Devolved Ordinances

[halconero]

I was studying the other day the nature of ordinances, the physical, verbal and spiritual aspects and I started thinking of modern ceremonies and rites that most people will go through, and the possibility of having inherited them from apostasies (great apostasy and further back)

One I can thought of was marriage.

There is indication that as the doctrine of eternal sealings was restored to the prophet Joseph Smith that marriage outside of the New & Everlasting covenant wasn't held in the same esteem, and even ignored at times. I can think of (and will get the references later) times in which Joseph said that it wasn't necessary for someone to get a divorce before sealing them to someone else. I was listening to Truman G. Madsen speak of a time in which Joseph held a sham civil wedding between two friends of his, while in reality he was sealed to the woman.

In the Church, marriage is an ordinance, and according to LDS doctrine it was one of the first ordinances performed on this earth.

Marriage, therefore, started out as a priesthood, rather than civil, ordinance. My feelings are that as Adam's posterity started to apostatize they began to take this authority upon themselves to marry, and while God tolerated(s) it, he ultimately will not recognize it as something binding, much like he tolerates but does not recognize the baptisms of those outside the church.

Are there any other things we do on a regular basis that might have come down to us from priesthood functions/ordinances? I listened to a talk in which Hugh Nibley called graduation robes the apostate robes of a black priesthood.

*edited for the wrong Hugh.

Edited August 4, 2012 by halconero

[Duncan]

I was studying the other day the nature of ordinances, the physical, verbal and spiritual aspects and I started thinking of modern ceremonies and rites that most people will go through, and the possibility of having inherited them from apostasies (great apostasy and further back)

One I can thought of was marriage.

There is indication that as the doctrine of eternal sealings was restored to the prophet Joseph Smith that marriage outside of the New & Everlasting covenant wasn't held in the same esteem, and even ignored at times. I can think of (and will get the references later) times in which Joseph said that it wasn't necessary for someone to get a divorce before sealing them to someone else. I was listening to Truman G. Madsen speak of a time in which Joseph held a sham civil wedding between two friends of his, while in reality he was sealed to the woman.

In the Church, marriage is an ordinance, and according to LDS doctrine it was one of the first ordinances performed on this earth.

Marriage, therefore, started out as a priesthood, rather than civil, ordinance. My feelings are that as Adam's posterity started to apostatize they began to take this authority upon themselves to marry, and while God tolerated(s) it, he ultimately will not recognize it as something binding, much like he tolerates but does not recognize the baptisms of those outside the church.

Are there any other things we do on a regular basis that might have come down to us from priesthood functions/ordinances? I listened to a talk in which Hugh B. Brown called graduation robes the apostate robes of a black priesthood.

it was Hugh Nibley who said it

[Calm]

There is indication that as the doctrine of eternal sealings was restored to the prophet Joseph Smith that marriage outside of the New & Everlasting covenant wasn't held in the same esteem, and even ignored at times.

You need to be careful on attributing reasons to why marriage and divorce might have been treated differently during a time period when not everyone had access to civil government or viewed the government or other institution as a necessary participant in marriage. Common law marriages were not unusual in the past and not viewed the same way as they are now by society, I know less about 'common law divorce' but would assume the same applied.

[Evangeline]

Have you ever participated in a circle dance? Circle dances can be found in many cultures throughout the world. Thanks to Hugh Nibley, we have a better understanding of where they might have come from:

http://maxwellinstit...19&num=2&id=532

Edited August 4, 2012 by Evangeline

[ANACO]

Duh.

[CV75]

Are there any other things we do on a regular basis that might have come down to us from priesthood functions/ordinances? I listened to a talk in which Hugh Nibley called graduation robes the apostate robes of a black priesthood.

Stewardship of the earth (Adam's charge, law of consecration), language and records of any kind but most obviously journals and genealogies (scripture), edcuation and learning (temple), just about any institution we have today (media, financial, exploration/discovery) has a priesthood counterpart.

[mfbukowski]

When I was endowed, the first thing I thought of was the similarity to graduation ceremonies. Graduation ceremonies are related to masonic ceremonies so the similarities are not surprising.

Further there are masonic symbols worn on a black article of clothing worn by the "Satan" actor in certain temples in certain ceremonies.

Vague I know, and it will stay that way. Just know that that was what Nibley was referring to.

Examples of masonic ceremonies in graduations include the "mortarboard" hat worn in graduations and the changing of the tassel from the left to the right during the graduation ceremonies.

[wenglund]

You need to be careful on attributing reasons to why marriage and divorce might have been treated differently during a time period when not everyone had access to civil government or viewed the government or other institution as a necessary participant in marriage. Common law marriages were not unusual in the past and not viewed the same way as they are now by society, I know less about 'common law divorce' but would assume the same applied.

Besides, governments, even in advanced societies, were relatively late getting into the business of marriage (some time around the 1st century A.D.)

Oddly enough, modern religions may have gotten into the business even later than governments (circa 12th century A.D.).

Thanks, -Wade Englund-