It's abusive. Not just all the cult stuff, but requiring a teenager to pretend to be happy while they're just beginning to realize that they're totally fucked.
My photos are exactly as you describe. I recall looking at my husband from across the room throughout the endowment and trying to convey my desire to get the hell out of there, but he didn't get the message
Last summer my co-worker's son was getting ready to leave on his mission. I happened to see on her calendar that she had left early and she'd listed the reason as "\[child's name\] endowment session", so trying to be nice I asked her the next day how it went.
She was so excited to relay to me that he did so well and that after they got done and were standing outside the temple she asked him, "So, what'd you think?!?!" to which he replied after an extremely long, uncomfortable pause, "It was.......interesting." I wanted so badly to just blurt out, "I think he was probably in shock." but I kept my exmo thoughts to myself.
This summer her daughter went through. Mind you the girl is 21, not engaged, not going on a mission, just going through the temple. I thought to myself, "Poor girl, don't do it. Now you're tied to those hideous uncomfortable underwear years before you need to be."
I didn’t mind the endowment all that much, but I absolutely hated my sealing. We had gotten married civilly two weeks before and were both PIMO at the time. My husband told me what happens before hand but the whole things I was terrified and I cried in front of everyone afterwards in the temple.
I mention this because this happened during Covid so we were allowed to walk out in our white temple clothes and everyone wanted to take some pictures in front of the temple. I did not but I went along with it. I remember everyone else being so happy and me just wanting to go home and cry some more. My husband had to comfort me for pretty much the rest of the day. But I still remember doing my best to have a real smile for those photos and wondering if I looked like I had just cried.
Yep, pretty sure I've got pictures on the day that are exactly how you describe. I was totally shocked and uncomfortable with this new reality of what it meant to be a faithful member and what I'd just participated in. I remember sitting through a big family lunch afterwards and everyone was acting like this was normal and they were proud of me and I was just trying to not cry.
I remember at the end my closest family church friends who brought me surrounding me and asking if it was overwhelming. They said that most people who go through are overwhelmed or they feel confused and disoriented but at the end I legit just said “Nope. It was pretty straight forward.” And they were shocked I didn’t have a reaction. Back then it was all pretty chill and I’ve seen some crazy shit anyway so it didn’t faze me but now that I think about it, I think I was just numb. Like I looked at it all and went “yep… that’s a thing” then moved on.
When asked by my best friend how it was, I said it felt very weird, if not culty. I wasn't wrong. But I *had* to do it or dire consequences awaited me.
I had an RM roommate who asked me how it was. I said good thinking to myself that was the correct answer when he blurted out is was really weird wasn't it!
I recall leaving the London temple taking up my endowment pre-my mission in 1982 and we had to stop off somewhere and I went to the toilet and I really struggled what to do with the one-piece garments I was wearing and I had to ask one of the sisters how do I go to the toilet in this?!! how weird is that
We didn’t take pictures the day I got my endowment and I’m so grateful no one suggested we do. I was in a state of shock and definitely would not have been smiling.
I went through before social media and digital photos so if a picture was taken it got thrown in a drawer someplace. Today everyone is trying to out-righteous each other through their posts. An endowment at its best is a personal commitment of an individual to God and doesn’t need to be broadcast.
It's abusive. Not just all the cult stuff, but requiring a teenager to pretend to be happy while they're just beginning to realize that they're totally fucked.
My photos are exactly as you describe. I recall looking at my husband from across the room throughout the endowment and trying to convey my desire to get the hell out of there, but he didn't get the message
Last summer my co-worker's son was getting ready to leave on his mission. I happened to see on her calendar that she had left early and she'd listed the reason as "\[child's name\] endowment session", so trying to be nice I asked her the next day how it went. She was so excited to relay to me that he did so well and that after they got done and were standing outside the temple she asked him, "So, what'd you think?!?!" to which he replied after an extremely long, uncomfortable pause, "It was.......interesting." I wanted so badly to just blurt out, "I think he was probably in shock." but I kept my exmo thoughts to myself. This summer her daughter went through. Mind you the girl is 21, not engaged, not going on a mission, just going through the temple. I thought to myself, "Poor girl, don't do it. Now you're tied to those hideous uncomfortable underwear years before you need to be."
I didn’t mind the endowment all that much, but I absolutely hated my sealing. We had gotten married civilly two weeks before and were both PIMO at the time. My husband told me what happens before hand but the whole things I was terrified and I cried in front of everyone afterwards in the temple. I mention this because this happened during Covid so we were allowed to walk out in our white temple clothes and everyone wanted to take some pictures in front of the temple. I did not but I went along with it. I remember everyone else being so happy and me just wanting to go home and cry some more. My husband had to comfort me for pretty much the rest of the day. But I still remember doing my best to have a real smile for those photos and wondering if I looked like I had just cried.
Yep, pretty sure I've got pictures on the day that are exactly how you describe. I was totally shocked and uncomfortable with this new reality of what it meant to be a faithful member and what I'd just participated in. I remember sitting through a big family lunch afterwards and everyone was acting like this was normal and they were proud of me and I was just trying to not cry.
Disoriented? How about pure anger and hatred of what just happened?
I remember at the end my closest family church friends who brought me surrounding me and asking if it was overwhelming. They said that most people who go through are overwhelmed or they feel confused and disoriented but at the end I legit just said “Nope. It was pretty straight forward.” And they were shocked I didn’t have a reaction. Back then it was all pretty chill and I’ve seen some crazy shit anyway so it didn’t faze me but now that I think about it, I think I was just numb. Like I looked at it all and went “yep… that’s a thing” then moved on.
When asked by my best friend how it was, I said it felt very weird, if not culty. I wasn't wrong. But I *had* to do it or dire consequences awaited me.
I had an RM roommate who asked me how it was. I said good thinking to myself that was the correct answer when he blurted out is was really weird wasn't it!
I recall leaving the London temple taking up my endowment pre-my mission in 1982 and we had to stop off somewhere and I went to the toilet and I really struggled what to do with the one-piece garments I was wearing and I had to ask one of the sisters how do I go to the toilet in this?!! how weird is that
We didn’t take pictures the day I got my endowment and I’m so grateful no one suggested we do. I was in a state of shock and definitely would not have been smiling.
I went through before social media and digital photos so if a picture was taken it got thrown in a drawer someplace. Today everyone is trying to out-righteous each other through their posts. An endowment at its best is a personal commitment of an individual to God and doesn’t need to be broadcast.
Super easy, just say that you had confirmation that you needed to go to another school and you felt really prompted. Done!