The only account account that I've read is from "Fifteen Years Among The Mormons." Sex acts were alluded to but not depicted in the description of the ceremony.


https://ia802305.us.archive.org/19/items/fifteenyearsamo01greegoog/fifteenyearsamo01greegoog.pdf


CHAPTER IV.



ENDOWMENTS.



By early winter, the "upper rooms" of the Temple, set
apart for the mysteries of the Endowments were finished,
and the persons in the different quorums accounted worthy,
were sent for, to receive the "fullness of that blessing."

None but those of approved integrity, and of undoubted
orthodoxy, who have paid their "tithing," can travel this
"Mormon road to Heaven," as it is called. This "tithing,"
in its fullest sense, implies a tenth of all one's property
and income, and one-tenth of the time to be spent in labor
on the public works, or money to hire a substitute.

There are many things about these initiations which I do
not feel at liberty to disclose, as I have received them as
religious mysteries, at a time I believed they were true —
when I knew no other religion. Indeed, my whole know-
ledge of religion, until within a few months, has been associ-
ated with these ceremonies, as opening the only road to
heaven. They have taught me to believe my chief duties
as a woman, in this life, consisted in having a great many
children ; and my prospect for happiness and "exaltation"
in the next world, to be greatly enhanced, by being one of
many fruitful wives of one man ; and that even my salvation
depended upon the pleasure of the Prophet, or on that of a
spiritual husband, and I had never heard a true account of
that beautiful story of a free salvation through Christ, of
which I am now anxious to know more.

Those things in the following ceremonies, which I have
neglected to disclose, are such as, while they would only
gratify the morbid curiosity of some readers, and offend the
good taste of others, are forever sealed within my own breast
by a solemn obligation of secrecy, and must so remain until
I can see how their disclosure can contribute to the public
good: a reason for silence on those points, which all con-
scientious people will, I think, duly appreciate; and yet I
am free to acknowledge, that I have had some difficulty in
settling with my conscience the exact point at which my dis-
closures should end; and the difficulty has not been lessened
by the instruction and advice kindly given me by several dis-
tinguished ministers of the Gospel, that I ought to feel
myself at liberty to make an unreserved disclosure of the
whole matter. I have, however, thought it safest to give my
conscience the benefit of the doubt, where there has been
any question as to what I ought to do; and hence the follow-
ing is all I have to disclose upon this part of Mormonism at
present:

My husband, who was a member of the fourth "Quorum
of Seventies," and myself, were called to the Temple to re-
ceive our "Endowments."

We ascended the first stair, at the head of which Brigham
Young met us. He took me by both hands, and led me to a
door at the left, and whispering in my ear a pass-word, left
me to go in, and afterwards did the same with my husband,
who was directed to enter a door at the right.
The room I had entered was nearly filled with women: no
men were in this room; and no women were in the room at
the right, where Wallace had entered. Here we were un-
dressed and washed in a large tub of warm water, by a woman
who is "ordained" to that office, and then anointed with
"consecrated oil," by another woman, also "ordained" for
that particular duty.

Two high priests were in an adjoining room, consecrating
this oil, and handing the same into both rooms as it was
needed, which was poured from a horn over our heads, and a
lengthy prayer was then said over us. Every part of the
body being in turn the special subject of this prayer, that we
might become as little children, even as Adam and Eve were
when placed in the Garden of Eden, and many other matters
of a similar bearing, which I cannot now recollect, although
I witnessed the ceremony many times afterwards.

We were then dressed with a white night-gown and skirt,
and shoes of bleached drilling, and with our hair loose and
dripping with consecrated oil, each received a new name, and
were instructed that we were never to pronounce this name
on earth but once: and that, when we came to enter within
the "Veil" hereafter described.

The same process is gone through with in the men's wash-
ing-room, except that they wore nothing but shirt and draw-
ers, and when all was ready in both rooms, each party was
piloted by one of their own sex into a common room, fitted
up to represent, and called the Garden of Eden. On this
occasion there were about forty persons of both sexes. The
room into which we were taken was very large, the walls
were hung with white muslin, and was fitted up with boxes,
containing a great variety of trees, designed to represent the
Garden of Eden. All the trees were in life, and presented a
very fine appearance, and we were marched round the room
among them in slow and solemn procession.

It is required that each candidate be perfectly clean in
dress and person, and a filthy thing is here regarded an
abomination.

A circumstance happened at this initiation which will
illustrate how readily propriety is sacrificed to their ideas of
orthodoxy. It appears that a large Irishman, who, though a
good Mormon, had not lost his native propensity to "bulls,"
had come into the wash-room for his "Endowments," either
thoughtlessly or ignorantly, with shirt and drawers not over
dean. He had, however, put on a clean "dickey," but this
would not pass after his anointing, and being the last one
washed, and the procession ready to move into the Garden
of Eden, he threw on his clean dickey, and marched in and
received, to use his own words, "Me Endowments, with nary
an onclane rag abute me," having on, in fact, nothing but his
dickey.

But to continue. The first thing we saw in the centre of
the "Garden" was the "devil," dressed in black muslin, in
conversation with " Eve," the latter being tempted to partake
of the forbidden "fruit," to which she finally yielded. Eve
then went to Adam, with an offer of the "fruit," who, after
much resistance, "be likewise fell;" whereupon the "Lord"
came into the "Garden," with a glittering white robe, be-
spangled with every kind of brilliants that could send back a
flash of light, from whose face Adam, and Eve, and the
"Tempter" fled away, hiding among the trees; but finally
the first two confessed their "crime," and the "Lord" pro-
nounced a curse upon them and upon their race, copied from
Genesis, and the devil crawled out of sight upon his face.
The Lord then put aprons upon Adam and Eve, and upon us
all, made of white linen, illustrated by means of green silk,
to represent fig-leaves. We were then led out again, each
to our respective rooms, and thus ended the "first glory."

I deem it proper, and a duty I owe my sex, to hand dawn
to infamy the names of the women I have seen not only then,
but since, represent "Eve" in the "Garden of Eden," the
more so, because the persona whose names I am about to
mention appear to have performed it willingly and with "pleasure."

Eliza Snow, who was one of the wives of the Prophet
Joseph, and now a wife of Brigham Young "for time," as
it is termed, which means she will be Joseph's wife again in
heaven, performed this part more than any other woman.
Now at fifty years of age, she is even yet very beautiful, and
she may be said to perform infamously well. I have also
seen Mrs. Buel, mentioned heretofore, do the same. She is
the woman whose husband lived at Lima, Ill., when Joseph
seduced her from him. I have also seen Mrs. Knowlton in
the same capacity. She is the mother of my brother How-
ard's wife, Martha.

Martha is a good and pure woman, and will not submit to
the double wife practice although she is forced to acknow-
ledge, in common with all Mormon women, that it is right
in principle each week when she is questioned, as they all
are, by the "teachers." When my brother Howard one time
brought home another wife, Martha fought her out of the
house, and he was forced to console himself with one. But
when I left Salt Lake last year, he was courting two sisters
whom he intended to take home, thinking they would to-
gether be able to hold the balance of power in Martha's
household. I presume she will in the end submit, as that
is sure to be the fate of most Mormon women.

"Satan" is generally represented by Judge Phelps, for
whom I have no words sufficiently hateful. Levi Hancock
also often performed the same. And "Adam" by Orson
Hyde and Parley P. Pratt I have no doubt but these cha-
racters have been represented by others, but these are the
persons who generally do it. The whole room was hung
with white cloth, and behind one side of the "Garden of
Eden" there was no wall but the curtain, with an arrange-
ment of "peep-holes," where Mormons who have before taken
their Endowments may witness it again. Brigham Young
was in the practice of sending for various ones among the
women to that room, where he examined them as to their
pass-words and grips, and forced them to witness again the
"temptation." I was often sent for afterwards at Salt Lake
on such occasions.

The character of the "Lord" was always represented by
"Brother Brigham," if he could possibly be there--if not,
deputized some one; but Brigham never played the "Devil"
or "Adam" on these occasions.

I think I need not inform my readers how heartily the
women mentioned as "Eves" at these infernal rites were in
secret despised and hated bj the great mass of the Mormon
women: especially Eliza Snow. Though forced to treat them
well in society there, I take pleasure in letting them know
the opinion that obtained among their own sex, and which
would have found an expression of universal disgust from
those of their associates, if it were not crushed into silence by the overshadowing power of the Prophet.

We were now undressed again, and each put on the "gar-
ment," which is so arranged as to form a whole suit at once;
and the "robe," which is a strip of white muslin, say three-
fourths of a yard wide, and long enough to reach to the feet,
gathered in the middle, and tied by a bow, to the left shoul-
der, and brought across the body, and the edges fastened to-
gether on the right side, with a belt around the waist of the
same. Over this was put the apron we had received in the
"first glory;" and the women wore what is called a veil,
made of a large piece of book muslin, reaching nearly to the
floor, and gathered up at one corner to fit the head. The
men wore a kind of turban, made of the same material, other-
wise men and women were dressed alike. Thus disguised,
it was quite impossible for us to recognize each other.

We were next led into what is called the Terrestrial Glory ;
where Brigham Young received us, and after a long effort to
explain the disgusting scene in the "Garden," as necessary to
our future exaltation, he gave each a pass-woxd and grip
necessary, he said, to admit us into the "Celestial Glory;"
where our (i.e.Mormon) "god" dwells. Some say this is
Adam; and some that Joe Smith is to be our "god," and
afterwards, Brigham Young intimated, that he (Brigham),
was the medium of our salvation, and that Joseph was his
"god." They do not all agree upon this point; but they do
agree upon another thing, and that is: that there are many
gods, and they do not acknowledge the one Triune God of
the Bible, but that every man will sometime be a "god;"
and that women are to be the ornaments of his kingdom, and
dependent upon him for resurrection and salvation; and that
our salvation is dependent upon the recollection of these pass-
words; that when we get to Heaven, these pass-words will
open the door to us if we can recollect them; but even then,
Brigham's permission is necessary before the women can en-
ter. The absolute truth of which theory I have never doubted
until within a few months.

From this we pass, after being armed with the pass-words
and grips, to another room, where is an altar, before which,
if any wish, they are "sealed" — that is married. The name of
this I do not recollect, but it is the third "Glory." We
arrived finally, where a veil separated us from the "Celestial
Glory." A man behind the veil examined us, as to the pass-
words and grips Brigham had given us, and to whom we gave
our "new name," received at the first anointing. Holes
through the veil enabled him to see us when we could not see
him, and also, to cut with a small pair of scissors, certain
marks, beside others, the Masonic square and compass, upon
the right and left breast of our " garments," and upon the
right knee, a gash, deep enough to make a scar, by which «re
were to be recognized as Mormons. This gash upon the right
biee is now often omitted, because many of the women ob-
ject to it. We were then admitted into the "Celestial Glory,"
where, seated upon a throne, in great state, was a person
representing "our god." This was a gorgeously furnished
room, illustrating by earthly signs a heavenly glory. This
ends the first "anointing."

The time occupied in this initiation is about ten hours.
Two days in the week are set apart for this purpose, and
sometimes group after group succeeds each other, and the ini-
tiation is continued all day, and not unfrequently long after
midnight.

Arrived at this point, the candidate is prepared to pro-
ceed to the "second anointing." This I have never received,
and for various reasons, not the least of which was, that very
few have received this as yet, and will not until the new
temple at Salt Lake city is finished. I had also heard it
hinted, that the "second anointing" was administered
without clothing of any kind; and moreover, as it will be
seen hereafter, I had reason to doubt somewhat, though not
entirely to discard Mormonism.

It was a noticeable feature, that the outside show of some
of the regalia and furniture connected with these *' Endow-
ments," were made to conform to those of Masonry; and
Mormons are anxious to have the "Gentiles" associate all
they know of these beastly "Endowments," with Masonry, or
as being a modified form of it, made eligible to women, as a
blind to cover the real objects of this "Institution;" and I

have noticed by the public prints, since my arrival in the
States, that this was the opinion entertained among those
"Gentiles" supposed to be best informed upon this subject.
But this is but a mere blind; and the real object of these
mystic forms is no way connected with, or borrowed from
Masonry. Now, in conclusion of my disclosures upon this
part of my subject, associated as it is with hateful memories
of that peculiar kind, most distasteful to the recollection of a
pure woman, I deem it my duty, in compensation for what
I have felt compelled to omit of the foregoing, especially of
that never to be forgotten scene in the "Garden of Eden,"
to state, that the "moral" and object of the whole is, socially,
to unsex the sexes; * * * * * * * * * * and when I call the attention of
the reader to the fact, that while I have described the dress
of all the parties to this inhuman display, and ocular demon-
stration, I have not mentioned the dress of "Adam and Eve"
nor the nature of the "Fruit" by which each was in turn
tempted; I think he will admit, that while I hare said enough,
I have also left more unsaid than the imagination, held with
the loosest possible rein, would be likely to picture; and I
have only to add, that the reality is too monstrous for human
belief.*

==============================================================


* It would seem to be a misfortune, that a false estimate of pro
priety should be allowed to interpose a barrier against the exposure

of these Mormon debaucheries. But as Mrs. S , from consci

tious scruples, and a doubt as to the good to be accomplished by
more full disclosure, preferred ftlence, we leave this subject as it is.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2015 06:35PM by anybody.

It is my understanding that felching and pegging were quite popular.

That is not a proper question - it contains an unnecessary assumption. It's like asking a man "What weapons do you use to beat your wife with?"

Answer to your question: There were NO sex acts performed in the original live endowment, or in any version since.

If the account in "Fifteen Years Among The Mormons" is accurate, the author (who is writing in the voice of Ettie Smith) describes the endowment as a parody of the Garden of Eden story performed live and in the nude. There's also sexual innuendo and double entendre going on in the description of the forbidden "fruit" that Eve is supposed to partake of. It's hard to judge more than a hundred and sixty years after the fact but the text gives the reader the impression that Eve is performing oral sex on Adam. I don't know if this was an intentional allusion by the author or a description of what really happened and described in indirect, discreet antebellum polite language.

I think you confuse Mormonism with Warren Jeffs.

"Where it took place: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, left, and one of the rooms inside the main temple, right, which contained a bed"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024150/Warren-Jeffs-trial-Paedophile-gets-life-sentence-50-brides-photo-emerges.html

Actually, Jeffs and his ilk are real Mormonism in all its horror.

Much closer to the stinking, vile original.

Although the question is posed with a presumption, we also don't know that there was no sex in mormon temples in the early days of the church. I have known older people who told me they went through a fully nude initiatory ceremony with no pancho type thing. Temple ceremonies, especially early ones, are not documented anywhere officially. I would not be surprised if some of the early ceremonies did include sex in the temple as an exception to the rule of sex with spouse only. If they will threaten to kill you with grusome penalties, why not sex?

So absence of evidence is not evidence of absence?

Let's not stoop to that level.

If I were an active member, just beginning to harbor doubts, and stumbled upon this, I doubt I'd be inclined to stick around and read more.

Bathing and leering alternated with anointing and groping.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2015 11:37AM by donbagley.

Hot Tub v. 1.0

I understand that a lot of masturbation goes at the General Conference podium every 6 months...

they can still g i up?

I have been told that as part of the second anointing, the wife washes and anoints her husbands feet - so that she might have claim upon him in the first resurrection. Supposedly the old ceremonial garment that lacked any sort of crotch for either sex were designed that way to permit sexual intercourse, which was the crowning act of the private, the couple only, portion of the ordinance. Those understanding came through a polyg group.

When I saw the reports of the bed in the FLDS temple and the ordinances it was used for, I felt that what Jeffs did was an out growth of the LDS original ordinances.

Please, folks, don't substitute your guesses and feelings and unwarranted conclusions for demonstrable facts. Otherwise you're no better than Mormon apologists. And to promote unsubstatiated ideas makes all exmormons and Mormon critics look bad.

Agree with "RPackham". This is the type of crazy shit that your stereotypical, born-again Christian, anti-Mormons spout. As a teenager I heard this line and it put me off really investigating the church. Don't add to the problem, "Anybody". Let's talk about the real historical and doctrinal issues so we can help those still in the cult.

I don't know if sex acts were involved, but in the Manti temple, there used to be about 12 bathtubs, where they used to rub lavender essential oil onto the women, while they stood in the tub. Others can give the references. I have seen it posted a couple of times on here.

ThatLittleBriggyWentWeeeWeeWee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know if sex acts were involved, but in the Manti temple, there used to be about 12 bathtubs, where they used to rub lavender essential oil onto the women, while they stood in the tub. Others can give the references. I have seen it posted a couple of times on here.

Yes, the early Utah temples had bathtubs, where the "washing" part of the initiatory was performed. Women washed the women, men washed the men.

Do you consider that to be a "sex act"? Then I suppose you would consider it a "sex act" when a nurse gives a hospital patient an alcohol bath?

Some posters on this thread have as broad a definition of "sex act" as the Mormons, who think watching an R-rated movie is a form of illicit sex.

I said that I don't know that sex acts were involved. Save your lecture for the OP or for someone who said that they thought sex acts were involved!

Richard, she said

> I don't know if sex acts were involved...

so your comment was not helpful.

all of them.


just sayin'

Who comes up with these bizarre questions??? Any research will show clearly that there never were any sex acts performed in an LDS temple ritual, and still are none performed.
Is someone going to ask again: do you Mormons have horns??
ARGH!!!

Is someone going to ask if sexual acts are performed in a Jewish Milveh also?

Being told to undress, under duress, and then with out real invitation being touched in private areas directly below the waist line and /or in the groin area for NON MEDICAL reasons constitutes personal violation in a sexual context.

THAT IS AN ACT OF SEXUAL VIOLATION. IT IS A SEX ACT. IT IS A CRIME.

IT IS A FACT THAT SUCH ACTS WENT ON IN THE MORmON TEMPLE CEREMONY. IT IS A FACT THAT SUCH ACTS WERE COMMON PLACE in
"the washing and anointing" ordinance. I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED IT!!!!

EVERYONE WHO WAS MISTAKEN ON THIS ISSUE, WHO SAID THAT NO SEX ACTS HAD EVER OCCURRED IN THE MORmON TEMPLE CEREMONY CAN NOW CONSIDER THEMSELVES CORRECTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (How ironic that the group included some one who claims to be an attorney !!!!) Further, I am DISGUSTED with all of that group who (STILL) so readily make excuses/ allowances for the MORmON criminal enterprise, when such allowances would not be extended to other organizations conducting similar acts. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO WAKE UP!!!!!!

The MORmON Church NEVER would have gotten away with that garbage if they'd have had middle age men doing it to teen age girls.

I personally do NOT feel any better about it just because I was a vulnerable teen age male ( THAT'S RIGHT PEOPLE, AGE 19 IS A TEEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) who was subjected to that kind of molestation by older males acting as temple officiators.

I FEEL VIOLATED BY THIS TREATMENT, NO MATTER HOW CONDONING YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ACT OF ABUSE AND VIOLATION THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED CRIMINAL IN NATURE IN SO MANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES AND/ OR WITH THE SLIGHTEST VARIATION IN THE FINER DETAILS.

WHAT IS YOUR REAL EXCUSE FOR CONTINUING TO CONDONE THE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR OF THE MORmON CULT ?????????

"Please Folks" IF the MORmON washing and anointing temple ordinance was so DAMNED INNOCENT and HARMLESS in any sexual abuse / personal abuse context, then go ahead and explain WHY it has been watered down to the point of being practically ELIMINATED compared to its old hard core original sexually invasive / personally invasive performance.

Could it be because it was abusive? Could it be because it did have an improper sexual component, regardless of how same sex that it was in its execution. ( I DARE YOU TO TRY TO EXPLAIN AWAY THAT ) Could it be because it was (NOT SO) borderline criminal in its execution ?

I want to hear your explanations. Just remember, I have a BS / MORmONIC comment detector and it works.

smirkorama, I hear what you say and I understand what you mean about your experiences when you reveal that you felt sexually violated at age 19, and I acknowledge your right to consider what happened to you as an act of sexual assault.

written in 1857 called "Fifteen Years Among The Mormons." The text was not written but dictated by Marry Ettie V. Smith. Her description of the original endowment ceremony strongly implies some sort of sex act took place but does not explicitly say so.

I simply wish to know if this is an accurate account.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2015 06:45PM by anybody.

I don't the OP question is analogous to "do you Mormons have horns??" because the OP asked a loaded question--ie with a built in assumption the limits the number of answers in a way that determines what the possible answers might be.

A better analogy would be
"Do you Mormons still have horns?'
or
"How do you Mormons hide your horns?"

However I agree with the thrust of your post, that the OP question is unwarranted.

From an outsider’s perspective, hearing about even just the modern temple ceremony would qualify it as a sexual impropriety. People reporting how they felt after their first time through the temple, like feeling sickened or horrified about getting naked and having someone touch you inappropriately, shows how the thinking part of their minds understood that they were being violated.

Considering people were at one point basically threatened with death should they reveal what happened to them during this perverted ritual, I could absolutely picture a time when it was performed without a draping, and probably performed entirely by the male leadership. Only people who know they are doing something wrong would threaten people with death should they reveal what has happened to them. That’s what sexual predators do to their victims, threaten them should they reveal what happened. It’s self evident that they would’ve had to tone things down in modern times in order not to be sued for sexual abuse. Now it falls into a grey area just inside of what would be considered legal.

As an outsider, I find the temple ceremony, as described, to be a violation of someone’s sexuality. No wonder they don’t want people to talk about it. It’s perverse in its current form today, and I have no trouble believing it was probably even worse in the past. Back when polygamy was practiced, I’m quite sure it was initially used as a way to scope out young prospects for sexual purposes by the older men. What other meaning could the temple ritual possibly have satisfied; certainly not a spiritual one, that’s for sure.

To me, even the current temple ritual is a sexual act. If you were to poll never-mormons, I'm sure most would see it as being sexual and perverted, even in its current form.

There is no evidence of sexual activity in the Mormon temples.

The time period we are discussing corresponds with the Victorian Era, a time when people were very strait-laced, and would go to great lengths to avoid discussing anything sexual.

The people we are discussing were Americans, rather modest, conservative, and adverse to indecency.

The people we are discussing were religious zealots. Even more religious than many of the other Americans.

I think it is preposterous to suppose that zealously religious Americans during the Victorian Era would stand for anything pornographic or like unto a sex orgy going on at a church service.

The anti-Mormons of the time would have a field-day. News of it would have spread far and wide, and it would now be the first thing that people associate with Mormons.

Really? The Victorian era was not what you think it was.

Many of the reports of sexual repression during the Victorian era whilst true to some extent only told a part of the story.

There were sexual libertines like Joseph Smith and others who were often able to trick other people into what would be considered as promiscuity due to their ignorance.

This link is an interesting insight into the other side of Victorian life http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Secret_Life_%28memoir%29

tell it to miss victorian style propriety eliza r snow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbyNEnq-Stw

No.

However check out the John Bryant group's temple ceremonies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Bryant



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2015 08:01PM by baura.