The Endowment Ceremony: An Overview of the Ritual

Modern "Endowment rooms" are small movie theaters inside the temple with an aisle running down the center of the room. Women sit on the left, men on the right, separated by the aisle. In the front of the room is an altar, on which rest the Bible and the Mormon Scriptures known as the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. The endowment is presented as a film which is halted occasionally to allow the viewers brief participation at key points.

When all is quiet a tape recording begins which welcomes the patrons to the temple and explains that they should all have already received the Initiatory Ordinances of Washing, Anointing, clothing in the Garment of the Holy Priesthood and receiving the New Name. The lights are then dimmed and a movie begins which depicts the creation of the earth in "creative periods" of unspecified duration which are afterward called "days." The creation is performed by two Gods under the direction of a third. The head God, named Elohim, orders Jehovah and Michael to perform the creative labors. (Mormons believe that Elohim is God the Father, while Jehovah is Jesus Christ in his pre-mortal form, and Michael is the Archangel whose spirit will be put into the first human, which makes him Adam.) In order to make the ritual impressionable and vital to them in their daily lives, the temple participants are counseled to consider themselves respectively Adam and Eve.

Following the creation, the spirit of Michael is put into a body. The Gods awaken him, but put him to sleep again in order to form a woman from his ribs. When he awakens from the sleep which the Gods caused to come upon him, he is known as Adam, and is become "as a little child." He has also forgotten everything about this pre-mortal existence. After awakening, Adam names his wife Eve, "because she is the mother of all living" and Gods forbid the couple to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The happy couple then go about their way and tend to the garden. The temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is then enacted.

Satan (played by Mormon opera singer Michael Balam in one version) is shown lurking about the garden, when he introduces himself to Adam as his "brother." Unable to seduce Adam into taking the fruit, Satan succeeds in pursuading Eve to partake of the fruit. She, in turn tells Adam what she has done, and he partakes "that man may be." Suddenly Eve's eyes are opened, and she recognizes her tempter as "He who was cast out of father's presence for rebellion." Lucifer acknowledges this, and then tells the couple to clothe themselves in fig-leaf aprons lest God discover their nakedness. The couple makes the aprons and hides. (At this point the participants put on their aprons). The Gods appear and chastise Adam and Eve for their disobedience, and Elohim curses, and then thrusts Lucifer out of the garden. Cherubim and a flaming sword are placed between Adam and Eve and the Tree of Life, lest they put forth their hands and partake of the fruit and live forever in their sins.

Although Elohim has provided a Savior for mankind (meaning Jesus), Adam and Eve must still take upon themselves certain covenants and learn the secrets of the Priesthood if they are to return to his presence. The Priesthood secrets consist of Signs, Tokens and Words. The Signs are physical gestures, the Tokens are secret handclasps, and the Words are the names of the Tokens. In the pre-1990 ritual there were also "penal signs" or "penalties" which indicated how the patron could expect to die if s/he betrayed the temple secrets. The film is paused to enable the participants the opportunity to learn these valuable secrets. The covenants (given at appropriate times throughout the ceremony) include such things as living chastely, obeying the Mormon leaders and donating all one's wealth to the Church, if called upon to do so. The temple participants are required to stand and take all the obligations given to Adam and Eve. Patrons are also required to put on their temple clothing. The robe, cap and girdle are switched to the other side of the body during a later part of the ceremony. After receiving these first secrets, they are thrust from the garden.

After being thrust out of the garden into the "lone and dreary world" Adam and Eve are followed around by Lucifer who attempts to lead them astray. Elohim sends down the pre-mortal spirits of Peter, James and John, to learn whether Adam has been true to the Token and Sign he was given. The Apostles report that Adam and Eve "and their posterity" (the Temple patrons) are true and faithful, and they later return to provide the "further light and knowledge" Adam desires. They also cast out Satan. They then give Adam more secret signs, tokens and covenants.

This ends the film, and the remainder of the endowment is pantomimed by an "officiator" who stands at the head of the altar and who teaches the secret signs, etc., when the recording mandates. The patrons are also taught "the True Order of Prayer." This consists of standing around the altar and making all the Priesthood Signs and Tokens, including a chant of the words "O God, hear the words of my mouth" (repeated three times). In the pre-1990 endowment the words were given in the Adamic Language as "Pay Lay Ale."

Following this, Patrons learn the meaning of the symbols on their garments, by watching the officiator point to similar marks on the temple veil. They are informed that they must all pass through an opening in the veil into the Celestial Room to complete the ceremony (this represents entering the Celestial Kingdom, the Mormon heaven). The veil has several slits in it, in the shape of the marks on the garment (the square and compass, etc.) and a person, representing "the Lord" stands unseen on its other side. He puts his hand through a slit at mid-waist to test the officiator's knowledge of the tokens of the Priesthood. There is a rehearsal of all the Priesthood tokens at this time, given in a catechism. The patrons are informed that they must do likewise, and they are called up to the veil to do so. After doing so, they enter the "Celestial Room." This completes the endowment.

Former Mormons reenact a scene from the prayer circle as they chant PAY LAY ALE,
meaning, "O God, hear the words of my mouth!"
The arms raised over their heads form the first part of the "Sign of the Second Token of the Melchezedek Priesthood, the Patriarchal Grip, or Sure Sign of the Nail."

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