Why Do Mormons Keep Secrets

Many of the critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accuse us of keeping "secrets" from those outside of our faith.

The truth of the matter is....we do keep secrets!

I know that many of my LDS readers will disagree with me on this point, "it is not secret, it is sacred" they will say. Even though I agree with them that we do hold things sacred, we also don't share those sacred things with just anybody, so therefore they are also secret!

What sort of things do Mormons keep secret? Well....Mormons are known for keeping secret our temple experiences. Jesus’ instructions on the Sermon on the Mount was "give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest the trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matt 7:6) Yet every time our critics "expose" something holy from our temple experience they fulfill Matt 7:6. Paul spoke of these kinds of critics when he taught "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure." (Titus 1:15)

Many of our critics try to make "secrets" look non-scriptural by quoting scriptures like Isaiah 48:16 "I have not spoken in secret from the beginning," or Luke 8:16-17 "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel... but setteth it on a candlestick... For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest." The hope of these critics is to show that the Bible doesn't allow for secrets to be kept and that to do so must be evil!

In Eccl 3:1,7 the preacher tells us "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."

Many critics will continue to argue that neither Christ nor his disciples ever kept secrets! But what do the scriptures teach?

Let us look at some examples from the Scriptures to see if keeping a secret was an evil practice as some critics have claimed. In Mark 8:22-26 we see Jesus healing a blind man, after he was made whole the Lord told him, "Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." In Mark 5:35-43 we see Jesus healing a girl who was dead, afterwards he gave this instruction to those who were in the room, "and he charged them straitly that no man should know it." (Mark5:43) And in Mark 7:32-36 we see Christ healing a man who was deaf and slow of speech receiving the same command "and he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it" (Mark 7:36). Why would the Lord ask them to keep these miracles a secret? Did Christ have something to hide?

The Critics of the LDS church will tell you that the Mormons are wicked because they try to hide what they do in their temples! Yet the Lord informs us in Psalms 25:14 "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him: and he will shew them his covenant." Yes, the Lord has things which he reveals only to his people.

Look at Matt 13; here Christ has just told a few parables (which seemed to be the way he gave all his public teachings) where he has hidden the meaning of several important doctrines. He gives His reasons for this, "and the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." (Matt 13:10-11)

Again in Matt 13:34-35, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them; That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." And why is it that Christ choose to speak these truths in parables "He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all the things are done in parables." (Mark 4:11)

When critics of the church want to try and embarrass the Mormon people they will make light of things that Christ has instructed them to keep secret. But let me ask a question: If Christ revealed a doctrine, truth, or mystery to you and asked you to keep it a secret would you?

Now before you say that Christ would never do this look at a few scriptural examples. Matt 16:15-16 "whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." After this in verse 20 Christ tells them,"Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Here Christ reveals a truth that ought to be known to all who want eternal life (John 17:3) and yet Christ charges them not to reveal this truth! We know that at least one of Jesus apostles (Judas) did not listen to Jesus and he did reveal him! (Matt 26:46-49)

So who are these critics more like when they try to reveal these "Mormon temple mysteries?"

Are they more like the apostles whom Jesus charged not to reveal his secret (Matt 16:20), or like Judas, who did reveal to men who Jesus was? (Matt 26:46-49) According to Prov 11:13 "a talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."

Jesus explained why he kept the secret that he was the Christ, instead of revealing it to the world. In Luke 22:67 the religious rulers asked him very directly "Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe." Is it any different today? The critics scream for more Mormon transparency, yet they are not looking to believe. For this very reason the Lord has asked the LDS saints to keep their temple observances a secret! The question is, will they?

Mormons and Government

Some of the most libelous information spread by the critics of the Mormon Church, is in regards to how we view government. Some criticisms accuse the Mormons of trying to overthrow the government and in other versions the Mormons are trying to take possession of government. All of these false stories are meant to taint the LDS church in the eyes of the United States government. These lies continue to be spread by critics of the LDS church to confuse the people who might otherwise want to learn more about the Mormons. Despite the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expressing their views in our own modern day revelations, the Critics still try to regurgitate their version of the truth.

Let us look at how the LDS people view government in general.

I suggest everyone read D&C section 134 in order to better understand how the LDS are taught to view government. Here are some highlights from that section:

 "We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society." (Verse 1)

"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life." (Verse 2)

"We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience." (Verse 5)

"We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference." (Verse 6)

"We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquility all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment." (Verse 8)

"We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied."(Verse 9)

“We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded." (Verse 11)

These are the views of the LDS people regarding government, taken from our own modern day scriptures! In addition to this we are also the only organization that I know of that has revelations claiming the United States constitution as divinely inspired.

“It is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.” (D&C 101:79-80)

So you can see for yourselves that we Mormon people believe in being law abiding citizens of whatever country they reside in. Pertaining to the government of man, we believe outside of a government ruled by Christ himself, that the US Constitution is the most approved method in place for bringing about the purposes of God.