DISCLAIMER: The following essay discusses revisions made to the LDS endowment over the past 33 years and includes transcripts of the temple liturgy. To get the most out of this essay, the reader is encouraged to consult these included transcripts to see side-by-side comparisons of different versions of the temple endowment script. None of the portions of the endowment portraying the names, signs, tokens, or penalties that members covenant not to reveal are disclosed in this essay.

Introduction

We are living in a time of great wickedness, of great corruption and evil of numerous kinds; they are widespread upon the face of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof have turned from the Lord in a great degree, according to the Scripture which has been quoted: “They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant.”

Elder Charles W. Penrose, 17 Aug. 1879, Journal of Discourses, 20:294

In early February 2023, the LDS church made additional changes to the temple endowment ceremony. These changes follow only 4 years since the most recent substantial revision. Regarding the revisions made in January 2019, I wrote that these changes “reflect an effort to give the impression of egalitarianism while actually preserving a theology of patriarchy that has merely been obfuscated.” To support that argument, I compared the wording across three versions of the endowment: 1) the one prior to 1990, 2) the changes made in 1990, and 3) the revisions made in 2019. Drawing heavily from Elizabeth Hammond’s landmark essay, I demonstrated that the temple endowment ritual places women under covenantal obligations of submission to their husbands under the terms of “the Law of the Lord,” which were preserved in a close reading of the 2019 revision.

Apparently, these issues were heard by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Apostles, as the changes made earlier this year directly address the critiques myself and others made previously. Whereas the 2019 revision did not represent a fundamental change in the nature of the covenants, these most recent revisions seemingly do. As an update to my earlier essay, I want to take the time to examine the changes that were made to the sections representing the covenants women make in the endowment liturgy with regards to their male counterparts. We will examine whether these revisions represent an actual change to the theology and terms of the covenants made by female temple patrons. In short, I believe they do, but that represents a different potential problem for the LDS church regarding what is supposed to be an unchanging and essential ordinance revealed directly from Heaven.

When I wrote about the 2019 revisions, I highlighted how Pres. Russell M. Nelson assured members that while “adjustments” had been made to the temple liturgy, “the procedure changed, but the covenants remain the same.” Effectively, Pres. Nelson was making the very argument I put forward in my previous essay—the patriarchal terms of the temple covenants were preserved through the changes, only made less obvious. While I will argue below that the revisions made this year represent a significant change in the terms of the covenant of the Law of Obedience, my argument is somewhat undermined by the disclaimer that is currently presented to all temple patrons at the beginning of the endowment:

NARRATOR: Before beginning the endowment session, we share the following statement from the First Presidency of the Church. Brothers and sisters, since the Temple Endowment was first administered in this dispensation, occasional adjustments have been made by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles acting unitedly in their capacity as prophets, seers, and revelators. You will notice that additional adjustments have been made in the presentation of the endowment, all of which are in harmony with the doctrine of the Savior's restored gospel. The temple covenants and ordinances remain the same. May you be blessed as you serve and worship in the house of the Lord today.

Disclaimer to the 2023 Endowment

A similar disclaimer also accompanied the revisions made in 2019. However, I will argue this time that the changes made in 2023 significantly depart from earlier versions to such an extent that the covenants are indeed different than before. I will present comparisons of the revisions made in 1990, 2019, and 2023 to the sections of the endowment relevant to this discussion: 1) the Lecturer’s Introduction, 2) Elohim’s explanation of the conditions of the Fall, and 3) the administration of the covenant for the Law of Obedience. After an examination of the changes across these specific sections, I will close with an analysis of what I think all of this means for LDS temple patrons today.

Lecturer’s Introduction

The LDS endowment begins with a short welcome and Introduction by the lecturer/narrator. The welcome is a generally mundane reminder that the endowment is preceded by the initiatory, ensures patrons have received the new name, and encourages them to be reverent during the endowment ceremony. By contrast, the Introduction provides a very brief summary of the theological significance of the initiatory and endowment rituals. Of particular interest to the present discussion is the information the Introduction conveys regarding the different promises made to men and women as they receive their endowment.

Changes Made in 1990

In the version used immediately prior to the 1990 changes, the Introduction (and endowment in general) centers Adam alone in the narrative. When they revised it in 1990 they added Eve in the narrative summary. They also added a caution against defiling the garment. The older version stated simply that the endowment was to ritually prepare a patron for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. The 1990 revision elaborated that the endowment enabled recipients to pass the angelic gatekeepers via the giving of proper key words, signs, and tokens. Interestingly, the older version closed with a statement that the creation of man in the image of God—male and female—”is only figurative, so far as the man and the woman are concerned.” For whatever reason, that statement was removed in 1990. Frankly, a reminder that the Genesis creation narrative is figurative and not literal would be welcome in 2023.

Changes Made in January 2019

Not much changed in the 2019 revisions to the Introduction portion of the endowment, but those few changes are significant. In prior versions, female patrons are told they were destined to become queens and priestesses to their husbands. In 2019, this was reworded to “in the New and Everlasting Covenant.” This is reinforced immediately afterwards by explaining that exaltation unto these positions is “through the holy order of matrimony in the New and Everlasting Covenant.” As I explained in my previous essay on this subject, this change merely substitutes a flowery euphemism for what was previously stated concretely—that a woman’s exaltation is inextricably tied to that of her husband. The New and Everlasting Covenant of marriage is the same principle of plural marriage invoked in D&C § 132 and in § 131:1–4.

Changes Made in February 2023

The order of ideas and passages in the Introduction was significantly shuffled in the changes of the 2023 version, making side-by-side comparisons of the transcript challenging. Because of this, I present the corresponding passages of the 2019 version out of their original order to make side-by-side comparison with the new version more intuitive. You can find a full transcript of the 2019 version in its normal order on Jonathan Streeter’s blog.

The 2023 version contains many changes which largely constitute an expansion of the Introduction to invoke the role of Jesus Christ in the theology of the endowment and to provide more of a preview as to what the remainder of the endowment will contain. The addition of the list of covenants that patrons will make as part of the ritual has been speculated by many to be a response to criticisms regarding informed consent, though it’s not sure how merely naming them without further elaboration achieves this in any meaningful way. Still, the 2023 Introduction provides far more information regarding what will follow than previous versions.

The 2023 revision removes the warning against defiling the garment that was added in 1990. It also removes mention of the garment being a representation of the garment given to Adam and Eve when they were found naked in the Garden of Eden. Whether or not that is still invoked in the initiatory, I cannot say. In the new version, the garment is now a symbol of taking upon oneself the name of Christ and a reminder of temple covenants.

Other changes include the softening of language regarding “accepting obligations” to “entering covenants,” and an expansion of the closing regarding the Creation drama that will immediately follow. The new version adds Lucifer to the list of characters and briefly explains that Jesus, Adam, and Satan each had different names in the premortal realm.

The most critical thing to note for the purposes of the present discussion is that nothing was changed regarding female patrons becoming queens and priestesses “in the New and Everlasting Covenant” or the further elaboration that exaltation is made possible “through the holy order of matrimony in the New and Everlasting Covenant.” This is the one place in the endowment that retains prior references to the Patriarchal Order without alteration.

the Conditions of the Fall

Another section of particular relevance to our present discussion is sometimes labelled “The Conditions of the Fall.” This is the part of the Garden of Eden narrative where Elohim explains to Adam and Eve the consequences of their transgression and puts them under covenantal obligations for their redemption. In this section we can clearly observe the manner in which the LDS church has revised the language of the endowment liturgy to appear more egalitarian, while preserving (and obfuscating) the patriarchal theology that lies underneath the surface. We will also see the first glimpse at how—in the most recent changes—the church may have functionally changed the covenants made by female patrons.

Changes Made in 1990

In the version used before 1990, Elohim begins by chastising Eve and cursing her with sorrow in her childbearing and with her desire being toward her husband who will rule over her. Adam is chastised in part for hearkening to the voice of his wife. Both these portions were removed in the 1990 revisions.

Additionally, Eve is instructed that she will be put under covenantal obligation to obey Adam’s law in the Lord, which covenant she makes directly with Adam. On the other hand, Adam covenants directly with Elohim to obey his law and keep his commandments. In the 1990 version, Eve’s covenant to obey her husband as he obeys the Lord is given a new name—the Law of the Lord. Nothing about the terms of this covenant is functionally altered.

Changes Made in January 2019

Similarly, the 2019 revision makes small changes that largely give the appearance of egalitarianism but upon closer inspection actually preserve the patriarchal structure of the covenants. The instructions to Eve regarding obeying Adam’s counsel as he obeys God are removed, and Elohim addresses Adam and Eve together. They are both placed under the same covenantal relationship—the Law of the Lord. Recall that this is the name the 1990 version gave to Eve’s covenant to obey her husband as he obeys the Lord. In the 1990 version, Eve entered into the Law of the Lord and Adam entered into the Law of Elohim. In the 2019 version, both Adam and Eve covenant that she will obey Adam as he obeys God. That said, in the 2019 version, Eve agrees to the covenant by addressing Elohim directly, instead of Adam.

Changes Made in February 2023

Finally, in the 2023 revision we see the first indications of what may be substantive changes to the covenantal relationship that Eve and all female patrons enter. Whereas in the 2019 version, Adam and Eve covenanted to the terms of the Law of the Lord, in the new version they covenant to “keep the Law of Obedience.” The Law of the Lord is nowhere to be found. Moreover, in the 2019 version, the Law of Obedience is treated as something distinct from the Law of the Lord, as it is said to be given to Adam and Eve following and contingent upon their covenanting to the Law of the Lord. In the 2023 version, Adam and Eve enter directly into the Law of Obedience, which has now been grammatically decoupled from the Law of Sacrifice.

Finally, the 2023 version no longer depicts Adam or Eve entering into their covenants or whom they address when doing so. Rather, things skip immediately to the patrons being administered the Law of Obedience (see next section).

The Law of Obedience

In the final portion of the endowment that we will examine in this essay, patrons are administered the Law of Obedience and make covenantal obligations paralleled by those portrayed by Adam and Eve. This is the portion that most clearly demonstrates the evolution of the LDS endowment ritual regarding how its gendered theology is presented to temple patrons. As with the preceding section, we will see how the 1990 and 2019 revisions preserve the patriarchal theology of the covenants but obfuscates it with euphemistic language. We will also see how the 2023 changes possibly represent a significant departure from the previous formula.

Changes Made in 1990

In the version prior to 1990, female patrons were made to covenant to obey “the law of their husbands” and to “keep the law of your husband and abide by his counsel in righteousness.” As in the preceding section, the 1990 revision preserves this patriarchal covenant and gives it a new name—the Law of the Lord. The revised version explained that the Law of the Lord is “to hearken unto the counsel of your husband as he hearkens unto the Father.” Also notice that the 1990 version still had male and female patrons entering into separate covenants that go by different names. Women covenant to the Law of the Lord; men covenant to the Law of God.

Changes Made in January 2019

The 2019 revision hides the patriarchal covenant by having both men and women enter into the same covenantal agreement—the Law of the Lord—and omitting the elaboration of the terms of this agreement that used to accompany it. Men do not covenant to the Law of God because their obedience to Elohim is incorporated within the terms of the Law of the Lord. Both men and women covenant that wives will obey their husbands as the husbands obey God.

Changes Made in February 2023

Finally, the 2023 revisions remove the Law of the Lord entirely. Both men and women now covenant to “keep the Law of Obedience as it has been explained to you.” The last clause is incredibly important. As I will elaborate further below, there are ways that one could argue that the 2023 revisions still preserve the patriarchal theology of the covenants just under one additional layer of euphemistic obfuscation. Namely, that the Law of Obedience is a catchall for the previous system of women covenanting to obey their husbands (i.e., the Law of the Lord) and men covenanting to obey God (i.e., the Law of God). However, none of that is explained in the 2023 version, which now explicitly stipulates that patrons agree to the Law of Obedience “as it has been explained to you.” That’s a potentially big deal.

Significant changes?

There are many other changes to the endowment liturgy that we could address, but the above sections are those which are arguably most important regarding the historic patriarchy in the temple endowment covenants. As far as the Creation and Garden of Eden dramas, we could also talk about how the older versions portrayed Elohim and Jehovah creating the woman and presenting her to Adam like a gift to be a companion and helpmeet for him, and letting Adam name her as if she’s just another creature in the Garden. Or how Adam was declared “lord over the whole earth and all things on the face thereof.” These also were changed in the 2019 revision to make the ceremony less overtly patriarchal. The 2023 version even takes it a step further in that when Eve is presented to Adam, Elohim states that they are to be “companions and helpmeets for one another, and you shall cleave unto one another.”

As a whole, it is easy to see how the endowment liturgy has evolved over the past 33 years to present a narrative that appears less patriarchal and more egalitarian. Indeed, many of the changes I’ve highlighted thus far are very welcome and undoubtedly make the temple a less traumatic space for women. At the same time, while the versions up through the 2019 revisions soften the language and present Creation and Eden narratives that are less patriarchal (or even downright misogynist) on the surface, there appears to have been a conscious effort to preserve the theology underlying the gendered terms of the covenants of obedience men and women patrons were making.

The 2023 revision is a different beast. As we have seen, these most recent changes appear to fundamentally change the terms of the covenant of obedience for female patrons. No longer do they covenant to the Law of the Lord, which stipulated that they obey their husbands as a proxy for God. Now they simply covenant to “keep the Law of Obedience as it has been explained to you.” The only explanation given for the Law of Obedience comes shortly before it is administered to temple patrons, when Elohim states: “Adam, Eve, we will now put you under covenant to keep the Law of Obedience, which is to obey my commandments.” To that end, I argue that the 2023 revision of the LDS endowment ritual constitutes a fundamental change in the terms of the covenant of obedience for women.

An Eternal Ordinance?

This presents a bit of a conundrum because, as I highlighted at the start of this essay, the current temple endowment opens with a disclaimer stating plainly that “the temple covenants and ordinances remain the same.” By my estimation that appears demonstrably false. Perhaps there is an argument to be made that since the Lecturer’s Introduction still instructs that exaltation is enabled via the terms of “the holy order of matrimony in the New and Everlasting Covenant,” that the patriarchal nature of these covenants of obedience is implied. Personally, that begins to feel like a stretch given the explicit language of the “as it has been explained to you” clause of the Law of Obedience. That said, either way you cut it—if the covenants have actually changed or not—the resulting conclusion presents a problem for the LDS church.

As I explained in a previous essay, many members are dismayed at what they perceive as distortions of an ordinance they believed to be unchanging and eternal. They have good reason to believe this—church leaders have frequently quoted Joseph Smith making statements to this effect.

On 11 June 1843, Joseph Smith is recorded as stating, “Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the World in the Priesthood for the Salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed, all must be saved on the same principles.” In a church conference on 5 October 1840, Smith also taught, “Therefore [God] set the ordinances to be the same for ever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man or to send Angels to reveal them.” Subsequent church leaders have made their own statements to the same effect. In a 1979 General Conference address, Elder David B. Haight taught that a critical feature of the apostasy of the early Christian church was “sacred ordinances were changed to suit the convenience of men.”

Because of teachings like these, major revisions to the temple liturgy—especially those perceived as having fundamentally changed the covenants or theology—often have the effect of challenging the faith of a portion of the membership. In the past, such changes have even led some members to leave the church for Mormon fundamentalist groups. Given the significance of the changes of the 2023 revision—not just to the Law of Obedience but also to the other covenants we haven’t discussed—I would not be surprised to hear similar tales of LDS disaffection.

“…those who administer the sacrament will kneel when asking the blessing. It is not that this form is absolutely essential to the acceptance of this ordinance by the Lord; but it is in accordance with the word of the Lord which was given for our guidance; and where it is possible to follow the written word, in the spirit in which it is given, it is always better to do so. Indeed, by doing so we will avoid a serious wrong, that might eventually grow out of a disregard for the rules that the Lord has established, for it might lead to a changing, to some extent, of the ordinances of the house of God. It is necessary that we should pay proper attention and care to carrying out the purposes of the Lord in the manner which He has already revealed. And this may be extended to other matters of our religion. One of the charges brought against the children of Israel, and mentioned by the prophets in the latter times, was that ‘they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.’ That is really the complaint against the world today, and it is not meet that we should indulge in any such things.”

Pres. Joseph F. Smith, 18 Sept. 1893, The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 55:605–6

This essay only covered select portions of the endowment script. Those interested in the full scripts of the endowment ritual from before and after 1990, 2019, and 2023 may find side-by-side changes in this PDF document.