Joseph Smith Biography

Thirty-Eight (1843)

The test was twofold:

1) See how they would react within the parameters of their humanity when

allowed to establish their own religious beliefs based on their free will do so

without being compelled.

2) See how they would react within the parameters of their humanity when

faced with the concept of money.

Joseph’s mission would prove, unequivocally without a doubt, that the people of the
earth, represented by “the man Adam,” almost always act contrary to their humanity when
these two tests are applied. When given the choice between the “fullness of the everlasting
Gospel as delivered by the Savior” himself, and the “philosophies of men, mingled with
scripture,”^2 Joseph’s mission would prove that most people invariably choose the latter. For
this reason, in the presentation of the Temple Endowment, Joseph instructed the following
dialogue between the character of “Peter,” and the character of “Lucifer.” “Peter” represents a
true messenger who does not disclose his true identity and “Lucifer” represents the free-
willed desires of humans once they are placed in a situation where they think they are alone
(not being watched by advanced humans) and are given the ability to make their own choices:

PETER: Good morning.

LUCIFER: Good morning, gentlemen.

PETER: What are you doing here?

LUCIFER: Teaching religion. (Note: This part was changed to “Observing the

teaching of these people,” by the LDS Church in 1990.)

PETER: What religion do you teach? (Changed to: “What is being taught?”)

LUCIFER: We teach a religion made of the philosophies of men, mingled

with scripture. (“We teach a religion made of,” was deleted.)

PETER: How is your religion received by this community? (Changed to: How

is this teaching received?)^3

Joseph then implicitly instructed the person who was playing the character of

“Lucifer” to extend his arm out toward the people in the temple receiving their

endowment, motioning without question that he was talking about them, and say:

LUCIFER: Very well. (Adam is then depicted to be the only exception to

Lucifer’s answer.)

Within the Endowment theatrics, Joseph was figuratively revealing to the LDS
people—with the inclusive gesture of Lucifer towards the entire seated audience (i.e., “this
community”)—what he was going to include in his “report” when he symbolically