This is an archived copy of a post written by Conflict Of Justice (conflictofjustice.com). Used with permission: Conflict Of Justice may not agree with any alterations made.
“Is God really going to require people to know secret tokens, handshakes, and signs to get into the Celestial Kingdom?”
(CES Letter)
Works Prove Faith
The question of faith versus works goes back to the beginning of Christianity. Jesus taught that good works such as baptism demonstrate a person’s worthiness to enter heaven. Faith leads to good works. The argument against temple ordinances is the same argument that is used against baptism or any kind of ordinance. It’s like saying “People can heal on their own, why do we need hospitals? Is God really going to let someone die if they don’t go to these uncomfortable hospitals?”
Why do we have to perform this ceremony to please God? Just like schools are organized with formal schedules and graduation ceremonies, God organizes the church with formal expressions of faith through which spiritual blessings and authority are conferred. Just as you need a diploma to graduate school you need ordinances performed by those who are in authority in order to receive exaltation in the kingdom of God. Why do schools hold graduation ceremonies? What is the point of a diploma? Same reason. Is God going to really require all this? Yes, He is. Proxy baptisms and ordinances allow those who did not get the opportunity to accept or reject them in this life the opportunity in the afterlife.
Ordinances Are Not Secret – If the temple signs and tokens are secret, why are they available for anyone to see on YouTube? That doesn’t look very secret to me. Are Antimormons just really sneaky in recording the ordinances? No, obviously it is not a secret.
Okay fine, but if the ordinances aren’t secret, then what about people who see it on Youtube? Do they get the diploma to graduate school?
“If so, Masons, former Mormons, anti-Mormons, unworthy Mormons as well as non-Mormons who’ve seen the endowment on YouTube or read about the signs/handshakes/tokens online should pass through the pearly gates with flying colors.”
(CES Letter)
No. If a non-Mormon views it all on YouTube outside of context and an understanding of true Mormon concepts, they will just hear a bunch of boring biblical speeches and random gestures. It won’t matter. If a non-temple-worthy Mormon or skeptic views it on YouTube, they will be doing so unworthily and be making a mockery of sacred things, and inviting their damnation. It is not secret, but we still don’t want Tom Hanks to broadcast it on HBO because non-temple-worthy people will misunderstand what is happening and will harden their hearts against the truth. It will make them less likely to accept truth. The Antimormons who create and distribute these videos, and who spread rumors about associations with Paganism and secret societies, are spreading damnation for themselves and others. It is not a good road to go down. Viewing a school diploma is not the same thing as graduating school.
The purpose of temple ordinances is to prepare those who are worthy and ready, as an expression of their faith, for exaltation. Anyone who has been through the Mormon temple knows the ordinances are not a free pass to heaven. This is a very basic tenant of Mormonism, and it is very telling that CES Letter acts coy about it. Like a school diploma does not guarantee that you will do well in your profession, the ordinances simply show a person’s preparation.
Temple ordinances are extremely sacred, and the more skeptics and Antimormons handle them with this kind of sneering cavalier attitude, the more hateful and unhappy people they will become.
Tokens Of Faith Vs. Universal Salvation
Faith versus works is a false dichotomy that apostates long ago created to promote the Satanic ideology of universal salvation. Apostate Christians of the Dark Ages promoted blind faith so that the masses would be profitable economic producers for them. Salvation was universal for all feudal serfs who plowed their masters’ fields and had holy water poured on their foreheads as babies. Mormons are different. A person must choose baptism and it must be a token of their actual faith. We plow our own fields.
Notice how CES Letter shifts their argument to class warfare:
“Does the eternal salvation, eternal happiness, and eternal sealings of families really depend on medieval originated Masonic rituals in multi-million dollar castles?”
(CES Letter)
Imagine somebody asking this about schools. Does does deliverance from harm, happiness, and family really depend on a certificate showing that we received our education a fancy building of learning? Well no, those things depend on our merit and how hard we work for income, but a school diploma certainly helps us achieve that. Why would someone reject that a diploma and the education behind it is necessary for success?
In much the same way as those feudal Lords, modern-day Socialists promote blind faith and attack meritocracy. Their fanatical focus on equality of outcome looks to a big controlling central power to retain all responsibility and all fitness, and all we have to do is wave our hands in the air and put our trust in them–be dutiful serfs on their fields. Making it to the temple is not easy. You don’t get there because you are rich, a certain race, or privileged. You get there because you worked hard to be a strong and virtuous person.
Several lies were carefully woven into CES Letter‘s provocative question:
- CES Letter incorrectly equates Freemason rituals with LDS temple ceremonies. There are a couple similarities but they are very different. Mormonism is not a secret society.
- CES Letter incorrectly makes it look like Mormons think they are guaranteed salvation and happiness if they go to the temple.
- CES Letter incorrectly assumes Masonic rituals, which show similarities to LDS temple ceremonies, originated in medieval times. This is totally basless and incorrect.
- “Multi-million dollar castles”?
- CES Letter sets a false dilemna: if Mormon ordinances increases happiness and salvation then that excludes other people from being happy or safe. This is classic class warfare agitation where if one person isn’t successful it must be because someone else is. One class must be opppressing another class from their multi-million dollar castles.
So if skeptics are right and religious ordinances don’t help with our success, then what does? The Socialist answer is equality; we are all happy as equal economic producers under a benevolent dictator, a totally even playing field for our safety, happiness, and family definition.
Do Mormons Unfairly Exclude People From Heaven?
“Is God really going to separate good couples and their children who love one other and who want to be together in the next life because they object to uncomfortable and strange Masonic temple rituals and a polygamous heaven?”
(CES Letter)
- CES Letter illogically set a false dilemma before, but now they ignore an obvious either/or condition: Either Mormons are right and families can be sealed in their temple for eternity, or CES Letter is right and good couples and children will be separated after death. In other words, CES Letter points out a problem that they do not have a solution for. What is their solution to allow families to be together in the next life? They are just complaining.
- CES Letter again repeats their false claim that the LDS ceremony is Masonic.
- CES Letter is suggesting that “love” is what really matters rather than sealing ceremonies. This perpetuates their ‘faith rather than works’ argument from before, universal salvation. If families want to be together in heaven they will get sealed in the temple, just like people who want an education will get a diploma from a school. The Socialist solution is for everyone to get diplomas regardless of their education so that no one is excluded. Everyone gets a trophy: all you need is love.
- CES Letter implys that only good “couples” can love each other. I thought skeptics believed ‘all you need is love?’ Are polygamous people unable to love? Aren’t skeptics always championing alternative family arrangements? CES Letter sets a false dilemma fallacy where good “couples” shouldn’t want a Mormon version of heaven because it is “polygamous.” This strengthens CES Letter‘s Big Lie that Mormon policy is the same thing as Mormon unchanging doctrine, and that polygamy therefore is still somehow a problem. It is interesting that CES Letter would treat polygamy like some kind of original sin that Mormons aren’t allowed to get past, as the feudal Dark Age Lords also enforced their universal salvation ideology by oppressing the people with an original sin doctrine, Adam’s sin. Universal salvation follows original sin: Propagate social justice or you are damned for Joseph Smith’s polygamy.
- “uncomfortable and strange” – Some parts of the temple and Mormonism could be uncomfortable, it is true. Why is that a problem? Why do people always need comfort and familiarity? Socialists try to divide people into classes of similar people so that they feel more comfortable, in a familiar surrounding, and ease them into the universal salvation ideology. Socialism is all about making people comfortable, but always being comfortable does not help a person excel and find happiness. Muscles are built through strenuous labor. Likewise, a strong and virtuous person develops through discomfort. Socialists alter their ordinances to fit individual classes, but Mormons do not divide people into classes. We do not alter ordinances to fit different cultures. We focus on the individual, not the class. If you avoid the Temple because you are scared of Masonic associations and Pagan origins, then you do not have the courage, faith, and fortitude to receive the blessings you would receive. Mormons do not hand out lollipops and ice cream to make people feel comfortable, sorry.
After all of this complaining, still no solution from CES letter. What is their superior alternative to the Mormon temple? How does CES Letter propose saving families eternally in heaven? Well, obviously atheists don’t believe in heaven. Marxists don’t even believe in families! If the Antimormon Marxists had their way, the government would raise children. So why are they complaining about some children being separated in the afterlife?
This entire argument boils down to the primeval battle in heaven where God wanted to test and try us on earth, so we can excel from our merits, while Satan wanted to save everybody and force us to make right choices. It’s just so unfair!!!
CES Letter Logical Fallacies
| Falsehood | CES Letter repeats the falsehood that the Mormon temple ordinances originated from medieval Masons. |
| Repetition | CES Letter repeats key phrases like “signs, tokens, handshakes.” Redunant: “uncomfortable and strange.” |
| False Dilemma | CES Letter sets false dilemmas and ignores legitimate either/or situations. |
| Ad Hominem | Uncomfortable and strange. Multi-million dollar castles. |
| Begging The Question | If they were “good couples”, then they would have nothing to worry about. The question is what proves they are good? |
| Strawman | Knowing signs and tokens from a Youtube video doesn’t mean anything, just as swimming in water is not a baptism. CES Letter misrepresents the function of LDS temple ordinances and what they mean. |
| Red Herring | The rich castle imagery is an appeal to class warfare. Which economic class is excluded from the temple? None. |
| Appeal To Ridicule | “…unworthy Mormons as well as non-Mormons who’ve seen the endowment on YouTube or read about the signs/handshakes/tokens online should pass through the pearly gates with lying colors.” No. |
| Tu Quoque | We don’t notice at first the appeal to universal salvation because of the suggestion that Mormons believe in getting a free pass from temple ordinances. We don’t notice the appeal to intolerance and bigotry because of the accusation of Mormons being intolerant. |
Bling Faith? – Finally! We get to see the ideology that CES Letter has been agitating for this who time. The mask slips. What is the alternative to Mormonism? Universal salvation. CES Letter frames the temple as an issue of class warfare, Mormons performing secret Pagan rituals in multimillion-dollar castles, while good couples get excluded because they do not like polygamy.
CES Letter does not tell us what the alternative to Mormon works should be, but the answer is implicit: faith. What else could it be? Faith versus works, one or the other. Socialism relies on blind faith, and for all the hatred CES Letter expresses for “faith” throughout their PDF, that is what universal salvation relies on, and that is really what they are promoting.
Big Lie Tactic – CES Letter shifts between internal contradictions and external contradictions to propagate their big lie. Previously, CES Letter (baselessly) argued that the LDS temple contradicts ancient rituals. Then they argued that the LDS temple contradicts earlier LDS temple ceremonies. CES Letter ignores all historical context, and perpetuate the big lie. Now LDS temples contradict morality.
CES Letter gets away with this because of culture often demonizes the Freemasons or the Illuminati or whatever. There is so much mythology on TV about it and conspiracy theories in the news. It is easy to make an Ad Hominem attack through association. It takes people too long to look at the actual evidence and study actual historical documents. Even mainstream church apologists are beaten down by all of the accusations and have give way to the big lie. The really clever thing about this argument is how CES letter brings up polygamy. Skeptics also tend to bring up the Black priesthood ban in this argument. These things are “original sins” that Antimormons hang over the heads of modern-day Mormons to pressure them into accepting universal salvation. If faced with a sin that you didn’t commit and you can’t reconcile, universal salvation is the only possible answer. Mormons were polygamous therefore you need to accept everyone into your heaven regardless of merit.
Of course, they do not say what it is they believe in so we can’t return challenges in kind to their faith. They never say “instead of this we believe in this.” I think this is why skeptics typically don’t bring up the real reasons why they left the church when they ask their “questions.” They want to snipe from a safe position where they don’t have to talk about their own beliefs.
Anyone who actually knows Mormon doctrine knows CES Letter is wrong, but real value of this argument is that it builds association between Mormons and oppressive monarchs in rich castles. The point of this argument is not to convince us that the temple ceremony is false, but to associate Mormons with bourgeoisie oppressors. That is what really makes this argument effective. Thus, CES Letter reinforces their Big Lie that Mormons are dangerous. This is how CES Letter operates: through innuendo. They push the Big Lies, they wrap them in a veneer of science, and this convinces their audience that science is a superior alternative truth to Mormonism.
This reinforces the victimization culture among Antimormons and ex-Mormons, where everything bad in life is the fault of Mormons and the LDS church. If Mormons don’t agree with their shifting truth, the narrative that changes as needed to propagate the Socialist ideology, then that means Mormons are intolerant, withholding blessings from people who deserve them. Suddenly, disagreement with anything an Antimormon says is an act of aggression and intolerance. This is where we get today’s popular cultural appeal to accept degeneracy and apostasy, relative truth, in the name of “tolerance” and “equality.” It is really just intolerance of Mormon beliefs.
Contradiction Strategy – CES Letter goes back and forth between too much similarity and too much difference between other sources.
A requirement of the strategy being used by Antimormons is that each part of the Mormon belief system needs a ‘particular essence.’ Followers of Satan can never say: “Well, we just don’t know.” They need an answer for every part, so that they can deconstruct every part, belief by belief.
This is easier to accomplish when the answer are constantly shifting and you don’t have to settle on one single truth, like Mormons have to. One day, Joseph Smith got his geography names from upstate New York. In a couple years, if we look at Antimormon websites they might tell us he actually got them from some book he read, or a map of Mongolia that a family friend possessed. As for Freemasonry, if tomorrow a document surfaces that unmistakably connects Freemason rituals to Jerusalem’s temple, Antimormons will just shift the narrative to something else–probably shift to inconsistencies.
When it comes to history, there is so much we don’t know and will never know. This argument is ridiculous because there are zero records to confirm where the rituals came from, and CES Letter asserts their claim from thin air. Skeptics are easily tricked when it comes to history, because they are lazy and do not care to use critical thought. It is especially easy when it comes to the Mormon temple because Mormons are reticent about what happens in the temple and Antimormons can say pretty much whatever they want. They spread all kinds of falsehoods about these sacred buildings and sully the temple unopposed. If there is vague evidence for something but we mostly don’t know what really happened because it is ancient history, followers of Satan will jump to lazy conclusions, whatever narrative is hyped on in the media and dressed up in emotional language. It is easy to manipulate Satan’s followers when it comes to history because they rely only on what they can see and put no true faith in anything.
The LDS temple endowment is a great and incredibly important part of Mormonism. Our ancestors sacrificed everything to build these holy buildings. In the midst of their persecution and extermination by Antimormons, the pioneers made the establishment of these houses of God as their top priority. We often take for granted not only how much the pioneers sacrificed to establish the temple, but how vitally important temples are still today. They are God’s conduit and source for priesthood power on earth. They are houses of learning, where we are instructed in what we need to know to make it in this world and prepare for the world to come.Complete answers to CES Letter questions about Mormons: