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Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship
Aveil of secrecy surrounds Mormon temple worship. While officially intended to preserve the sacredness of the experience, the silence leaves many Latter-day Saints mystified. What are the derivation and development of the holy endowment, and if these were known, would the experience be more meaningful? Buerger addresses this topic with a meaningful blend of deep respect an...more
Paperback, 244 pages
Published
November 28th 2002
by Signature Books
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A frank and matter-of-fact collection of history about the development of the Mormon temple practices and rituals -- from Kirtland through the present day.
I think the author does a good job of just presenting the information for readers to digest without a lot of opinion and conjecture. I find it FASCINATING! The author talks about influences of Joseph's time, connections to Masonry, and his interest in ancient mysteries (Book of Abraham). I'm only half done.
BTW, I am an ...more
I think the author does a good job of just presenting the information for readers to digest without a lot of opinion and conjecture. I find it FASCINATING! The author talks about influences of Joseph's time, connections to Masonry, and his interest in ancient mysteries (Book of Abraham). I'm only half done.
BTW, I am an ...more
I appreciated this book for offering some insight on a little discussed subject, the temple ceremony. Growing up in the LDS faith, I didn't ever really feel I understood what it was all about, even though I had served as a temple ordinance worker for two years. The book doesn't tell the most sacred parts of the ceremony, but it does give an incredible insight to the formation and changes of the ceremony. Sometimes I was shocked, sometimes I was just glad to know...
If anyone is interested in reading anything about the history of Mormonism, I would say this book is a must-read (the book is filled with LDS lingo, so having a good understanding of Mormon society and LDS terminology will certainly help).
I was surprised at the calm, well-balanced approach the author gives. Normally, we expect to find people who are either stridently pro-Mormon or anti-Mormon on subjects like this. However, David Buerger's approach is very different. He barely m...more
I was surprised at the calm, well-balanced approach the author gives. Normally, we expect to find people who are either stridently pro-Mormon or anti-Mormon on subjects like this. However, David Buerger's approach is very different. He barely m...more
This book is a great resource for anyone interested in the development of the temple ceremony and many changes in LDS temple worship since the early services and ceremonies in Kirtland and the introduction of the full endowment by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. Very thorough and well documented.
“Mysteries of Godliness” is a very interesting ethnography of LDS temples and temple ceremonies. Buerger does a great job documenting and citing his sources, most of which come directly from the LDS archives. I appreciated that for the most part, Buerger leaves his opinion out and leaves it up to the reader to interpret the historical facts presented. The book jacket reads "Until now, there has been no scholarly examination of the derivation and development of the temple endowment, whic...more
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A mixed bag. From the reviews on Amazon I had received the impression that it was not an anti-Mormon book, and I think I can agree but with a huge disclaimer: usually an anti-Mormon book attempts to display falsehoods and half-truths out of context in order to slander the LDS Church. By that definition this isn't an anti-Mormon book because it's purpose is not to slander the Church but rather to explore the history of the Mormon temple ordinances.
The problem, of course, comes from ...more
The problem, of course, comes from ...more
This was intermittently interesting and at times deadly dull (recopied lists of things or multiple-page long quotes - ugh!). But it was chock full of fascinating temple facts you may not know. Even the most casual temple goer is probably aware of the Masonic symbolism in the temple and the link between temple work and the Book of Abraham. But this book provides far more interesting facts that those.
For example, did you know that there have thus far been 86 million vicarious endowm...more
For example, did you know that there have thus far been 86 million vicarious endowm...more
This was an interesting book. I didn't always agree with how the author commented on certain aspects, but for a history of the evolution of the LDS temple ceremony in a FAVORABLE light this should be your pick. There are literally hundreds of books trying to de-sanctify the sacred ceremonies that take place in the LDS temple, but this one just shows how the Lord really does build line upon line, precept upon precept through his servants.
I would not recommend this book to non-members or me...more
I would not recommend this book to non-members or me...more
It opened a deeper appreciation of the Mormon Temple to me, especially regarding its contemporary origins and evolution.
I actually have the hardcover, which for some reason isn't listed. This is a pretty good study of Latter-day Saint temple worship, though as a believer, I think he occasionally goes overboard while picking apart the sacred details, which Latter-day Saints covenant not to share outside the temple.
I'm not sure who the intended audience for this book is, since there is very little overlap between the set of people who take the Mormon temple ritual seriously and the set of people who would be willing to read a book that discusses it frankly.
A marvelously informative look at the history and development of the LDS temple endowment, from ancient times to today. I highly recommend this to those with solid foundations in LDS church history and the gospel.
An interesting collection of research regarding LDS temple ordinances. There are a few perceptions and conclusions of the author that I don't agree with, but it's a worthwhile book to read and refer to anyway.
Interesting look into the LDS church endowment.
good background information.
Aaron Atwood
marked it as to-read
Frank Roberts
marked it as to-read
Angel
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Julie Silverman
marked it as to-read
Elissa
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Troy Beals
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