Bottom Line
Parallels exist, but they don’t establish provenance. The Restoration’s temple arc is documented before and beyond Joseph’s brief Masonry window.
| Podcast | Radio Free Mormon (RFM) |
|---|---|
| Episode | The Trouble With Temples |
| Title | “Temple penalties & signs are almost word-for-word the same as Masonry — in the same sequence.” |
| Category | Temple / Masonry / Historical Claim |
| Quote | “we have sometimes almost word for word the exact same description of those penalties and we have the sequence.” — RFM |
| Core Claim | Verbal and ordered overlap allegedly proves the LDS endowment was copied from Masonic rites. |
| Conclusion | Misleading |
| Logical Questions |
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🔍 Core Finding
Church History Topics openly acknowledges limited similarities while stressing stark differences in content and intent: Masonry is a fraternal moral society; the endowment is a priesthood ordinance centered on Christ, covenants, salvation, and applies to women and men. Kirtland-era temple revelation and practice (D&C 109–110; washings & anointings) significantly predate Joseph’s March 1842 Masonic initiation, undercutting a pure “copying” thesis.
Key Points
- Purpose ≠ Purpose: Fraternal ethics vs. salvific covenants and Christ’s Atonement.
- Pre-1842 Trajectory: Temple theology and rites active years earlier.
- “Sequence” Rhetoric: Without a transparent probability model, “astronomical odds” is just a flourish.
📚 Sources
- Church History Topics — “Freemasonry and the Temple” (Tier 1)
- Church History Topics — “Temple Endowment” (Tier 1)
- D&C 109 (Tier 1) & D&C 110 (Tier 1)
- First Presidency (Jan 2, 2019): Temple Statement (Tier 1)