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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just published a glossy series of 90-second explanations of our core temple practices.

I’m amazed at how much demystifying content these videos succeed in outlining in less than seven minutes of total video time.

Here are the highlights.

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Can I Go Inside a Latter-Day Saint Temple?

Clarifies the difference between meetinghouses and temples.

Invites everyone to visit meetinghouses.

Invites everyone to tour temple open houses, prior to dedication.

Explains that after a temple’s dedication, only faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can enter the building, which is where they make sacred covenants to God.

What Are Baptisms for the Dead?

Explains the Christian belief of baptism, including that Jesus Christ was baptized.

Cites Corinthians: “The Apostle Paul spoke about baptisms for the dead in the Bible, and Latter-day Saints continue that practice today.”

Ties baptisms for the dead to the Church’s emphasis on family history.

What are Temple Garments?

Connects our religious clothing to other forms of religious clothing.

States that garments are worn symbolically, to remind us of our covenants to God.

Demystifies “Mormon underwear” and “magic underwear,” describing their correct name as “temple garments.”

Pairs well with the 4-minute garment explanation video the Newsroom published four years ago.

What is a Temple Wedding Like?

Defines “sealing” as a husband, wife, and their family being joined together both for this life, and throughout all eternity.

Summarizes the wedding ceremony as a “promise to honor and love one another completely, and a commitment to follow the teaching and examples of Jesus.”

Bears testimony of the blessings of eternal families.

What is a Temple Endowment?

Provides a high-level description of the Endowment as a “gift” of knowledge that depicts Adam and Eve, the fall, the plan of happiness, and returning to live with God again.

Journeys on a walk-through of the ceremony through different physical temple rooms. Explains each step as a symbol of mankind’s progression towards God, as He grants us hope, happiness, and promises of eternal blessings through Jesus Christ.

Previews that there is significant additional symbolism beyond what the video shows.

Lists the covenants members make during the Endowment:

“We are invited to make solemn promises with the Lord, called covenants. These covenants include:

(1) Obeying God’s commandments;

(2) Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ;

(3) Being morally pure; and

(4) Dedicating our time and talents to the Lord’s service.”

That last point is particularly notable. There are other Church publications listing the spiritual covenants, but it’s rare for me to see them outlined and publicized so cleanly.

I know these have just barely been released, but I hope the Church is in the process of adding a 90-second description of initiatories to this video queue. That’s the only major temple ordinance not covered, and I know it’s one many members continue to be confused, hear rumors, or experience anxiety about. Another video could do much to eliminate anxiety and emphasize its beauty.

Overall, these videos strongly succeed in their goals. They demystify the temple to non-members, and they supply members preparing to go to the temple with helpful context and an accurate visualization of what to expect.

One critique.

As I recently wrote at length, I struggle with the temple endowments and sealings. The focal point of my struggle is the stark disparity between (1) what our Sunday School curriculum teaches and our marketing teams describe the temple as teaching, and (2) what the text of our temple ordinances actually say.

All of the above videos emphasize how the temple helps us experience and understand our “equality before God.” The videos repeatedly emphasize eternal families, and Christ’s desire to extend his love and blessings to all people. Those are beautiful messages I fully endorse.

But the wedding and endowment videos, in particular, don’t explain how the temple is starkly gender-divided. This is not a critique limited to our videos, it’s a critique of our temple curriculum as a whole. There is no video or curriculum explaining that women make a preliminary covenant to hearken unto their husbands, before members make the above-listed covenants to God. There is no video or curriculum explaining that men do not reciprocally covenant to hearken unto or give themselves to their wives. There is no video or curriculum accounting for the temple’s lingering tie-ins to polygamy.

If the purpose of these videos is to provide high-level explanations of our ordinances that can be played at public open houses, those omissions may be fine. But if even one purpose of these videos is to educate members taking a temple preparation class, those omissions are glaring.

One of my deepest spiritual desires is to see the Church fully acknowledge and publicly address this disparity. In my flights of fancy, I pray for God to correct it.