Blood oath (Latter Day Saints)
Encyclopedia
In the Mormonism
, a penalty was an oath made by participants of the original Nauvoo Endowment
instituted by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1843 and further developed by Brigham Young
after Smith's death. Mormon critics refer to the penalty as a blood oath, because it required the participant to swear never to reveal certain key symbols of the Endowment ceremony, including the penalty itself, while symbolically enacting ways in which a person may be executed. The penalties were similar to oaths made as part of a particular rite of freemasonry
practiced in Western New York at the time the Endowment was developed.
During the 20th century, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Mormon organization, gradually softened the graphic nature of the penalties, and eventually removed them from their version of the ceremony in 1990, together with a number of other controversial aspects of the ceremony.
, Illinois
. At three different stages of the Endowment, participants were asked to take an oath of secrecy regarding the gestures of the ceremony. The participants promised that if they were ever to reveal the gestures of the ceremony, would be subject to the following:
Each of the penalties was accompanied by gestures known as the "execution of the penalty" which simulated the actions described in the oath.
The oaths and their accompanying gestures resembled certain oaths performed in a particular Freemasonry
tradition in Western New York at the time, in which participants promised:
appointed a committee charged with revising the Endowment ceremony, which was done under the direction Apostle George F. Richards
from 1921 to 1927. Among the changes that were instituted was a modification of the oaths. While the execution of the penalty gestures remained unchanged, the church replaced the verbal description of the penalty with the phrase, "rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken."
for having violated the oaths of secrecy of the Endowment.
are often confused as being related teachings. However, they were separate and distinct oaths; the oath of vengeance involved praying to God for justice in regard to the murders of Joseph Smith, Jr. While the oath of vengeance was removed from the Endowment in 1927 as part of the LDS Church's "Good Neighbor" policy
, the oaths were not completely removed until 1990. The oaths are also frequently confused with the concept of blood atonement
, which was never incorporated into the Latter Day Saint temple
ordinances.
, the Apostolic United Brethren
, and the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
.
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
, a penalty was an oath made by participants of the original Nauvoo Endowment
Endowment (Latter Day Saints)
In the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, an endowment refers to a gift of "power from on high", typically associated with Latter Day Saint temples. The purpose and meaning of the endowment varied during the life of movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
instituted by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1843 and further developed by Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
after Smith's death. Mormon critics refer to the penalty as a blood oath, because it required the participant to swear never to reveal certain key symbols of the Endowment ceremony, including the penalty itself, while symbolically enacting ways in which a person may be executed. The penalties were similar to oaths made as part of a particular rite of freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
practiced in Western New York at the time the Endowment was developed.
During the 20th century, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Mormon organization, gradually softened the graphic nature of the penalties, and eventually removed them from their version of the ceremony in 1990, together with a number of other controversial aspects of the ceremony.
Original oaths
On May 4, 1842, Joseph Smith, Jr. instituted the Endowment ritual in NauvooNauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. At three different stages of the Endowment, participants were asked to take an oath of secrecy regarding the gestures of the ceremony. The participants promised that if they were ever to reveal the gestures of the ceremony, would be subject to the following:
- Stage 1 : "my throat ... be cut from ear to ear, and my tongue torn out by its roots;"
- Stage 2 : "our breasts ... be torn open, our hearts and vitals torn out and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field;"
- Stage 3 : "our body ... be cut asunder and all your bowels gush out."
Each of the penalties was accompanied by gestures known as the "execution of the penalty" which simulated the actions described in the oath.
- Stage 1: The participant placed his or her right hand palm-down with the thumb extended and the tip of the thumb just under the left ear. The execution of the gesture was made by drawing the tip of the thumb swiftly across the throat until the thumb was just under the right ear, then dropping the hand and arm quickly to the side of the participant's body.
- Stage 2: The participant placed his or her hand in a cup form over the left breast. The execution of the gesture was made by pulling the hand-cup swiftly across the breast, then quickly dropping the hand and arm to the side of the participant's body.
- Stage 3: The participant placed his or her right hand palm-down with the thumb extended and the tip of the thumb on the left of the torso, just above the left hip. The execution of the gesture was made by drawing the thumb swiftly across the stomach until the thumb was just above the right hip, and the hand and arm were quickly dropped to the side of the participant's body.
The oaths and their accompanying gestures resembled certain oaths performed in a particular Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
tradition in Western New York at the time, in which participants promised:
- Oath of an "Entered Apprentice Mason": "…I will…never reveal any part or parts, art or arts, point or points of the secret arts and mysteries of ancient Freemasonry. . . binding myself under no less penalty than to have my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by the roots…" . "This is given by drawing your right hand across your throat, the thumb next to your throat." .
- Oath of a "Fellow Craft Mason": "…I…most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, that I will not give the degree of a Fellow Craft Mason to any one of an inferior degree, nor to any other being in the known world,…binding myself under no less penalty than to have my left breast torn open and my heart and vitals taken from thence…to become a prey to the wild beasts of the field, and vulture of the air" . "The sign is given by drawing your right hand-flat, with the palm of it next to your breast, across your breast from the left to the right side with some quickness, and dropping it down by your side" .
- Oath of a "Master Mason": "I…most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, in addition to my former obligations, that I will not give the degree of a Master Mason to any of an inferior degree, nor to any other being in the known world,… binding myself under no less penalty than to have my body severed in two in the midst, and divided to the north and south, my bowels burnt to ashes" . "The Penal Sign is given by putting the right hand to the left side of the bowels, the hand open, with the thumb next to the belly, and drawing it across the belly, and letting it fall; this is done tolerably quick. This alludes to the penalty of the obligation: 'Having my body severed in twain,' etc." .
Changes
Beginning in 1919, church president Heber J. GrantHeber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...
appointed a committee charged with revising the Endowment ceremony, which was done under the direction Apostle George F. Richards
George F. Richards
George Franklin Richards was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 9, 1906 until his death...
from 1921 to 1927. Among the changes that were instituted was a modification of the oaths. While the execution of the penalty gestures remained unchanged, the church replaced the verbal description of the penalty with the phrase, "rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken."
Elimination
In April 1990, the LDS Church eliminated the oaths and the penalty gestures from the Endowment. During the period when these oaths were used, there was no documented instance in which a person was killed or committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
for having violated the oaths of secrecy of the Endowment.
Confusion with other doctrines
These oaths and the oath of vengeanceOath of vengeance
In Mormonism, the oath of vengeance was an oath that was made by participants in the Endowment ritual of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between about 1845 and the 1920s, in which participants vowed to pray that God would avenge the blood of the prophets Joseph Smith, Jr...
are often confused as being related teachings. However, they were separate and distinct oaths; the oath of vengeance involved praying to God for justice in regard to the murders of Joseph Smith, Jr. While the oath of vengeance was removed from the Endowment in 1927 as part of the LDS Church's "Good Neighbor" policy
Good Neighbor policy (LDS Church)
The "Good Neighbor" policy is a collective term used to describe a variety of reforms adopted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1927...
, the oaths were not completely removed until 1990. The oaths are also frequently confused with the concept of blood atonement
Blood atonement
In mormonism, blood atonement is a controversial doctrine that teaches that murder is so heinous that the atonement of Jesus does not apply. Thus, in order to atone for these sins, the perpetrators must have their blood shed upon the ground as a sacrificial offering...
, which was never incorporated into the Latter Day Saint temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
ordinances.
Continuation by Mormon fundamentalists
Some groups within the Mormon fundamentalist movement continue to practice the Endowment without the LDS Church's 1927 and 1990 changes. Consequently, these groups still participate in these oaths when performing the Endowment. Some of the denominations that continue to perform the original Endowment include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day SaintsFundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations and one of the largest organizations in the United States whose members practice polygamy. The FLDS Church emerged in the early twentieth century when its founding members left...
, the Apostolic United Brethren
Apostolic United Brethren
The Apostolic United Brethren is a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist church within the Latter Day Saint movement. The sect is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, and the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days is a breakaway sect of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is headquartered in Manti, Utah, United States, where as of 2004 it maintained a membership of 300 to 500 adherents...
.
External links
- Old Testament oaths and temple rites, by W. John Walsh