Unrighteous Dominion

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I’ve recently become aware of a theological error that enables unrighteous dominion in this life, and endangers the eternal salvation of millions of people. This error must be addressed.

I only understood the danger fully after I compared Egyptian burial practices with Pictish cross slabs. It is strange that I didn’t see it sooner, but I will argue I’m not the only one who doesn’t see it. In this article I will set out the main issues as plainly as I can.

Mormonism’s Invisible Theology

In this article I will call out the Mormon Church for its use of ritual to construct a metaphysical closed loop for its members. While the resulting theology may not be formally defined in the written record, it’s there in the background at all times. It is merely acted out in ritual in the Church’s temple ceremony. For this reason, you could say it’s an invisible theology. I would argue this ritual traps women in particular but not only women. It endangers the eternal life of all members.

The Church’s Critics Might Overlook This

I understood before I left the Church that the Mormons have a different approach to God. The Evangelicals would say the Mormons don’t depend on Christ, to which the Mormons counter that they do believe in Christ. I don’t know if either side understands how literal the Mormon error is.

The Christian View of the Afterlife

From the 7th to the 9th century AD, many Picts converted to Christianity. In this period, Christian crosses were carved on the back of stone grave markers which had already been carved with Pictish symbols. This clearly indicates an understanding of Jesus’s function as psychopomp. It also tells us the purpose of the Pictish symbols.

Jesus promised to act as a guide for the dead. Thus, Pictish converts included a cross on their grave markers. In this context, the Pictish symbols can also be understood as instructions for the dead.

This also implies that Pictish symbols had the same function as Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The Mormon Temple Ceremony

The Mormon Church also focuses on the next life but it departs from the Christian understanding. The ritual in the temple ceremony presents male priesthood holders as judges and saviors for their wives. This spiritual hierarchy is not Christian.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ.

(Galatians 3:28)

This Type of Dependence Could Lead to Abuse

Theoretically, a man could revoke his wife’s salvation on a whim. It’s not hard to imagine that this could lead to abuse in this life. However, it is more serious in its implications for the next life. This scheme in which human men are able to find the way alone for themselves and their loved ones is not backed up by the practices of ancient people or by Christian theology. Church leaders must correct this error.