President Woodruff, not long before his death, instructed the presiding priesthood in conference assembled that members of the Church allying themselves with secret societies after having been informed of the counsel of the Church against its members making such alliances, disqualified themselves from entering the temples of the Lord to receive blessings therein, and that therefore all such should not be recommended for temple ordinances.
In taking this position President Woodruff voiced the mind of the First Presidency from the beginning of the organization of the Church, ...
We desire you, and all others concerned or interested in this question, to know that, in taking this position the First Presidency have not for a moment considered the merits or demerits of the various secret orders, that it is entirely immaterial to us as to whether their ceremonials are based on biblical stories or otherwise, and that therefore as far as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is concerned they must stand or fall solely on their own merits without a word of criticism for or against them by us.
... all secret societies are man-made, and therefore of the world worldly, suitable only for the class of people that belong to them and who uphold and sustain them. ... [particupation in these societies is comparble to] ...
we are, Your Brethren and fellow-servants, JOSEPH F. SMITH, JOHN R. WINDER, ANTHON H. LUND, First Presidency.
[Clark, James R., Messages of the First Presidency (6 volumes)]
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