Here's a recent
quote from the church's official publication, The Ensign
Magazine:
From August
2001 Ensign (page 22), in big bold print above a large colorful
portrait of Joseph Smith: "The
Prophet Joseph Smith taught, 'Ordinances instituted in
the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood,
for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed.'"
The church goes on to declare:
"It is this principle of consistent
and unalterable requirements that gives true meaning to
the performance of vicarious ordinances in the temple.
The Prophet wrote that baptism for the dead and the recording
of such baptisms conform to the ordinance and preparation
that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation
of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should
die without a knowledge of the gospel."
"Through
time and apostasy following Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension,
however, the divine authority of the priesthood and the
sacred ordinances were changed or lost, and the associated
covenants were broken. The Lord revealed His displeasure
over this situation in these words: 'For they have strayed
from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting
covenant; They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness,
but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image
of his own god.' This situation required a restoration of
knowledge pertaining to the importance, significance, and
appointed administration of sacred gospel ordinances,
both live and vicarious, as well as the divine authority
of the priesthood and priesthood keys to administer them."
-
"Ordinances and Covenants", Church Ensign, August
2001, page 23
This
is from an article specifically on the temple ordinances.
The author of the article is a General Authority, so he
must know that the temple ordinances have gone through major
revisions - including deletions of covenants, teachings
and ordinances - over the last 160 years.
To
back up the declarations in the church's official publication:
"Now
the purpose in Himself in the winding up scene of the last
dispensation is that all things pertaining to that dispensation
should be conducted precisely in accordance with the preceding
dispensations.... He set the temple ordinances to be
the same forever and ever and set Adam to watch over them,
to reveal them from heaven to man, or to send angels to
reveal them."
- Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol.4, p. 208
"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."
- Apostle James E. Talmage, The House of the Lord, 1968,
p. 84
"As
temple work progresses, some members wonder if the ordinances
can be changed or adjusted. These ordinances have been provided
by revelation, and are in the hands of the First Presidency.
Thus, the temple is protected from tampering."
- W. Grant Bangerter, executive director of the Temple
Department and a member of the First Quorum of Seventy,
Deseret News, Church Section, January 16, 1982
"...God
is unchangeable, the same yesterday, today and forever...
The great mistake made down through the ages by teachers
of Christianity, is that they have supposed they could place
their own private interpretation upon scriptures, allow
their own personal convenience to become a controlling factor,
and change the basis of Christian law and practice to suit
themselves. This is apostasy."
- Prophet's Message, Church News, June 5, 1965
"...the
endowments have never changed and can never change;
as I understand it; it has been so testified, and that Joseph
Smith Jr., himself was the founder of the endowments."
- Senator Reed Smoot, Reed Smoot Case, vol. 3, p. 185
"...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 fullness of the priesthood....
And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto
my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein... 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 fullness 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."
- Jesus Christ Himself, Doctrine and Covenants 124:27-28,
40-42
"The
Gospel can not possibly be changed.... the saving principles
must ever be the same. They can never change.... the Gospel
must always be the same in all of its parts.... no one
can change the Gospel... if they attempt to do so, they
only set up a man-made system which is not the Gospel, but
is merely a reflection of their own views.... if we substitute
'any other Gospel,' there is no salvation in it.... the
Lord and His Gospel remain the same--always."
- Prophet's Message, Church News, June 5, 1965
Here's
the Paradox:
The
temple sealing ceremony (which is required for salvation)
itself has gone through major changes over the years. so
have the very covenants in the temple. In fact, the ordinances
and teachings in the temple endowment ceremony went through
a significant change as recently as April 1990!
See:
Temple
Rituals Altered
If these
were divinely restored in their complete form from "the
foundation of the world" then why have they kept changing?
And if Smith says they can never be altered OR changed,
how come the Church did it? Who got it wrong, the prophet
Smith or his only true Church? Either way, it smells like
a hoax.
Don't
take my word for it. Here' a comprehensive list of all the
changes in the temple covenants, ceremonies and ordinances
made in April 1990:
Compare Mormon Temple Endowment Ordinances
Don't
fall for the excuse that the ceremony is just a vehicle
for the ordinance. If it's just a vehicle, then what IS
the ordinance? If it includes the covenants, oaths, handshakes,
signs, keywords or even words at the veil, then they have
changed significantly over the years.
We're
not talking about a blessing or a prayer that can be changed.
We're talking about revealed temple ordinances that are
suposed to be free from the tainting of men.
The
words in the temple ordinances are just as revealed and
un-alterable as the words in the sacrament prayer. The ordinance
of sealing must be said correctly, just like the temple
endowment ceremony or it's not valid. Every believing Mormon
knows the reason for this is that they are revealed as the
saving ordinances that can't change. Christ in the Book
of Mormon taught this very principle when he gave the Nephites
the exact same words used today for the sacrament. The temple
ordinances are no different.
What
about those poor young Priests in Sacrament Meeting who
happen to say a word wrong in the sacrament prayer? Why
embarrass them and make them say it exactly right if the
words are just a "vehicle?" If the sacrament ordinance can't
change, then why can the temple ordinances change?
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