Why do Mormons Keep Secrets?
http://www.mormonblog.com/articles/128/1/256/Why-do-Mormons-Keep-Secrets.html
Gary Bailey
I was raised in Little Rock, AR. Living in the Bible belt is where I began to face questions about the LDS church. I served a mission in Pocatello, ID where I met many faithful LDS people, but also came across a few critics who had been Mormon. My purpose is to answer questions honestly and shine the light of reason on false criticisms about the church. By Gary Bailey
Published on 05/31/2011
Why do Mormons keep things like their temple ceremonies secret? Does the Bible support keeping things secret?
Many critics of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accuse us of keeping
"secrets" from those outside of our faith.
I know that many of my LDS readers will disagree with me on this point, "it is not secret, it is sacred" they will say. Even though I agree with them that we do hold things sacred, we also don't share those sacred things with just anybody, so therefore they are also secret!
What sort of things do Mormons keep secret? Well....Mormons are known for keeping secret our temple experiences.
Jesus instructed in the Sermon on the Mount, "give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest the trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matt 7:6) Every time our critics "expose" something holy from our temple experience they violate this instruction. Paul spoke of these kinds of critics when he taught "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure." (Titus 1:15)
Many of our critics try to make "secrets" look non-scriptural by quoting scriptures like Isaiah 48:16 "I have not spoken in secret from the beginning," or Luke 8:16-17 "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel... but setteth it on a candlestick... For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest." The hope of these critics is to show that the Bible doesn't allow for secrets to be kept and that to do so must be evil! However, careful study of the bible does not support this conclusion.
In Eccl 3:1,7 the preacher tells us "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
Many critics will continue to argue that neither Christ nor his disciples ever kept secrets! But what do the scriptures teach?
Let us look at some examples from the Scriptures to see if keeping a secret was an evil practice as some critics have claimed. In Mark 8:22-26 we see Jesus healing a blind man, after he was made whole the Lord told him, "Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." In Mark 5:35-43 we see Jesus healing a girl who was dead, afterwards he gave this instruction to those who were in the room, "and he charged them straitly that no man should know it." (Mark 5:43) And in Mark 7:32-36 we see Christ healing a man who was deaf and slow of speech receiving the same command "and he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it" (Mark 7:36).
Why would the Lord ask them to keep these miracles a secret? Did Christ have something to hide?
The Critics of the LDS church will tell you that the Mormons are wicked because they don't reveal sacred ceremonies found in their temples. Yet the Lord informs us in Psalms 25:14 "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him: and he will shew them his covenant."
Yes, the Lord has things which he reveals only to his people.
Look at Matthew Chapter 13. Here Christ has just told a few parables (which He commonly used in His public teachings) in which he has hidden the meaning of several important doctrines. He gives His reasons for this: "and the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." (Matt 13:10-11)
Again in Matt 13:34-35, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them; That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." And why is it that Christ choose to speak these truths in parables? "He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all the things are done in parables." (Mark 4:11)
Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints try to hurt and embarrass members by making light of sacred things that Christ has instructed them to keep secret from those not yet ready to receive them. But let me ask a question: If Christ revealed a doctrine, truth, or mystery to you and asked you to keep it a secret would you?
Now before you say that Christ would never do this look at a few scriptural examples. In Matt 16:15-16, Jesus asks Peter and the disciples, "...whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." After this, in verse 20, Christ tells them to keep it a secret. "Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Here Christ reveals a truth that ought to be known to all who want eternal life (John 17:3) and yet Christ charges them not to reveal this truth right then! We know that at least one of Jesus apostles (Judas) did not listen to Jesus and he did reveal him! (Matt 26:46-49)
Are they more like the apostles whom Jesus charged not to reveal his secret (Matt 16:20), or like Judas, who did reveal to men who Jesus was? (Matt 26:46-49) According to Prov 11:13 "a talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."
Jesus explained why he kept the secret that he was the Christ, instead of revealing it to the world at that time. In Luke 22:67 the religious rulers asked him very directly "Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe." Is it any different today? The critics scream for more Mormon transparency, yet they are not looking to believe. For this very reason the Lord has asked the LDS saints to keep their sacred temple observances a secret from those who are not prepared to receive them.
The truth of the matter is....we do keep secrets!
I know that many of my LDS readers will disagree with me on this point, "it is not secret, it is sacred" they will say. Even though I agree with them that we do hold things sacred, we also don't share those sacred things with just anybody, so therefore they are also secret!
What sort of things do Mormons keep secret? Well....Mormons are known for keeping secret our temple experiences.
Jesus instructed in the Sermon on the Mount, "give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest the trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matt 7:6) Every time our critics "expose" something holy from our temple experience they violate this instruction. Paul spoke of these kinds of critics when he taught "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure." (Titus 1:15)
Many of our critics try to make "secrets" look non-scriptural by quoting scriptures like Isaiah 48:16 "I have not spoken in secret from the beginning," or Luke 8:16-17 "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel... but setteth it on a candlestick... For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest." The hope of these critics is to show that the Bible doesn't allow for secrets to be kept and that to do so must be evil! However, careful study of the bible does not support this conclusion.
In Eccl 3:1,7 the preacher tells us "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
Many critics will continue to argue that neither Christ nor his disciples ever kept secrets! But what do the scriptures teach?
Let us look at some examples from the Scriptures to see if keeping a secret was an evil practice as some critics have claimed. In Mark 8:22-26 we see Jesus healing a blind man, after he was made whole the Lord told him, "Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." In Mark 5:35-43 we see Jesus healing a girl who was dead, afterwards he gave this instruction to those who were in the room, "and he charged them straitly that no man should know it." (Mark 5:43) And in Mark 7:32-36 we see Christ healing a man who was deaf and slow of speech receiving the same command "and he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it" (Mark 7:36).
Why would the Lord ask them to keep these miracles a secret? Did Christ have something to hide?
The Critics of the LDS church will tell you that the Mormons are wicked because they don't reveal sacred ceremonies found in their temples. Yet the Lord informs us in Psalms 25:14 "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him: and he will shew them his covenant."
Yes, the Lord has things which he reveals only to his people.
Look at Matthew Chapter 13. Here Christ has just told a few parables (which He commonly used in His public teachings) in which he has hidden the meaning of several important doctrines. He gives His reasons for this: "and the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." (Matt 13:10-11)
Again in Matt 13:34-35, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them; That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." And why is it that Christ choose to speak these truths in parables? "He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all the things are done in parables." (Mark 4:11)
Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints try to hurt and embarrass members by making light of sacred things that Christ has instructed them to keep secret from those not yet ready to receive them. But let me ask a question: If Christ revealed a doctrine, truth, or mystery to you and asked you to keep it a secret would you?
Now before you say that Christ would never do this look at a few scriptural examples. In Matt 16:15-16, Jesus asks Peter and the disciples, "...whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." After this, in verse 20, Christ tells them to keep it a secret. "Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Here Christ reveals a truth that ought to be known to all who want eternal life (John 17:3) and yet Christ charges them not to reveal this truth right then! We know that at least one of Jesus apostles (Judas) did not listen to Jesus and he did reveal him! (Matt 26:46-49)
So who are these critics more like when they
try to reveal these "Mormon temple mysteries?"
try to reveal these "Mormon temple mysteries?"
Are they more like the apostles whom Jesus charged not to reveal his secret (Matt 16:20), or like Judas, who did reveal to men who Jesus was? (Matt 26:46-49) According to Prov 11:13 "a talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."
Jesus explained why he kept the secret that he was the Christ, instead of revealing it to the world at that time. In Luke 22:67 the religious rulers asked him very directly "Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe." Is it any different today? The critics scream for more Mormon transparency, yet they are not looking to believe. For this very reason the Lord has asked the LDS saints to keep their sacred temple observances a secret from those who are not prepared to receive them.