I quit tscc too young to experience some of the crazier aspects like the temple. But I've seen the temple movie now and learned the handshakes from my brother in law. It made me curious what they teach at temple prep classes. I can't imagine they just tell people they're gonna do some weird handshakes and wear funny clothes. So what do they actually tell you?
Posted Jan 3, 2015, 1:33 AM UTC
If you have 45 minutes, watch this truly excellent Derren Brown video on youtube. He describes how subtle and indirect suggestion can lead people to have powerful religious experiences, and even demonstrates his techniques.
This is exactly what temple prep class is designed to do. They give you no real information whatsoever, so that any experience you have in the temple can be left up to your mind to interpret. Were you to go straight into the temple with no prep (through the temple prep class or otherwise in your youth), you'd immediate recognize it for what it is - lunacy.
It's some shady, bullshit cult tactics.
Pretty much all I learned before going was "it's symbolic." Which of course is meaningless and did nothing to prepare me.
It always bothered me that no one could ever give a good explanation for what the symbolic shit meant at church.
Usually the typical attendees are future missionaries or young couples about to be married.
The class will state that the temple contains symbols, or in the temple tokens and signs are given, but no mention of those symbols, signs, or tokens is discussed in class.
One impact is that members feel it is their duty to learn from revelation the meaning of all the crazy shit that happens.
Plenty of teachers will say things like "it may seem strange your first time" in order to draw the sting.
They showed pretty pictures that made the temple seem like Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back. Everything white and serene, etc.
Then I went and it was nothing like the class. Weirdness and anxiety. Elderly stormtroopers everywhere. . .touching me and fiddling with my wardrobe.
I spent an hour in the car afterward having a "WTF" conversation with my parents, which didn't help because you can't talk about the temple.
So...don't expect much more than a healthy plate of sugar-coated dogshit from temple prep.
I looked forward my whole life to going to the temple.
I believed that it would answer all of my questions.
... It didn't. It was my first crack.
TL;DR - the standard temple prep class is mostly a rehash of the missionary discussions - ie basic live the gospel stuff. Usually, the last lesson should cover the major covenants of the endowment in general terms but I suspect some instructors leave it out if they've fully bought into the 'sacredness' = secret rhetoric.
How much detail depends highly on the instructor. I only taught the class once when I was a EQP to a new adult member. I pushed the limits fairly hard on talking about symbolic clothing, ritual, etc. He's still an active TBM as far as I know, go figure.
Mostly they practice jumping up, sitting down, and bowing your head and saying YES!
They did not teach me anything about the temple. It was more of a prep class for being worthy to go to the temple. And how you can prepare yourself to receive all the knowledge and blessings from the temple. Gag.
I actually get really bad anxiety with new things and was hoping that class could help. But it didn't and I was freaking out my first time.
Very nice. Sounds like they make it your fault for not being worthy enough to learn from the weirdness.