Theatrical and Spatial Modes of Presenting the Endowment Ritual in Latter-day Saint Temples

Abstract

This paper explores the experiential relationship between religious ritual and sacred space for temples built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lindsay Jones’ theatrical modes of presenting ritual performances are used to enhance our understanding of the function of the temple’s endowment ordinance. Over 170 Latter-day Saint temples from around the globe are analyzed in terms of their unique endowment spatial sequence in order to identify the various theatrical and spatial modes of presentation employed over the 190-year lifespan of the Church. Three important findings are identified in the paper: 1) Latter-day Saint temples with a five-room sequence and live endowment presentation are considered multi-sensory engaging experiences by the use of ambulatory actors and audiences; 2) temples with a two-room endowment sequence and a film presentation are efficient in their usage of space, but they often lead to passivity through their use of stationary stages and audiences; and 3) temples with three or five-room sequences which utilize the film presentation format blend efficiency with active involvement with the use of stationary stages and ambulatory audiences.