Bruce Porter Stuff Again

[slavereeno]

This is so exhausting...

Bruce Porter claims that the temple veil ceremony or something remarkably close to it can be found inscribed onto pillars of ancient Egyptian temples etc. How could JS have known about this... ergo the church is true. Get back to church you heathen.

Does anybody know of a resource for research on this?

[jfro18]

Do you have a link to Bruce Porter's stuff?

I mean the search for parallels is exhausting, and one that no objective scholar would agree to. There is research out there but I'm honestly not sure what would handle that since it's typically baseless.

[slavereeno]

Do you have a link to Bruce Porter's stuff?

I mean the search for parallels is exhausting, and one that no objective scholar would agree to. There is research out there but I'm honestly not sure what would handle that since it's typically baseless.

I am having a hard time finding a transcript but here is a link to his youtube version of the same devotional, I fast forwarded to the relevant part where he presents four vignettes carved in stone on what he is calling the "holy of holies" in an Egyptian temple.

https://youtu.be/RJynmYYeo6M?list=PLQjD ... UVv&t=2070

[Red Ryder]

Just because a compass and square is inscribed in a veil drawing on a stone pillar doesn’t mean the Egyptians were pantomiming slitting their own throats and disembowelling themselves in the name of Jesus.

Now if an inscription of cafeteria tapioca pudding and 3 dudes waiting on a flowery couch for their Egyptian Goddess’ to get dressed into their street clothes exists then we all can start to worry.

[Red Ryder]

This triggered a vague memory of attending one of those “Know your religion” series of firesides where some guy claimed a group of anthropologist dug up a mummy and when they opened it their were cloth remnants with a compass and square. All the LDS people on site knew the meaning unlike the other non Mormons.

[wtfluff]

Egyptian Freemasons? Ha! (Like the Freemasons invented the compass and the square.)

Call me when they find some stringy Egyptian baker's hats, veils, and some fake green silk "aprons."

[2bizE]

Was Bruce Porter the guy that beat his wife in Washington DC Or New York a few years ago?? Or was that another porter?

[Thoughtful]

Was Bruce Porter the guy that beat his wife in Washington DC Or New York a few years ago?? Or was that another porter?

Not the same guy.

[moksha]

“Know your religion” series of firesides where some guy claimed a group of anthropologists dug up a mummy and when they opened it there were cloth remnants with a compass and square.

Seems like there should be some reward when you can foist preposterous stories upon the believing Saints, such as being conferred the title 33rd Degree Apologist and getting a special Cleon Skousen decoder ring.

[Not Buying It]

“Know your religion” series of firesides where some guy claimed a group of anthropologists dug up a mummy and when they opened it there were cloth remnants with a compass and square.

Seems like there should be some reward when you can foist preposterous stories upon the believing Saints, such as being conferred the title 33rd Degree Apologist and getting a special Cleon Skousen decoder ring.

I'd forgotten all about "Know Your Religion" - my parents used to go, I went to one or two. Seems like often it was some person who was employed by the Church in some capacity pushing their pet gospel theories. Seems like the times I went I learned about things that weren't really part of my religion. The Brethren probably ended it out of jealousy, they don't like people listening to anyone except them.

[deacon blues]

Egyptian Freemasons? Ha! (Like the Freemasons invented the compass and the square.)

Call me when they find some stringy Egyptian baker's hats, veils, and some fake green silk "aprons."

Yeah, this.

[Palerider]

These guys are all just modern day gnostics that are the few and very special who know all the extra super-dooper secrets to the real salvation. Oh, to be in that rarified air.

I'd be very curious to know what their contemporary non-lds colleagues would think of their interpretations.

I'm so glad we now have the "plain and simple" truths restored to earth as opposed to all that fancy stuff the Catholics believe in.

[slavereeno]

This was my response:

The similarities between the veil ceremony and the five points of the fellowship from the Masonic rites bear a much, much closer resemblance to each other than the veil ceremony does to Egyptian traditions. Why doesn't this nullify the connection that Porter is attempting to establish? And no, the Masonic rites do not date back to Solomon's Temple, nor did the endowment happen in Solomon's Temple. Either way, it seems evident to me that Joseph Smith was not privy to anything unknown to him.

As I recall, (it has been a year,) Porter's "translations" are his paraphrases of the language, and his paraphrasing is worded in very Mormon language. So I can see why he makes the connection in his mind. Nearly every religion has aspects and symbols relating to the afterlife, the gateway (veil) to that afterlife, meeting god, preparation, apotheosis, etc. etc. Its far more likely, to me, that these religious elements coincide due to the commonality of their symbols and concepts, rather than that they are related by supernatural means. This is especially true for elements from history that have influenced the majority of the worlds civilizations due to their antiquity such as Egypt. So, at least to my mind, this is very far from a bullseye for Joseph Smith. How else do we account for the elements of Protestantism, Paganism and Buddhism in Mormon worship? Also, why do we also find elements from Egyptian worship in Catholicism, Buddhism, Lutheranism, Jehovah's witnesses, the Moonies, Zoroastrianism, Islam, etc? Does that now mean that these groups also hit a bullseye?

I also found this, Fuxi an ancient Chinese folk hero. Interesting that Fuxi has a compass and square in his hands....

[Red Ryder]

I also found this, Fuxi an ancient Chinese folk hero. Interesting that Fuxi has a compass and square in his hands....

Are you sure those aren't nunchucks?

[græy]

Uggh. I hate stuff like this. Find arbitrary and unsubstantiated parallels in ancient cultures and then spread rumors about how it proves the church is so true.

Is this Bruce D Porter, the general authority who passed away a few years ago?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallelomania

Let me try....

In this footage, obtained from extra-terrestrial beings. We clearly see a baptism, followed by an anointing, and finally the placement of priesthood robes and hat before this servant of God is allowed to attend to his priesthood duties.

https://youtu.be/-f2RHs2iSms?t=20

Obviously, Ronan the Accuser was a servant and priest of the most high God. His culture faithfully (as faithfully as possible given that they are also fallible mortals) preserved the ordinances of exaltation. This is a testament to the truth of the gospel as it has been given to us on this planet.

[Hagoth]

My BYU professor neighbor has told me about the temple endowment carved in the temple at Karnak. I haven't seen it but I assumed it shows a lot of arm positions that look like stuff in the endowment ceremony because Joseph was lifting stuff from Egyptian imagery to make make his version of masonry seem ancient.

[slavereeno]

Are you sure those aren't nunchucks?

Or Scissors.

[slavereeno]

Obviously, Ronan the Accuser was a servant and priest of the most high God. His culture faithfully (as faithfully as possible given that they are also fallible mortals) preserved the ordinances of exaltation. This is a testament to the truth of the gospel as it has been given to us on this planet.

HaHa, exactly.

[slavereeno]

My BYU professor neighbor has told me about the temple endowment carved in the temple at Karnak. I haven't seen it but I assumed it shows a lot of arm positions that look like stuff in the endowment ceremony because Joseph was lifting stuff from Egyptian imagery to make make his version of masonry seem ancient.

Oh, I guess that probably factored into it as well.

[jfro18]

My BYU professor neighbor has told me about the temple endowment carved in the temple at Karnak. I haven't seen it but I assumed it shows a lot of arm positions that look like stuff in the endowment ceremony because Joseph was lifting stuff from Egyptian imagery to make make his version of masonry seem ancient.

This is how almost all of Mormonism goes.

It's true because it has parallels to ancient practices, and it has ancient parallels because it's true.

Nevermind that Joseph Smith lifted those ideas and that we can point to what exactly Joseph was looking at to evolve these ideas - there's a vague parallel to make it all work.