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Internet Message Format | 1998-12-27 | 15KB

From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> Letter to editor in the Salt Lake Tribune
Date: 08 Dec 1998 16:13:00 -0700


Mormons and Masons

I would like to respond to recent comments made in this Public Forum
regarding Masonry and the LDS temple ceremony. The ceremonies in Masonry
are in no way descended from the time of Solomon's Temple. Masons use the
biblical legends about the temple in their stories and lessons, which is
something they inherited from the medieval building guilds.

Back in the Middle Ages, when most people couldn't read, and the Bible was
available only in Latin, stories from the Bible were acted out in church
to teach the biblical lessons to the common people. At first, the priests
acted out the stories, but over time, the various trades and guilds became
responsible for acting out particular legends. The stone masons had as
their part the legends of the building of Solomon's Temple, and eventually
they worked it into their own lodge ceremonies as well.

How could Joseph Smith have found anything of the true Solomon Temple
rites in Masonry to ``restore'' or ``undistort''? Modern Masonry began in
1717. The ceremonies of Masonry come from three sources: the medieval
stone-mason guilds of England, the ``Englightenment Era'' philosophies
that were current when modern Masonry was getting started (middle 1600's
to 1717, the date of the first modern ``grand lodge'') and the
``magickal'' or hermetic writings that came from North African, Byzantine
and Moorish sources, and were also being rediscovered by philosophers and
scholars in England in the decades before the founding of modern Masonry.

These three sources get all tangled up, which is why there were so many
bad Masonic histories written for so many years. None of those sources had
any connection or contact with a ceremonial tradition from Solomon's
Temple.

Outside of the details of the priestly ceremonies that anyone can read
about in the Bible (especially in Leviticus), there is nothing or almost
nothing known of temple ceremonies. Joseph Smith saw and participated in
Masonic ceremonies and simply borrowed them for his own use. There was no
``restoration'' from Solomon's time going on.

LARA CANNON

Salt Lake City

-----------------------

see :

http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_paine/origin_free-masonry
.html


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Perry     <[e-mail]>    http://pobox.com/~plporter

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From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> "The Temple Scroll"
Date: 10 Dec 1998 21:15:24 -0700



One of the most complete ancient temple records that was not discovered
until over 100 years after the LDS Endowment was put into practice is
called "The Temple Scroll" which describes the temple and its rituals
before the time of Christ. The Temple Scroll was one of the important
findings among The Dead Sea Scrolls.

The information shown below is only a very small amount of the total
information available on The Temple Scroll. Since it would be too lengthy
to include in this e-mail, I've only provided a brief outline of its
extensive contents.

The Temple Scroll has been fully translated into English and is available
at most large bookstores and in some libraries. The Barnes and Noble store
in Orem has several books about The Temple Scroll which provide extensive
information and the complete scroll translation. It is included in several
books on The Dead Sea Scrolls.

There are many different websites that provide information on The Dead Sea
Scrolls. Here are a few you can check out:

1) http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/index.html

"The Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew University
- Jerusalem

2) http://www.in-search-of.com/frames/dss/index_nf.shtml

"In Search of...Dead Sea Scrolls", The Temple Scroll is listed as #132.

3)
http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/orion/symposiums/2nd/papers/Schiffman97.html

"The Temple Scroll and the Halakhic Pseudepigrapha of the Second Temple
Period"

Here's some background information about the Temple Scroll and some of the
different views on the exact nature of scroll--

According to some scholars who have studied this record "the Temple Scroll
will carry with it the notion of direct divine revelation, on the model of
the Priestly Code. Indeed, we may say that much of the literary activity
of the author/redactor was directed at converting Deuteronomic material to
this priestly form, so as to cast the entire text as directly revealed
(even if possibly through Moses as a mouthpiece)."

Another Temple Scroll researcher (Yadin) stated that the intention of the
author of The Temple Scroll was "to present the law as handed down
directly by God without the intermediacy of Moses. This is why the author
had to make the alterations in Deuteronomy to accent that these were God's
words and not those of Moses. But he did not have to make such alterations
in the other books where God is mentioned in the third person, since in
these passages it is clear that these are the words of God. He sees this
as pretty much a consistent approach throughout the scroll."

The debate over the nature of the Temple Scroll was also joined by B.Z.
Wacholder. He also argued that this was a second Torah revealed at Sinai.
His views were essentially the same as Yadin's on this matter and he saw
the use of the first person direct address by God as advancing his
argument. But he saw the "I-thou" syntax as borrowed from the Tabernacle
texts of the Torah where the "thou" is clearly Moses. In Wacholder's view
the "thou" throughout the Temple Scroll is Moses because it is
fundamentally addressed to Moses, and that he is the "thou" of the scroll
would effectively assume that in the lost beginning of the scroll, or at
its conclusion, there appeared mention of Moses' name in the text, much as
in the case with Deuteronomy.

In essence, "the Temple Scroll stands alone in its literary character." It
is believed by many scholars who studied the scroll to clearly be a divine
record.

Based on the translation by Y. Yadin, the description below is a very
brief outline of what is found in The Temple Scroll--

The TEMPLE PROPER:  It mentions the objects which stood inside, including:
The Golden Veil (in front of the Holy Ark); the Table for the Bread of
Presence (Showbread); the Menorah (Seven-branched Lampstand), and the
cherubim (above the Ark).

The COURTYARDS:  The courtyards are described in detail: Inner (with
several structures), Middle, Outer courtyards. They are arranged in a
concentric manner, each provided with gates. The gates are not just
openings in the wall but are complex buildings whose plan is based on
Ezekial's description of the Temple.

The STRUCTURES:  Most of all details concerning the Temple are devoted to
the structures (other than the Temple itself) which are located in the
Inner courtyard. The Altar of Sacrifice (Great Altar of Burnt Offerings)
was crowned with four horns, one on each corner.

The HOUSE of UTENSILS:  The House of Utensils was planned to contain
cupboards along its walls to house the utensils used in the daily cult
ceremonies. The priests could cleanse themselves in the big laver (or
basin) contained in another small building. As the ritual rites of
purifications were carried out in the nude, special niches in the upper
side of the House of Laver were planned.

The SLAUGHTERHOUSE:  Facing the Altar, a construction made of 12 columns
carrying a flat roof was planned. It was provided with some kind of rings
which were attached to the pillars. It seems that this device would be
used to chain animals for sacrifice and that the structure was to serve as
a slaughterhouse.  A similar construction, for another specific group of
sacrificial animals, was built just to the west of the Temple.

The STAIRHOUSE:  A stairhouse (in the shape of a stairwell) was planned to
sit at the northwest corner of the Temple. Its purpose was to let the
priests reach the upper and inner parts of the Temple indirectly (that is,
not through the main gate) for the Temple's maintenance.

The COLLANADES:  In the surrounding collanades there were plans for the
priests to eat from the sacrifices without mixing (or mingling) with the
rest of the people. The kitchens were arranged in the corners near the
gates.

The GATES:  The middle and outer gates were named after the 12 children of
Israel (the tribes, sons of Jacob). The northern three gates were named
Dan, Naphtali, and Asher; the eastern three gates were named Simeon, Levi,
and Judah; the southern three gates were named Reuben, Joseph and
Benjamin; and the western three gates were named Issachar, Zebulum and
Gad.

The OUTER COURTYARD:  The dimensions of the outer courtyard were vast,
1590 x 1590 cubits (one cubit equals 800 square meters). For the sake of
comparison the measurements of the Herodian Temple Mount was 280 x 480
meters and was, in its day, one of the largest holy precincts in the
world.

On top of the Temple's roof was a scarecrow in the shape of rows of spikes
all over. These were designed to prevent birds of prey from landing on the
roof and defiling it.

The Temple Scroll also describes codes of conduct and purification
processes that temple workers must follow before they could be allowed to
enter the temple.


=------------------------------------------------------=

This link is even better:

http://www.california.com/~rpcman/MORMMASO.HTM



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


Perry     <[e-mail]>    http://pobox.com/~plporter

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From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> Re: W. VA. Sexual Abuse Lawsuit (fwd)
Date: 27 Dec 1998 20:12:51 -0700



Attorney Michael G. Sullivan Releases Court Report Saying First

Amendment Does Not Shield Churches From Civil Liability

Court Rules Mormons Cannot Escape Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

BECKLEY, W.V., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The office of Michael G.

Sullivan, P.C., Attorney At Law today released the following:

In a ruling that carries national significance, a West Virginia court
ruled recently that the First Amendment does not protect religious
organizations from civil liability merely because of their status as a
church.

Raleigh County Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick made the ruling in response to a
suit, filed by a young girl and her mother, that seeks $750 million in
damages from the Mormon Church.  In their complaint, the young girl,
identified only as Jane Doe, contends the Mormon Church knew that her
father was sexually abusing her for five years and failed to report it as
required by state law.  Jane Doe alleges that not only did the Church fail
to report knowledge of her abuse, but it has actually suppressed evidence
of the abuse of hundreds of other Mormon children over the years.

The Court's ruling represents a serious setback for the Mormon Church and
its team of lawyers who have raised this defense in similar suits
throughout the country.  The Mormon Church has been sued at least 26 other
times for their failure to report the sexual abuse of children.

In the past, the Mormon Church has vigorously defended sexual abuse suits
by relying upon the First Amendment, which calls for separation of church
and state.  "Because of the Court's ruling, the Church will need to
re-examine its strategy in dealing with reports it receives of sexually
abused children," said Michael Sullivan, the lawyer representing Jane Doe
and her mother.

The Mormon Church has centered most of its arguments on the question of
when does the state's interest in protecting children override a church's
First Amendment rights to avoid government control. The Court responded by
saying the state's interest in protecting children from the horrors of
sexual abuse "will override even the most sincerely held religious
convictions."

The Court, in an exhaustive opinion, examined each of the Mormon Church's
First Amendment claims and found that they did not shield the Church from
this suit.  The Court also found that Jane Doe and her mother "have
alleged sufficient gross, wanton and reckless conduct such that a jury may
award punitive damages." Awards of punitive damages are designed to punish
a defendant in order to deter similar bad conduct in the future.

Although Judge Kirkpatrick had earlier dismissed the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints as defendants on procedural grounds, after
hearing arguments from the plaintiff, the Court allowed them to amend
their complaint and return the Mormon Church as defendants in the suit.

Church lawyers have attempted to distance the Mormon Church, headquartered
in Salt Lake City, Utah, from the local church in Beckley, claiming its
members were not acting for the Mormon Church itself when they failed to
report the sexual abuse of Jane Doe.  The Court found this contention by
the Church unpersuasive and ruled that a jury should decide whether or not
Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City exercise control over their local
churches.

"This defense too has been widely used by the Mormon Church in similar
suits, and its rejection by the Court presents the Church with a difficult
choice," Sullivan said.

In 1994, after five years of abuse, Jane Doe's father was arrested and
convicted on 37 counts of sexual abuse of a minor.  The father is
currently serving a 184-year sentence in a West Virginia prison.

Jane Doe alleges that her father, a member of the Mormon Church, began
sexually assaulting her when she was three years old.  Her brother, who
was seven years old at the time, was also repeatedly abused.  The father
told the children's grandfather, a bishop in the Church, who notified a
senior Church official of the abuse.  The children lived alone with their
father at this time.

The complaint further alleges that the Chief Executive Officer of Raleigh
General Hospital at the time, Kenneth Holt, also a member of the Mormon
Church, too knew of the abuse of the children.  No church members reported
the sexual abuse.  The suit contends that local church leaders, mimicking
Mormon authorities around the country, acted to suppress evidence of this
abuse for five years.

The plaintiffs contend that the conspiracy to suppress evidence of sexual
abuse of Mormon children is motivated by the Church's desire to continue
its phenomenal growth, and to prevent any interference with the donations
it receives.  It is the fastest growing evangelical Church in the world.
Members are required to donate a tenth of their gross income to the Mormon
Church each year.  All tithes from around the world are sent to a bank in
Salt Lake City, Utah, every week.

One of the first cases dealing with the issue of religious freedom in this
country coincidentally involved the Mormon Church and its belief that
polygamy was a basic tenant of its religion.  The Supreme Court ruled that
while the Mormons were free to believe what they wished, the secular law
against plural marriages would have to be followed.

"This ruling re-affirms that in America, not the President nor any church
is above the law," Sullivan said.

SOURCE Michael G. Sullivan, P.C., Attorney At Law


Perry
                    <[e-mail]>
                    http://www.xmission.com/~plporter/lds.htm

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