Welcome back to our Joseph Smith Podcast series with historian Dr. John Turner! This is Episode 29, where we dive into Chapter 24, titled “Upper Rooms,” from John Turner’s new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. In this episode, we focus on Nauvoo in 1842 –a pivotal year when Freemasonry, the Relief Society, secrecy, and the earliest forms of the Nauvoo Endowment ceremony all intersect. The central question we wrestle with is this: To what extent did Freemasonry shape Joseph Smith’s use of secrecy –and was it intended to protect his authority and reputation? We explore the anti-Masonic climate of early America and the murder of William Morgan, why the Book of Mormon was once read as an “anti-Masonic Bible,” Joseph Smith’s embrace of Freemasonry, the founding of the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge, Parallels between Masonic rituals and the original Nauvoo Endowment, the secret oaths, handshakes, signs, tokens, and penalties, and Joseph Smith’s evolving theology around power and exaltation. This conversation is historically grounded, candid, and essential for anyone trying to understand how Mormon temple theology developed –and why it still matters today! Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/freemasonry-the-early-nauvoo-endowment-ceremony/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction to this series and the topics for today 0:04:59 Jumping into Chapter 24 00:08:42 Master Mahan (Master Mason) 00:09:47 The Book of Mormon itself is anti-Masonic 00:12:43 What aspects of the Book of Mormon are anti-Masonic? 00:28:26 John Dehlin in the MTC learning about Masonry 00:39:22 The start of the Masonic Lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois 00:45:35 The Masonic Temple ritual 00:54:40 The Masonic handshakes with the thumb on the knuckles, etc. 00:58:46 The original Nauvoo endowment 01:02:04 What happened in the upper rooms 01:07:11 Joseph is granting his followers a pathway to Godlike exaltation 01:13:37 Women were NOT involved in the Nauvoo Endowment when it started 01:22:07 Why weren’t we told this? 01:26:36 Change is constant in religion 01:30:45 The issue of remix 01:47:46 What did the fellow Masons think about Joseph performing brickalodge? 01:52:51 Joseph Smith’s final words were a cry for help for the Masons 01:54:03 What we will cover next episode 01:57:18 Closing remarks ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117