Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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What did the Nauvoo Temple endowment look like in its earliest form?

In this episode of Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon examine one of the earliest published firsthand accounts of the Nauvoo Temple ceremony: Catherine Lewis's 1848 narrative. Written only a few years after the events it describes, Lewis's account provides a remarkable window into the temple rituals, secrecy, and theological ideas circulating during the Nauvoo period.

Together we'll explore:

The earliest known form of the Mormon endowment
Washing and anointing ordinances
New names, signs, tokens, and the veil
The Garden of Eden drama and progression through the kingdoms
How Lewis connects temple secrecy with plural marriage
Heber C. Kimball's role in her narrative
The Law of Adoption and priesthood authority
Early teachings surrounding Native Americans and "white and delightsome"
How Lewis's account compares with William Clayton, the Nauvoo Expositor, John C. Bennett, Martha Brotherton, and other contemporary sources

We'll also examine Catherine Lewis herself—what we know, what we don't know, and how historians evaluate the credibility of an early eyewitness whose account repeatedly intersects with other Nauvoo-era evidence.

Whether you're interested in Mormon history, the development of temple worship, or the origins of plural marriage, this episode takes a careful, source-based approach to one of the most significant primary documents from the Nauvoo period.

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Looking for one-on-one support as you navigate a faith transition, religious trauma, or life after a high-demand religion? Bill Reel's trauma-informed coaching: https://www.awakenandthrive.coach

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