Daughter of Mormon Top Leader speaks out about secret ritual for Mormon “royalty” #lds #mormon
The Second Anointing: What We Know About Mormonism's Most Secretive Temple Ritual
Introduction: The Ritual Few Talk About
What happens in the innermost chambers of Mormon temples? For most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, temple worship centers on well-known ceremonies like the endowment. But according to recent accounts, including testimony from a family member of a high-ranking church leader, there exists a far more restricted ritual known as the Second Anointing, sometimes referred to by the alternative name "the more sure witness of the spirit" or "calling and election made sure." This ceremony, available only to a select group within the church hierarchy, raises fundamental questions about transparency, access to sacred ordinances, and the structure of spiritual privilege within one of America's largest religious organizations.
Understanding what the Second Anointing actually is, who receives it, and why it remains largely undiscussed even among devout Latter-day Saints matters for anyone seeking to understand modern Mormonism, whether you're a member questioning church practices, a researcher documenting LDS history, or someone simply curious about how religious institutions operate behind closed doors.
Background: A Ritual Hidden in Plain Sight
The Second Anointing is not new. References to it appear in early Mormon texts and in the writings of Joseph Smith, the faith's founder. Historically, it was presented as a ordinance that sealed individuals and their spouses to exaltation, essentially a guarantee of salvation. In the 1800s, church leaders spoke of it more openly, though never in graphic detail.