Everyone has heard that the Mormon leaders made some changes in the endowment ceremony of the temple. Faithful members are excited. Many are relieved that women have more representation and are less subservient in the presentation (and covenanting to obey their husbands). It’s an exciting day for equality in the Mormon church.

But how quickly do we forget that if these changes occurred, that leaves some glaring issues on the “truthfulness” of the church.

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Was the prophet Joseph Smith wrong about how women should be treated?

• Were prophets wrong for 200 years about women’s roles in the temple, church, society?
• Does it mean that prophets ignored God’s council about women because they were misogynistic?

• If putting on the robes for Aaronic priesthood wasn’t necessary, why was it included in the endowment to begin with?
• If the robes aren’t needed for the Aaronic, are they really needed for the Melchizedek? Are Temple clothes necessary for salvation?

• Why was the covenant of the Law of the Gospel being called the wrong name for two hundred years? If it has the wrong name, why wasn’t it corrected sooner to ‘The Higher Law’?

• Whose fault is it for being wrong? Was God was wrong for 200 years? Were all the prophets wrong before Nelson? Can a prophet be a true prophet if he’s wrong?
• Which prophet is true and which is false? Are we obligated to obey a false prophet’s teachings or doctrine?

• If veiling of the faces is not needed, why was it done for two hundred years prior? Could it be a way of shaming women, reducing their role, or separating them from men to show they are inferior in the eyes of God?

If the only parts of the endowment necessary for salvation are the signs and tokens and covenants, why do all the other stuff?

Are Temple changes the result of revelation or focus groups? The grotesque death penalties performed until 1991 caused a lot of tithe payers to leave the church after having to pantomime their own death. Are these new changes a result of tithe payers leaving the church because they felt women were second class citizens in the Kingdom of God? Is it because they were being told God would speak to their husband and he would instruct them on God’s will, and they couldn’t just speak to God and receive guidance for themselves?

What about other changes like the Oath of Vengeance that was eliminated? Are members who made covenants that are no longer made in the current session still obligated to keep those covenants? Are men and women still bound to avenge Joseph Smith’s murder? Are they still bound to having their throats cut or their bellies opened to spill their insides if they break covenants? Are women still obligated to defer to their husband’s judgement and not think for themselves when younger women are not under the same obligation?

If the temple covenants are necessary for salvation, why do they change? Does salvation change? Which version of the endowment will save you?

Can the Mormon church be considered Christian as long as temple ordinances are required for salvation? Isn’t that saying that Jesus’ atonement wasn’t enough to save you if you have to know some handshakes and covenant to keep the commandments you already covenanted to at baptism? To say more steps are needed for salvation would discredit what Jesus did for you. Isn’t that blasphemous?

If you only specifically covenant not to disclose the signs, tokens, and names of tokens, why can’t the other changes be discussed by members? Why maintain secrecy about changing the boring video and keeping your shoes on? What’s so sacred about that?

Now that women have more of a role in the temple, why is there still no mention of a Heavenly Mother? What role in Creation did She have? Do you have to have a penis to create a world?

• Joseph Smith said, “Now the purpose in Himself in the winding up scene of the last dispensation is that all things pertaining to that dispensation should be conducted precisely in accordance with the preceding dispensations…. He set the temple ordinances to be the same forever and ever and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man, or to send angels to reveal them” (History of the Church, vol.4, p. 208). If the covenants made in the temple have been changed, replaced, or omitted, then was God or his prophets wrong about what needs to be done in the temple to be saved? If Joseph was a true prophet, has the church apostatized?

I share these things in the name of transparency, critical thinking, and self-improvement, amen.

Brother Ghost