The Bible and LDS Temples

Mormonism claims to have modern day temples which operate in the same fashion as the Old Testament temple did. The truth is that an entire book can be written on the differences between the two. Thus what follows are only highlight’s of the major differences between what the Bible says about the temple, and what Mormon temples practice.

No Mormon Ceremonies
The Bible nowhere mentions or teaches these same LDS temple ceremonies taking place in ancient Jewish temples. It can be said categorically that no modern day Mormon temple rituals ever took place in the ancient Jewish temple.

Also worth noting, Mormon scriptures (Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine & Covenants) do not teach LDS temple ceremonies. The only exception to this is the LDS ritual of baptizing the dead, which is mentioned in the Doctrine & Covenants, NOT the Book of Mormon, which claims to be the “fullness of the everlasting gospel.” In fact there is NO evidence to suggest that the peoples in the Book of Mormon practiced ANY of the temple ceremonies that modern day Mormons practice.

Some LDS scholars have claimed that the ancient peoples of Central America are actually the people mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The temples built by these peoples were allegedly used to practice various Mormon temple ceremonies. As seen in the painting Jesus Christ Visits the Americas by Mormon artist John Scott (click for larger view), the temple in the background clearly represents those found in the Yucatan Peninsula that were built by the Mayans. This painting has been put into the front of thousands of copies of the Book of Mormon that are distributed to prospective converts.

However archeological evidence has shown that the temples of South and Central America were horrific places. Humans, including infants were sacrificed at the alter of false gods. New World archeology reveals that nothing the like current LDS temple ceremonies were practiced in these temples.

The Endowment Ceremony
Since there is no Biblical support for the LDS concept of temples, it will naturally follow that the ceremonies therein clash with the teachings of the Bible. A multitude of teachings in the LDS endowment ceremony contradict the clear teachings of the Bible. Some of the bigger ones are as follows:

Endowment Ceremony	Bible
Jehovah & Michael organize matter to form the earth.	God speaks and things are (Genesis 1:3,9,14-15). Michael is not involved.
Michael is Adam.	Michael is an archangel (Jude 9). An angelic warrior and protector of Israel (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Revelation 12:7).
There are no children without the fall.	The Bible does not teach this. The Book of Mormon does (2 Nephi 2:23).
Tokens and death oaths of secrecy.	There are no such tokens and oaths of death in Jewish temple ceremonies or the Bible.
No animal sacrifices.	The Old Testament temple offered various sacrifices as atonements for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 1:3; 3:1; 8:21, etc).
Peter, James and John existed prior to their earthly incarnation.	There is no preexistence. The spirit of man is formed in the womb (Zechariah 12:1).
Eve is the sister of Lucifer	The only wife of Adam, made by God as a "help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18). No relation to Lucifer.

Other problems with the endowment ceremony revolve around the clothing worn by temple patrons. The various articles worn have no Biblical representation and are mentioned nowhere within the pages of the Old Testament. The garments worn by the High Priest in the temple can be seen at http://www.templeinstitute.org/vessels_gallery_16.htm and are created by the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel. The images show an actual recreation of a life size set of priestly garments worn by the High Priest. As you can see they in no way resemble the garments worn by the Latter-day Saints.

Baptizing the Dead
Perhaps the single most practiced ritual in the LDS temples is that of baptizing the dead by proxy. Those who have died as non-members of the LDS church are baptized vicariously by LDS members who are living. According to Mormonism, this gives the dead a chance for salvation and accept the Mormon gospel after death (Doctrine and Covenants 128:12-18; 138:32-33).

Mormons cite 1 Corinthians 15:29 to support this ritual.

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Our arguments on why we believe this to be a spurious claim can be read at http://www.concernedchristians.org/nocomparison_baptism2.php.

Other than the fact that the Bible does not teach Christians to baptize the dead, we must understand that ancient Jews did not do this in their temple. No work for the dead was ever done in the Jewish temple. To do so would have made Israel like the heathen nations that offered up sacrifices for, and consulted the dead (Deuteronomy 18:9-11; 1 Samuel 28:7-8).  

Marriage for Time & Eternity
Mormonism claims to be able to marry people for "time & all eternity." Unlike an earthly marriage which ends at death, an LDS temple marriage (or sealing) allegedly bonds two or more people as a family in the afterlife.

The idea of marriage in heaven is foreign to the Bible. In Matthew 22:23 we find the story about the Sadducees who came to Jesus with the question about what would be the marital status in the next life.

The same day came to him [Jesus] the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. (Matthew 22:23-18)

In Matthew 22:29-30 Jesus replies:

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (emphasis added)

Mark 12:24-25 and Luke 20:34-36 confirm this teaching that marriage does not exist in heaven.

Conclusion
Every LDS temple ceremony is false. They are not recorded in the Bible, and with one exception (baptizing the dead), they are not recorded in Mormon scriptures. Nor were any of these rituals performed in the ancient Jewish temple. As a result, it can safely be said that none of them are Godly in origin. This also shows the falsehood of the prophetic status of Joseph Smith since he allegedly "received the temple endowment and its ritual, as all else that he promulgated, by revelation from God." (John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith-Seeker After Truth, Prophet of God, 1951, p.249) He cannot be a true prophet of God if his "revelations" contradict the written word of God, the Bible.