the Lord,
believe it not, for this day He is not a God of miracles;
He hath done His work."

[marc]

Nephi prophesied about the rejection of miracles in the last days;

2nd Nephi:6

" Behold, hearken unto my precept;
if they shall say there is no miracle by the hand of the Lord,
believe it not, for this day He is not a God of miracles;
He hath done His work."

Yup. Moroni said as much. It's as if all our work is in vain.

Moroni 7:37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.

[kennyhs]

I'm not trying to contradict you, we are speaking of different things.

In reality, I am trying to say that the faithful saints are not pretending, the endowment is powerful and real, of course faith is the first
principle and ordinance of the gospel, faithful members are doing the best they can, the Lord is merciful. My faith tells me Angels still appear and minister unto men, these things have not ceased, they are sacred and not spoken of unless compelled by the spirit. I have faith that Jesus Christ appears in His Temples, and counsels with our Prophet and Apostles in His own way.

I understand the warning of the scriptures you are quoting, I thank-you for your strong testimony, it strengthens me. I don't want you to
become discouraged, it worries me, that's all.

[marc]

I have to keep myself in check not to speak gloom and doom, and I tend to back off when I do, but I feel continually constrained to be a voice of warning as an Elder in Israel. Thanks, kennyhs.

[kennyhs]

I have to keep myself in check not to speak gloom and doom, and I tend to back off when I do, but I feel continually constrained to be a voice of warning as an Elder in Israel. Thanks, kennyhs.

[freedomforall]

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“What is a temple endowment? When is it recommended that Church members receive the endowment? Can a 21-year-old girl, who plans a temple marriage in the near future, receive her endowment prior to the marriage date?”

Answer/Brother John K. Edmunds

To comprehend the significance of the temple endowment, it would be well to start with a definition of the term endowment. The usual dictionary definition of the word endow is “to furnish with an income,” or “to enrich.” Funds, or other properties out of which funds may be made available to educational and eleemosynary organizations and institutions, commonly derived from gratuitous donations or contributions, are referred to as endowments. A person’s natural capacity, ability, or power is also referred to as an endowment. Webster defines an endowment in the LDS Church as “a course of instruction … concerning past and present dispensations and their associated ordinances … given in the temples only.”

The sum total of all such definitions falls far short of the eternal scope of a temple endowment. The endowment is not limited to a course of instruction concerning past and present dispensations and their associated ordinances. The principles and ordinances of the endowment are timeless; they were established before the world was; they reach into the eternity in both directions and apply more importantly to futurity than to the past, as well as providing guidance, direction, and strength to the present.

The endowment comprehends an enrichment not measured in or by money or other material treasures subject to theft and the corrosion of moth and rust. To receive the temple endowment is to receive the riches of eternity—the knowledge, the power, the keys to unlock the door to the treasures of heaven. To receive the endowment is to receive a course of instruction together with all the keys, powers, and ordinances ordained and revealed by God to prepare his children for eternal life.

The temple endowment was introduced and established in Nauvoo, Illinois, in May 1842, pursuant to an earlier revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, in which the Lord said, in part,

“… and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein.

“For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood.

“And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people;

“For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times.

“And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built.” (D&C 124:27–28, 40–42.)

Pursuant to his promise, God revealed to his servant Joseph Smith the sacred principles and ordinances of the holy endowment and of eternal marriage into which the endowment leads.

So great and glorious were these principles and ordinances that the Prophet was impressed to share them with a few Saints in a poorly improvised room above a store in Nauvoo, before the Lord’s house (the Nauvoo Temple) was completed. He records in his journal, under date of May 4, 1842:

“I spent the day in the upper part of the store … ( … for want of a better place) in council with General James Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George Miller, and President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fulness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the First Born, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds.” (History of the Church [Deseret Book Co., 1949], vol. 5, pp. 1–2.)

President Harold B. Lee added another dimension to our understanding of the endowment:

“The Temple ceremonies are designed by a wise Heavenly Father, who has revealed them to us in these last days as a guide and a protection throughout our lives, that you and I might not fail of an exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom where God and Christ dwell.” (Decisions for Successful Living [Deseret Book Co., 1973], p. 141.)

Having come to at least some understanding of and appreciation for the temple endowment, the second question logically follows: How soon in life should a man or woman receive this great blessing? The answer is indicated in the journal of the Prophet Joseph Smith, immediately following the account of the revealing of the endowment hereinbefore cited. He continued in his journal:

“The communications I made to this council were of things spiritual, and to be received only by the spiritually minded: And there was nothing made known to these men but what will be made known to all the Saints of the last days, so soon as they are prepared to receive, and a proper place is prepared to communicate them. …” (History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 2. Italics added.)

The answer, then, to the question as to when Church members should receive the endowment cannot be given in terms of age but rather in terms of preparation and readiness to receive. Age, no doubt, is a consideration but not the determining factor. President Joseph F. Smith, for example, received his temple endowment at the age of 15 years. The Lord was thereby preparing him for a full-time mission to which he was shortly thereafter called. While it is not the current practice to call missionaries at such an early age, pursuant to the revelations of God our missionaries—male and female—are given their temple endowment prior to their departure to their mission fields in order that they may be endowed with power from on high and given the added strength and guidance so vital to their success.

There is wisdom in the counsel presently being given to young, unmarried Church members and, more particularly, to young women, that they do not seek the temple endowment until such time as temple marriage is imminent or a full-time mission call has been received. In a Priesthood Bulletin of the Church published in February 1973, there appears the following instruction: “Church leaders should not urge young, unmarried members to obtain their endowments unless they are to be married in the Temple or are called to serve as missionaries. Members should be authorized to obtain their endowments only when worthiness, age, and maturity justify it.” (Vol. 9, no. 1, p. 7.)

Lacking worthiness and adequate preparation of mind and heart to receive the blessings of the endowment, it is better that we enter not into the house of the Lord where the light of truth burns so brightly; for when the light shines upon us “every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.” (D&C 93:32.)

An intriguing question, packed with import, was once asked the Prophet Joseph by the Lord: “What doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?” (D&C 88:33.) There is nothing given us in the house of the Lord that does not have its price fixed. We receive the gift by paying the price, and that price is obedience to the law upon which the gift is given; for the Lord has told us that “for all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world.” (D&C 132:5.)

This concept is beautifully expressed by Dr. James E. Talmage:

“The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King,—the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions.” (The House of the Lord, [Bookcraft, 1962], p. 100.)

Can a man or woman who has an income and who fails to pay an honest tithe enter the temple and, in good faith (meaning a state of mind indicating honesty of purpose and freedom from fraud, deceit, and gross negligence), make covenants of charity and benevolence, and promise to devote (consecrate) his material means to the spread of truth and the building up of the kingdom of God? Parents, bishops, and other Church leaders should prepare those who come to the temple to receive the Lord’s blessings to do so in good faith.

I recall a conversation I had with a young Northwestern University dental student while I was serving as president of the Chicago Stake. I was interviewing him to hold an office in an elders quorum presidency and learned that he was not a full tithe payer. He assured me that he kept all the other commandments required to hold office but that his income was too small to cover the expenses of going to school and supporting a wife. After counseling him at some length and explaining that if he lacked the faith to pay an honest tithing he lacked the necessary faith to hold the priesthood office or to enter the Lord’s house and receive the Lord’s blessings, our conference ended. A few days later he called and inquired as to whether the office was still open and reported that he was a full tithe payer. He was soon set apart as a quorum officer. Some time thereafter he and his lovely wife came to my home for a temple recommend. It was a joy to sign those recommends. As they left our home I counseled them to drive their car carefully and observe the traffic laws of the various states through which they must travel, for we needed them in our stake and wanted them to go and return in safety. They assured me they would, and then the young man added with a smile, “I don’t think you have to worry about our having an accident in a car we mortgaged to pay our tithing.” I love our youth for their faith and devotion.

The third question submitted to me can be answered very briefly. Yes, a young girl who plans a temple marriage in the near future can receive her endowment prior to the date of her marriage, but I would advise her to forego this privilege until the marriage is imminent and the receiving of the endowment is reasonably near the date set for the temple marriage.

To sum it all up, we in the temple are grateful and happy to see our people—young and old—come to the house of the Lord for their endowment and eternal marriage when, and as soon as, they are worthy and possess the maturity to understand the principles involved, the faith to accept them, and the courage, strength of testimony, and integrity to conform their lives to the covenants that they must make with God.

President of the Salt Lake Temple
“What do l do when I feel I can’t communicate with my bishop or my parents?”

Answer/Brother David Pierpont Gardner

Have a long conversation with yourself! Search out and understand your feelings in the matter through prayer and careful thought. “Men build too many walls and not enough bridges,” Sir Isaac Newton once said. Which have you built between you and your parents, you and your bishop? If a wall, tear it down and the eager hands of others will soon join you in the task. If a bridge, cross over and you will meet others coming your way.

The burden, of course, may not be yours alone. Men are not perfect; neither are parents or bishops. “All men have their frailties,” Cyrus reminds us, “and whoever looks for a friend without imperfections, will never find what he seeks. We love ourselves notwithstanding our faults, and we ought to love our friends in like manner.”

Were you to tell your parents and bishop that you feel unable to communicate with them, what do you think their reaction would be? The telling itself may provoke a discussion between you, long desired but long inhibited; or it may ease the restraining influence of earlier misunderstandings, irritations, and run-of-the-mill pettiness that so often throw up barriers between people; or it may relieve the tension between you, brought on because of pride or ill feelings or criticism harbored by one or the other of you.

Your efforts, of course, may accomplish little or nothing at all. What then? Seek help from others—friends, brothers and sisters, school counselors, teachers, other adults in the ward or neighborhood whom you respect and in whom you can confide. Seek help from your Heavenly Father through prayer and righteous living, for his help is assured and his guidance promised if you are but in tune. And if you are in tune with him, then surely not much time will pass before you are also in tune with others, parents and bishops included.

President of the University of Utah
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[freedomforall]

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Some Things You Need to Know About the Temple

By Elder ElRay L. Christiansen

What is the temple endowment?
“Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell.” (Discourses of Brigham Young [Deseret Book Co., 1941], p. 416.)

As you receive your endowment, you will be given instruction relative to the purposes and plans of the Lord in creating and peopling the earth and in exalting his children in the life to come.

Elder James E. Talmage, formerly of the Council of the Twelve, has given a clear description of the endowment:

“The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern temples, comprises instruction relating to the significance and sequence of past dispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and grandest era in human history. This course of instruction includes a recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the condition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and consequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression may be atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel with all its ancient powers and privileges, the absolute and indispensable condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict compliance with Gospel requirements. …

“The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King,—the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions.

“No jot, iota, or tittle of the temple rites is otherwise than uplifting and sanctifying. In every detail the endowment ceremony contributes to covenants of morality of life, consecration of person to high ideals, devotion to truth, patriotism to nation, and allegiance to God.” (The House of the Lord [Deseret Book Co., 1968], pp. 83–84.)

To endow is to enrich, to give to another something long-lasting and of much worth. The endowment ordinances enrich in three ways:

1. The one receiving the ordinance is given power from God. “Recipients are endowed with power from on High.” (President Bruce R. McConkie of the First Council of the Seventy.)

2. A recipient is also endowed with information and knowledge. “They receive knowledge relative to the Lord’s purposes and plans. …” (President McConkie.)

3. When sealed at the altar, a person is the recipient of glorious blessings, powers, and honors, as part of his endowment.

The endowment is a most important and significant blessing, and the Lord desires his worthy children to receive it. You should all look forward to the day when you will receive your own endowment.

Sacred, Not Secret, Blessings
The ordinances of the temple are so sacred that they are not open to the view of the public. They are available only to those who qualify through righteous living. They are performed in places dedicated especially for this purpose. Their sacred nature is such that discussion in detail outside the temple is inappropriate.

Many blessings come to those who receive and respect these sacred ordinances, which are so necessary for exaltation. Participation in temple work provides dynamic, vivid, useful instruction in gospel principles, and the temple is a place for contemplation and prayer.

The temple is a sanctuary from the world, a bit of heaven on earth, and one should continue to live worthily so that he can go to the temple often and renew his covenants.
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[freedomforall]

Endowed with Covenants and Blessings

So much to learn about the endowment but were afraid to ask

[Kingdom of ZION]

What is the endowment?
Is it literal or symbolic?
Do you believe if you have gone through the endowment ceremony that you have received your endowment?

It is Symbolic of the 'Mystery of Godliness' which is the 'Path to Godhood'. When you are Endowed (not necessarily the day you received the Ordinance), you ARE Endowed when you receive the revelation of the Path and where you are upon it.

To be Endowed with power is to know who you you were before this world, and why you are here.

You are not Endowed to be a Priest and a King now... not until your Second Washings. Why? Because the allegory is when you become the Great High Priest, a Melchizedek/Messiah. And then you will become an Adam (Ahman) Lord of the Earth. A King unto the Most high.

Then as the Great Yahovah, you will be anointed a Priest and a King in the heavens, having become such.

[Zathura]

To believe that you automatically receive this divine endowment just because you entered a pretty building and memorized a few signs and tokens is the SAME MISTAKE that the Jews made when they put their trust in the law, and believed that their various washings and obedience to commandments is what saved them and cleansed them of their sins.

Is it so hard to see that Mormons are repeating what the Jews did?

[kennyhs]

"No jot, iota, or tittle of the temple rites is otherwise than uplifting and sanctifying. In every detail the endowment ceremony contributes to covenants of morality of life, consecration of person to high ideals, devotion to truth, patriotism to nation, and allegiance to God."
—James E. Talmage

[Zathura]

Just look at where dependence on physical ordinances got the Jews my friend

[kennyhs]

Just look at where dependence on physical ordinances got the Jews my friend

By New Testament times among the Jews the law had become so altered it had lost much of its spiritual meaning. It is this form of the law that is so harshly spoken against by Jesus and by Paul (see Matt. 15:1–9; Mark 7:1–13;

[Jeremy]

“Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell.” (Discourses of Brigham Young [Deseret Book Co., 1941], p. 416.)

Sadly this tiny statement is a seed of unbelief which has life long and possibly generational consequences. This single idea alone could be what causes so many to believe that a ceremony accomplished what it symbolizes.

The endowment ceremony does not come close to is potential when it is treated like a right of passage for the afterlife. The endowment ceremony, it's begining, middle and end is symbolic of events and knowledge gained in this mortal life.