Washing and anointing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:21, 16 April 2023

Revision as of 06:22, 16 April 2023

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{{short description|Temple ordinance practiced by LDS Church}}{{Citations needed|introduction|date=April 2023}}[[File:Washing and anointing tub in the Salt Lake Temple, June 1911.png|thumb|One of ten washing and anointing rooms of the [[Salt Lake Temple]] of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] circa 1911.]]

'''Washing and anointing''' (also called the '''initiatory''') is a ritual purification [[Temple (LDS Church)#Temple ordinances|ordinance]] similar to [[chrismation]] that is part of the [[Endowment (Mormonism)|temple endowment]] ceremony practiced by [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) and [[Mormon fundamentalism|Mormon fundamentalists]].

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Just like the other ordinances of the temple, washings and anointings are also conducted on behalf of deceased individuals as a type of "[[wikt:vicarious|vicarious]] ordinance".<ref name=":2" />

The origins of these rituals can be traced back to the biblical period, where anointings were used to sanctify individuals and objects, while washings were used for ritual purification.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="perry" /> The LDS Church introduced washings and anointings in the Kirtland Temple in Ohio in 1836, before revising the rituals in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1842.<ref name="buerger35" /> The modern LDS Church only performs these rites in temples set apart and dedicated for sacred purposes according to a January 19, 1841 revelation said by [[Joseph Smith]] to be from [[Jesus Christ]].<ref name=":3" />

After the washing, the officiator anoints the person with consecrated oil while declaring blessings. The officiator then declares that the person is anointed to become a "king and priest" or a "queen and priestess" in the afterlife.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Once washed and anointed, the participant is dressed in the [[temple garment]] a symbolic white undergarment.<ref name="packer" />(Since 2005, participants in the LDS Church version of the ritual already come clothed in this garment prior to the washing and anointing.){{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

==History==