The relationship between mormonism and freemasonry began early in the life joseph smith. While some of its teachings are kept confidential, it promotes loyalty and morality and invites its members to seek knowledge and opportunities to serve others. The masonic roots of joseph smith and mormonism the left. Pre1830 works that possibly influenced the book of mormon a list of books available in joseph smiths time written about topics present in the book of mormon. Masonry the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
The temple the temple ceremony or the endowment is nothing less or more than joseph smiths copying of masonic rituals. Joseph smith received the first three degrees of masonry on march 15th and 16th of 1842. Contained in the pages of the book is an in depth account given by john taylor regarding the events that took place just prior to, and during the. The transcription in the book is from a typescript pictured below made by orson f. Joseph smith and the temple of doom by bill schnoebelen. Top ten books the lds mormon church doesnt want you to.
The lds church does keep excellent historical records, and you can visit the church history library to research more about the topic. Prominent american founders george washington and benjamin franklin were masons, and wellknown politicians such as andrew jackson and henry clay later participated in the fraternity. Joseph smith jr this bible was purchased by oliver cowdery on 8 october 1829 since joseph smith, jr. The number of masons grew dramatically, with the nauvoo. Even the book of mormon, which joseph smith said was the most correct book on earth, never even mentions temple ceremonies. Perhaps one about joseph smiths relationship to masonry will be written. Nauvoo temple endowment register, 10 december 1845 to 8 february 1846. Joseph smith sr became a grand master mason in may 1818. One theme common to manyfound in the egyptian book of the dead, the. Joseph smith grew up with and was surrounded by freemasons in his home. Discusses joseph smiths introduction of polygamy into early mormon church. Burns points out that satan, the serpent, used magic and masonry to inspire early mormons. The three witnesses is the collective name for three men connected with the early latter day saint movement who stated that an angel had shown them the.
Smith came from an unremarkable new england family. Rough stone rolling and fawn brodies no man knows my history. Matthew brown is the author of a new book, exploring the connection between mormons and masons, that explains smiths involvement in freemasonry, a. Although disputed by some scholars today, the encyclopedia. December 23, 1805 june 27, 1844 was an american religious leader and founder of mormonism and the latter day saint movement. Brown clearly and skillfully addresses the subjects history, theology, traditional understandings, and myths.
Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Subjects include polyandry, young brides, theology, children, and emma smith. In the late 1820s, the western new york region was swept with antimasonic fervor nevertheless, by the 1840s, smith and several prominent latter day. In the evening i received the first degree in freemasonry in the nauvoo lodge.
Joseph smiths father, when interviewed by fayette lapham, said, joseph spent about two years looking into this stone, telling fortunes, where to find lost things, and where to dig for money and other hidden treasure. Cathy burns presents facts and documentation proving the occultic beginnings of the mormon lds church. The relationship between mormonism and freemasonry began early in the life joseph smith, founder of the latter day saint movement, as his older brother hyrum and possibly his father were freemasons while the family lived near palmyra, new york. In answer they were granted permission, in october, 1841, to hold lodge meetings. Snow, wrote the following poem which was printed in the wasp on august 27. Joseph smith s claim of receiving gold plates from a holy angel, has attracted over ten million converts to the mormon church, a church which doubles its population every 10 to 12 years at the rate of 840 new members a day. The prophet joseph smith suggested that the endowment and. Occultic and masonic influence in early mormonism mormons in. I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the nauvoo lodge of free masons, at the grove near the temple. Book of commandments, church history topics book of commandments in the first few years of the church, the only access most members had to the lords revelations to joseph smith was through handwritten copies on loose sheets that circulated among the latterday saints. By joseph smiths day, the boundaries between masonrys early european history and its founding myths and traditions had long since been blurred. Morse told emma smiths cousin joseph lewis that the corn was good, but late, and the frost killed it. Joseph smiths kirtland bank failure while it is common knowledge that joseph smith founded the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, few know of his attempt to found a bank in kirtland, ohio. His grandfather, asael smith, lost most of his property in topsfield, massachusetts, during the economic downturn.
It was, however, in new york during joseph smiths residence there in the 1820s and1830s. Enochs treasure includes a gold plate with engravings. The sign is given by raising both hands and arms to the elbows, perpendicularly, one on each side of the head, the elbows forming a square. Joseph smith and the masonic sign of distress i have recently read a book loaned to me by a dear friend titled, the fate of the persecutors of the prophet joseph smith, by n. The joseph smith family was a masonic family which lived by and practiced the estimable and admirable tenets of freemasonry. Jesus christjoseph smith or search for the truth dvd. Smith was raised to the third degree of master mason on sight by grand master jonas of the grand lodge of illinois. Foot to foot teaches that we will not hesitate to go on foot and out of our way to aid and succor a needy brother. Claims made by critical books, videos and websites related to mormonism and freemasonry jump to subtopic. While not discouraged in the same way as the other books on this list, this biography uncovers some unbiased truths that the lds church certainly doesnt advertise.
But each of these essays takes significant work to produce, so an exhaustive collection should not yet be expected. What is the true story behind joseph smith and masons. At the time of the lodge organization, joseph smith received some of the degrees in masonry. He was raised to the degree of master mason on may 7, 1818 in ontario lodge no. Response to claims made on mormonthink page the temple response to claims made in one nation under gods, chapter 2.
Less than two months later may 4, 1842 he gave the endowment ceremonies. The following summarizes the comparisons between the masonic legend of enoch and joseph smiths story. Lds scripture instructs that joseph smith, the prophet and seer of the lord, has done more, save jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in. Since joseph smith took it from masonry, here is the masonic understanding. Exploring the connection between mormons and masons. Freemasonry and the temple the encyclopedia of mormonism. Freemasonry is a centuriesold, worldwide group of fraternal organizations. The arcane hermetic books produced by christian philosophers during this period circulated widely among the elite societies and intellects of europe. Joseph smith died giving the masonic signal of distress in his book exposing freemasonry, william morgan revealed how masons signal for the aid of fellow masons in case of distress.
In 1842 smith became a master mason, as indicated by his journal entries. This important event in mormon history was reportedly done because of a. Joseph smith s involvement with magic, masonry, and the occult how joseph smith put it all together. Temple records index bureau of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. An eyeopening look into the true life of joseph smith as researched and written by a member of the church he started. Devoted members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints honor its founder, joseph smith, with saintlike reverence. Well, its interesting to note, joseph smith authored the book of mormon in 1830, before he had become a freemason and was introduced to masonic temple rituals, so would makes sense that he didnt include them in prior writings. Both books were informative and provided information that would have been lacking had i read only one of the books. Again, in a case where smith can be checked, he comes up wanting. The life of joseph smith together to get two differing viewpoints on the events in joseph smiths life. Joseph smith, magic, masonry and the occult life after. Using writings, sources and teachings from highranking mormon churchmen, including founder joseph smith, dr.
Discover the reason behind joseph smiths involvement with masonry, the purpose of inverted pentagrams on lds temples, the use of sacred symbols by the founding fathers and more. So by the time of joseph smith masonry had moved from a more mysticalplatonic emphasis to a more ethical emphasis with a switch in how the metaphors were. Joseph smith, founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, was a freemason. Well, the question is a bit ambiguous, but the answer is the same regardless of the clarification question. Mormonism and masonry masonrys influence on mormonism and joseph smith has been noted by a number of historians. This is just a small sampling of interesting quotes on the relationship between masonry and mormonism. Josephs magic hat joseph smiths claim of receiving gold plates from a holy angel, has attracted millions of converts to the mormon church, a church which now boasts a membership of nearly thirteen million, and continues to add about a million new members every three years or less. Some of the areas impacted by masonic lore and ritual include the book of mormon, josephs personal life, and the lds temple ceremony. Latterday saint authors have traditionally wanted to distance joseph smith from the fraternity, which has resulted in such unsupportable claims as that joseph. Joseph smith participated minimally in freemasonry and, as far as is known, attended the nauvoo masonic lodge on only three occasions. Both the prophet joseph smith and his book of mormon have beencharacterized as ardently, indeed evangelically, antimasonic.
Joseph smith, freemasonry, and ancient occult teachings. In this helpful guide, trusted lds scholar matthew b. Check out the wording of the lds tokens versus the masonic degrees and then take into account the fact that joseph smith was very involved in. The subject of joseph smith and freemasonry sparks a wide range of responses among latterday saints, from curiosity to suspicion to outright excitement. Its clear then that joseph smith copied freemasonry. There have been many books on the subject and joseph and the other early apostles were pretty forthright about it. History of the church, by joseph smith, deseret book, 1978, vol. But joseph smith could have been familiar with masonic rites before the contents of these two books were revealed to him.