Pentacles on temples?

[Aesa]

Specifically I refer to the inverted pentacles on the Nauvoo temple. They were there in Joseph Smiths Nauvoo temple, and Gordon B. Hinckley in his vow to keep the temple basically true to the Joseph design -- kept the pentacles.

Obviously this gives some people a bit of a "terror" when they see them. What I've got in mind is this -- they almost definitely had not negative satanic connotation when Joseph Smith used them, so what meaning did the symbol have at the time?

I hear of it being a symbol for the 5 wounds of Christ, but since he was beaten and bled from ever pore .... that's more than 5 wounds right?

I just googled and found something interesting: The Ancient Pentagram - A Christian Symbol | TempleStudy.com - LDS (Mormon) Temple Study Blog

Edited December 8, 2008 by Aesa

[KristofferUmfrey]

Specifically I refer to the inverted pentacles on the Nauvoo temple. They were there in Joseph Smiths Nauvoo temple, and Gordon B. Hinckley in his vow to keep the temple basically true to the Joseph design -- kept the pentacles.

Obviously this gives some people a bit of a "terror" when they see them. What I've got in mind is this -- they almost definitely had not negative satanic connotation when Joseph Smith used them, so what meaning did the symbol have at the time?

I hear of it being a symbol for the 5 wounds of Christ, but since he was beaten and bled from ever pore .... that's more than 5 wounds right?

I would have used the Magen David myself...

but that wasn't the question was it?

I have no clue what it was supposed to mean, but it cracks me up that they sell (or at least sold) necklaces with the symbol on it and Mormons wore them as a reminder of there trip to the Nauvoo Temle. Imagine trying to explain THAT to your Protestant friends.

[bert10]

Good point. Symbols can be used for good or for evil. It depends what the eye wish to see. They whose eyes look for evil shall find evil and they who look for good shall find goodness. So it all depends what is in the heart of the person who is seeing.

Peace be unto you

bert10

[Aesa]

So it all depends what is in the heart of the person who is seeing.

And, the Spirit.

[Dr T]

What I've got in mind is this -- they almost definitely had not negative satanic connotation when Joseph Smith used them,...

Why would u say "they almost definitely had not negative satanic connotation when Joseph Smith used them,..."

[Fugazi]

While I have heard that the pentagram was used in medieval times as representative of the 5 wounds (two wounds in the feet, two wounds in the hands, and one wound right below the chest) Christ suffered. I recently read that the pentagram is inverted on the LDS temples to suggest that it is drawing it's light from the rising sun. It declares that the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ has come from God the Father (2 Peter 1:17)

[bodhigirlsmiles]

Good point. Symbols can be used for good or for evil. It depends what the eye wish to see. They whose eyes look for evil shall find evil and they who look for good shall find goodness. So it all depends what is in the heart of the person who is seeing.

Peace be unto you

bert10

this is certainly true of the ancient chinese symbol used by buddhists (the one that many recognize as a nazi symbol) on many temples. of course, hitler took the symbol and reversed it, indicating his desire to make and end of progression for jews and other "undesireable" people.

[Aesa]

Why would u say "they almost definitely had not negative satanic connotation when Joseph Smith used them,..."

What do you mean?

Here is some of the article that I've linked to in my first post:

Why do these critics always assume the worst, and ignore the simple evidence? It didn’t take me more than a few minutes of Googling to find the following information on the symbolism of the pentagram from several different sites:

During the times of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), the pentacle was the first and most important of the Seven Seals - an amulet whose seals represented the seven secret names of God. It was inscribed on King Solomon’s ring, which is often called Solomon’s Seal in error. Each point of the pentagram was also interpreted as referring to the five books of the Pentateuch - the first five books in the Hebrew Scriptures; the Torah.

To the Hebrews the five points of the pentagram were tied to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the bible) and represented as a whole the concept of truth.

There are many connections between the pentagram and Christianity. Before the cross, it was a preferred emblem to adorn the jewelry and amulets of early Christians (followed by an ‘x’ or a phoenix). The pentagram was associated with the five wounds of Christ, and because it could be drawn in one continuous movement of the pen, the Alpha and the Omega as one.

A ‘point down’ pentacle is nothing new, nor is it necessarily Satanic when it appears as such. Historical depictions of the pentagram were as likely to be points down as point up; a distinction between one or the other was rarely made by the ancients.

Perhaps most curious is the pentagram as it relates to early Christianity. Constantine the Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity chose to use the pentagram on his seal and amulet. Up until medieval times, the five points of the pentagram represented the five wounds of Christ on the Cross. During these times the pentagram carried no evil implications at all and in fact, in a lesser way than the cross, was symbolic of the Savior.

Up until medieval times, the five points of the pentagram represented the five wounds of Christ on the Cross. It was a symbol of Christ the Saviour. This is in stark contrast to today where the pentagram is criticized by modern Fundamentalist Christians, as being a symbol of evil. The church eventually chose the cross as a more significant symbol for Christianity, and the use of the pentagram as a Christian symbol gradually ceased.

The adoption of the pentacle as a Satanic emblem is quite recent, dating only to the latter half of the twentieth century.

Eliphas Levi (born Alphonse Louis Constant), a former Roman Catholic priest, in 1856 turned the previously harmless Jewish and Christian pentagram into a ridiculous Satanic symbol.

In the nineteenth century Eliphas Lévi, an Occultist, was the first to adapt the inverted pentagram as symbolic of evil.

Probably due to misinterpretation of symbols used by ceremonial magicians, it later became associated with Satanism and subsequently rejected by most of Christianity sometime in the twentieth century.

[RickJ]

"Eliphas Levi (born Alphonse Louis Constant), a former Roman Catholic priest, in 1856 turned the previously harmless Jewish and Christian pentagram into a ridiculous Satanic symbol.

In the nineteenth century Eliphas Lévi, an Occultist, was the first to adapt the inverted pentagram as symbolic of evil."

You will find most "satanists" impose it over the face of a goat, claiming it represents the face of the beast. All rather laughable really and introduced by the person mentioned above around the middle of last century.

Edited December 8, 2008 by RickJ

[Soulsearcher]

One of the standard meaning of the pentacle is two fold. It's unending, much like a circle, it flows for eternity, it's also considered the each point is an element of the world. Earth, Air, Wind, Fire and akasha(spirit).

[MarginOfError]

And according to an episode of the X-Files that I watched over the weekend, the pentacle can be used in witchcraft to provide protection from evil.

Spooky Mulder has all the answers.

[Elgama]

And according to an episode of the X-Files that I watched over the weekend, the pentacle can be used in witchcraft to provide protection from evil.

Spooky Mulder has all the answers.

A lot of symbols were used in Northern England to protect good from evil, you can still see them carved into the sides of buildings dating from the 17th Century and earlier. The inverted cross would be one, the evil eye another,

I have no clue what it was supposed to mean, but it cracks me up that they sell (or at least sold) necklaces with the symbol on it and Mormons wore them as a reminder of there trip to the Nauvoo Temle. Imagine trying to explain THAT to your Protestant friends.

I would relish the opportunity:) nothing wrong with taking the opportunity to correct a misconception

-Charley

[Hemidakota]

this is certainly true of the ancient chinese symbol used by buddhists (the one that many recognize as a nazi symbol) on many temples. of course, hitler took the symbol and reversed it, indicating his desire to make and end of progression for jews and other "undesireable" people.

It was also a Native American symbol...

[Hemidakota]

and according to an episode of the x-files that i watched over the weekend, the pentacle can be used in witchcraft to provide protection from evil.

Spooky mulder has all the answers.

lol...

[NeuroTypical]

Here's required reading for anyone interested in the subject.

FAIRLDS.org - Inverted Stars on LDS Temples

Lots of cool pictures, including one of the American flag that flew from 1837 to 1845.

Basically, the first Christian to have a problem with the inverted star was a French defrocked deacon who started writing anti-Catholic books in 1854.

[bodhigirlsmiles]

"Eliphas Levi (born Alphonse Louis Constant), a former Roman Catholic priest, in 1856 turned the previously harmless Jewish and Christian pentagram into a ridiculous Satanic symbol.

In the nineteenth century Eliphas Lévi, an Occultist, was the first to adapt the inverted pentagram as symbolic of evil."

You will find most "satanists" impose it over the face of a goat, claiming it represents the face of the beast. All rather laughable really and introduced by the person mentioned above around the middle of last century.

Upright Pentacle/Pentagram

Upright pentacles and pentagrams are among the most widely used religious symbols. They have been used in many eras and by many cultures and religions of the world: by ancient Pagans, ancient Israelites, Christians, magicians, Wiccans and others. The following pentagram-using groups are listed in chronological order:

This symbol apparently originated as the symbol of a Goddess who was worshiped over an area which extends from present-day England to Egypt and beyond. Her name was Kore (a.k.a. Car, Cara, Carnac, Ceres, Core, Kar, Karnak, Kaur, Kauri, Ker, Kerma, Kher, Kore, Q're, etc.). As Carmenta she was said to have invented the Roman alphabet. From her alternate Roman name Ceres have evolved many English words: cardiac, carnal, cereal, core, corn, and kernel. The port of Caraalis, (now Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia), was named after her.

Kore's sacred fruit is the apple. When an apple is cut through its equator, both halves will reveal a near-perfect pentagram shape at the core, with each point on the star containing a seed. Many Wiccans, other Neopagans and Roma (Gypsies) continue to cut apples in this way. The Roma refer to the core as the Star of Knowledge.

In ancient Greece, Pythagoras (586 - 506 BCE) established a school which pursued knowledge in mathematics, music, religion, and other specialties. Driven underground, his followers used the pentagram as a secret sign to identify themselves to each other. The Masonic Order has traditionally traced its origins back 2,500 years to the Pythagoreans.

Kore was worshiped within the Coptic Gnostic Christian religion in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 4th century CE. Her festival, the Koreion, was held yearly on JAN-6. This was adopted by the Christian church as Feast of Epiphany (a.k.a. Twelfth Night). This date is still celebrated as Jesus' birthday in Armenian churches, and is observed with more pomp than is Christmas by the Greek Orthodox church.

In England, the Koreion became the Kirn - the Feast of Ingathering. The Christian church later adopted it to the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy.

During the times of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), the pentacle was the first and most important of the Seven Seals - an amulet whose seals represented the seven secret names of God. It was inscribed on King Solomon's ring, which is often called Solomon's Seal in error. Each point of the pentagram was also interpreted as referring to the five books of the Pentateuch - the first five books in the Hebrew Scriptures; the Torah.

The Celts believed that the pentacle was the sign of the Goddess of the Underground, who they called Morgan (a.k.a. Morrigan). The concept of five points seems to have permeated at least one of the Celtic lands. "Ireland had five great roads, five provinces and five paths of the law. The fairy folk counted by fives, and the mythological figures wore five fold cloaks."

In Christian times:

The five points of the pentagram have been interpreted as representing the five wounds of Christ (2 wrist, 2 ankle and 1 side).

The Roman Emperor Constantine used the pentagram in his seal and amulet.

It has been referred to as the Star of Bethlehem

It was used to symbolize the star which allegedly led three Zoroastrian astrologers to the baby Jesus; it was called the Three Kings' star.

The English warrior Sir Gawain, a nephew of King Arthur, adopted the pentagram as his personal symbol and placed it on his shield. It appeared in gold on a red background. The five points symbolized "the five knightly virtues - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety."

Tarot cards originally had a suit of coins or discs. These were changed in the 19th century to pentacles when the Tarot became associated with the Kabbalah. They eventually became the suit of diamonds in modern playing cards.

It has been widely used by past Christians as a protective amulet.

During the burning times when the Christian church burned alive hundreds of thousands of innocent people, the meaning of the pentagram changed. It began to symbolize a goat's head or the devil in the form of Baphomet. "The folk-symbol of security - for the first time in history - was equated with evil and was called the Witch's Foot.

The religion of Wicca is based in part on ancient Celtic deities, symbols, days of celebration, etc. The pentacle and pentagram are their main symbols.

Many religious and spiritual groups use the pentacle or pentagram today.

Inverted Pentacle/Pentagram

Some religious and spiritual groups have used the inverted pentacle.

During the 20th century, Satanists inverted the upright pentacle and adopted it as their own symbol. However, the symbol is most commonly shown with the head of a goat within the pentagram as shown below.

Sigil of Baphomet

The inverted pentacle with a goat's head is called the sigil of Baphomet. The term may have come from two Greek words, baphe and metis, meaning "absorption of knowledge." It has also been called the Black Goat, Devil's Goat, Goat Head, Goat of Mendes, and Judas Goat. Its first appearance appears to have been during the vicious interrogation of members of the Knights Templar by the Christian Inquisition. There was little consensus among different victims' descriptions of the Baphomet. It can probably be safely assumed that their description of the Baphomet is more a product of the Inquisition's torture methods than of any actual statue that was in use by the Knights.

"In the 20th. century Karl Kellner and other German occultists formed the secret order of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis or Order of Templars in the East). They installed the English occultist Aleister Crowley to head their British section. Crowley took Baphomet as his magical name."

Today, the Baphomet is widely used by religious Satanists. The Church of Satan also uses a second symbol which is an infinity sign (a figure 8 on its side). A Roman cross is placed on top with a second, longer cross piece added beneath the top cross piece.

The meaning of Pentacles/Pentagrams to their users

There is no single consensus on the significance of these symbols. Various groups use and define them quite differently:

Wiccans have attempted to reconstruct a Pagan religion similar to that of the ancient Celts. They have adopted the upright pentacle/pentagram, since it was the symbol of Morgan, an ancient Celtic goddess. Many wear it as jewelry and use it on their altars. The symbol is frequently traced by hand using an athame (a ritual knife) during Wiccan rituals. It is used to cast and banish their healing circles. Some Wiccans interpret the five points as representing earth, air, fire, water, and spirit -- the five factors needed to sustain life. Others relate the points to the four directions and spirit. Some Wiccans and other Neopagans bless themselves and others with the sign of the pentagram. Their hand passes from their forehead to one hip, up to the opposite shoulder, across to the other shoulder, down to the opposite hip and back to the forehead. Some of the more highly structured Wiccan traditions have used an inverted pentagram to represent a second or third degree status. "Many of these groups have since substituted a triangle form for the same degrees because of the association of the inverted form of the pentacle with Satanism and black magic."

Ceremonial magicians also use the pentagram. Its points can "represent various elemental energies, spirits or deities."

The Order of the Eastern Star is a international humanitarian organization composed of women who are wives of advanced Masons. They use an inverted pentacle as their symbol. Essentially all Eastern Star members in North America are Christians.

The Rosicrucian movement consists of groups of Christian mystics. They frequently use a wand, sword, cup and pentagram as tools during their rituals. The pentagram represents "earth, matter and stability."

The Masonic Order associate the five points of the pentagram with "Five Points of Fellowship." However, its "use in Masonry is vestigial and peripheral." Again, almost all Masons in North America are Christians.

Some heavy metal rock bands occasionally use a pentacle or pentagram as a band symbol. It is often neither an upright nor an inverted symbol. Often, it is aligned to have a top point which is slightly off vertical. We are unaware of any band that is actually composed of religious Satanists. All the groups which we have studied simply use the symbolism and stage theatrics to generate notoriety, popularity and record sales.

Satanism is composed of many diverse groups with no central overall organization. They number perhaps 29,000 in North America. Some Satanic grottos and temples use the Baphomet.

The meaning of Pentacles/Pentagrams to Christians

Because liberal and conservative Christians interpret the Bible in different ways, they have developed very different belief systems over time, and agree on very few points. This disagreemnt carries over into their understanding of pentacles and pentagrams.

Liberal Christians generally view Satan as a principle of evil rather than as a living entity. Those who are familiar with Wicca and Satanism are aware of the lack of similarity of the two religions: Wiccans do not recognize the existence of the Christian quasi-deity, Satan. They have no all-evil deity in their pantheon of gods and goddesses. Satanists recognize Satan (or one of his precursors) as either a living deity or a principle.

Wiccans are prohibited by their Wiccan Rede from harming, manipulating or controlling others. Satanists, on the other hand, are free to use magic to harm their enemies.

Wiccans follow an gentle, nature-based, aboriginal religion that is similar to that of Native American spirituality. Satanists practice indulgence, gratification and vengeance, rather than concern for all humans and for the environment.

Many religious liberals view the Wiccan upright pentacle or pentagram as an elegant, spiritual symbol that represents life. They see the Satanic inverted pentacle or Bahomet as primarily representing a self-centered religion.

Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christians generally have an entirely different view of Wicca, Satanism and other religions. This is influenced by some of their beliefs. In many, but not all cases: Since they believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, they regard as true those passages which state that the gods and goddesses worshiped by other religions are, in reality, Satan or his demons.

They regard Satan as a living entity, a living, quasi deity who is totally dedicated to destroying people's lives and ruining their faith. They regard themselves as being in continuous "spiritual warfare" -- a personal battle with Satan and his demons.

They regard Satanism as having existed as an organized movement, murdering and performing "black masses" for may centuries. This contrasts with a consensus of modern historians that: "no reliable historical sources indicate that such organizations existed; the black mass appears only once in the sources before the late nineteenth century."

They do not differentiate between Wicca and Satanism. Because they consider the Wiccan gods and goddesses to be Satanic or demonic, they regard the two religions as very similar

They commonly believe that Satanists, (and by extension, Wiccans) engage in Satanic Ritual Abuse and murder. Belief in SRA is gradually diminishing, but remains still at a high level.

Books by conservative Christian authors about Wicca and Satanism are based primarily on books by other Christian authors, rather than on primary religious sources. Some of the ideas put forth in these books as truth can be traced back to 15th century Christian propaganda during the Burning Times.

Many conservative Christians do not differentiate between Wicca and Satanism, or between upright and inverted pentacles/pentagrams. All are viewed as symbols representing evil, violence and lawlessness.

[bodhigirlsmiles]

Here's required reading for anyone interested in the subject.

FAIRLDS.org - Inverted Stars on LDS Temples

Lots of cool pictures, including one of the American flag that flew from 1837 to 1845.

Basically, the first Christian to have a problem with the inverted star was a French defrocked deacon who started writing anti-Catholic books in 1854.

those silly defrocked deacons....always up to mischief!

[Elrond]

*Sigh*

I know the inverted pentagram is viewed as satanic and specifically the baphomet sigil as seen on the Satanic Bible and Knights Templar.

But it's just a star!

I personally have no problem with it.

If the goat of Mendes was in it I think I would say differently, but, it's just a star.

[Guest DeborahC]

The pentagram is a five-pointed star.

The pentacle is the same star enclosed in a circle.

The number 5 has long been regarded as magical and mystical. The five points of the star can represent many things, including the five mundane senses of the human -- sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste -- the gateways by which impressions of the outer world reach us. We have five fingers/toes on each limb extremity. There are five initiations in our lives -- birth, youth, maturity, old age, and death. To the Jews it represented the five books of the Pentateuch

Some Christians believe the five pointed star represents the Five Wounds of Christ. It is often found not only in medieval church architecture but also in modern architecture. I have seen this old symbol on my family's graveyard gates in Portugal and on the Latter Day Saint (Mormon) temple at Nauvoo, Illinois.

I saw it in several Church windows when walking across Spain in 2006. It is used by the Bethlehem Christian church in America, by the Texas rangers, and by many other businesses.

The pentagram occurs among the many emblems of Freemasonry (many medieval cathedrals were built by Masons). It is also a Cabalistic sign, known to fraternities which claim to derive from the Rosicrucians. There is lore around the pentagram used by Texaco oil which rates an internet search. Then there is our very own Pentagon! What exactly were they thinking?! :p

Early examples of the pentagram occur in the relics of Babylon and among many other ancient cultures. The earliest known use of the pentagram dates to about 3500 BC at Ur of the Chaldees. The symbol was found here on potsherds. In later periods of Mesopotamian art, the pentagram was used in royal inscriptions as a symbol of imperial power.

The followers of Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and world traveler, called the pentagram the pentalpha, being geometrically composed of five letter A’s. The Pythagoreans considered it an emblem of perfection. It is the symbol for The Golden Mean. If you don't know about The Golden Mean, it's worth an internet search because it is fascinating. Walt Disney did a FANTASTIC cartoon about the Golden Mean called Donald Duck in Mathmagicland or something like that...

To the Gnostics, the pentagram was the Blazing Star and, like the crescent moon, was a symbol relating to the magic and mystery of the nighttime sky.

Before the Inquisition, there were no associations of evil to the pentagram. Instead, the pentagram implied Truth. The Emperor Constantine I used the pentagram in his seal and amulet.

In the legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the pentagram was the glyph inscribed in gold on Sir Gawain’s shield and symbolizing the five knightly virtues -- generosity, chastity, courtesy, chivalry, and piety.

Another name for the pentagram is the endless knot because it can be drawn without lifting the pen from the paper.

The pentagram has many more meanings. Enclosed in a circle, a human being can touch all the points of the circle with raised head and outstretched arms and legs. It is sometimes called the Star of the Microcosm. Ancient and modern occult philosophers have regarded man as a microcosm or little world in himself, containing the potential of all that is in the cosmos outside of him.

In some traditions, tracing a path around the pentagram, the elements are placed in order of density -- Spirit, Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. With the single point upwards the spirit ruling over matter is signified.

In some traditions, with two of its points upwards, the emphasis is on the carnal nature of humanity and this pentagram is sometimges regarded as a negative symbol. but it also can symbolize the earthly plane of existence, where we are not yet perfected, and this is most likely the meaning when used on churches and holy architecture.

Satanists have adopted the inverted pentagram as one of their symbols and as a result, it has unfortunately become associated and equated with Satanism by the general population. But Satanists also use the upside down cross and their M.O. is to bastardize legitimate symbols. The Nazi symbol is another good example of something GOOD being used to symbolize something EVIL.

Some occultists regard the reversed pentagram as the face of the Goat of Mendes; the two upward points representing the goat’s horns. Actually, no known graphic illustration associating the pentagram with evil appears until the nineteenth century. Alphonse Louis Constant (aka Eliphaz Levi Zahed), a defrocked French Catholic priest, illustrates the upright pentagram of microcosmic man beside an inverted pentagram with the goat’s head of Baphomet inside. It was this illustration which led to the idea of different orientations of the pentagram being “good” and “evil.” Levi was NOT a Satanist at all. He studied Hermetics, Kabalah, and Alchemy, and there is much in the esoteric symbolism of the Goat of Baphomet that exoterists do not understand. What they do not understand nor care to take the time to understand, they simply label "Satanic." The pentacles on the LDS Temples are a good example. They are often brought to attention by those wishing to equate the LDS Church with Satan. By doing so, their naivete shows. But good Mormons should study this symbol and know what it means, in my opinion.

In the 1940’s Gerald Gardner adopted the pentagram with two points upward as the sigil of second degree initiation in his version of Wicca. This represents body over spirit, and the necessity of doing shadow work during this degree. Shadow work is the rooting out of the parts of you that keep you from progression, what Christians might call "sin," which is really translated correctly as "missing the mark."

The reversed pentacle represents the light of the Spirit hidden in Matter. It is The Hanged Man from the Tarot. It is a harmonic, or higher image, of The Fool on his journey.

Don't be afraid of this symbol. Instead, do a little research and try to understand it.

It's like the boogieman in the closet. When you turn on the light, it's your pet kitty!

P.S. By the way, Levi's original drawing of "Baphomet" was NOT inside an upside down pentagram. Baphomet has an UPRIGHT pentagram on his forehead. What is difficult for the layman to understand is that ALL of these drawings are blinds, within which are hidden mysteries. A person just looking at the drawing is horrified, and refuses to examine it. In Alchemy, that is done on purpose to redirect those "tyros" from the mysteries. A person seeking the truth examines each part of it in the light of the hidden truths in its symbolism.

Lévi considered the Baphomet to be a depiction of the absolute in symbolic form and explicated in detail his symbolism in the drawing that served as the frontispiece. In Levi's own words:

"The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of hermetism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyn of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast's head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyn arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences."

(Note: The word "occult" simply means hidden. If you do not believe me, look it up in the Oxford English Dictionary. We have bastardized THAT word no differently than Hitler bastardized the solar sign)

Edited December 8, 2008 by DeborahC

[Moksha]

You will seldom see these pentacles on any Temples (inverted or otherwise):

Wait a minute, is this the wrong kind of pentacle?

[Hemidakota]

Richard G. Oman, "Exterior Symbolism of the Salt Lake Temple: Reflecting the Faith That Called the Place into Being," BYU Studies (City Unknown: BYU, 1996-1997), 5-68 An essay (with photos) about the symbols on the Salt Lake Temple

Matthew B. Brown, "Inverted Stars on LDS Temples," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, July 2002) Critics claim that inverted stars on LDS temples are a sure sign that Mormonism is Satanic. This FAIR Paper examines the error behind the claim.

Stephen R. Gibson, "Does the Temple Display Pentagrams?," One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers) Doesn't the Salt Lake Temple display satanic pentagrams on its exterior walls?

W. John Walsh, Do You Use Satanic Symbols in the Temple?.

[Moksha]

Is the pentagram or pentacle still a symbol used by Freemasonry today?

[Aesa]

Is the pentagram or pentacle still a symbol used by Freemasonry today?

I think they use a variation of it - but I'm not particularly sure because I'm not a freemason and never will be.

[Guest DeborahC]

It's also a symbol for a kazillion businesses... and for the STAR OF BETHLEHEM... and for GOOD GRADES IN SCHOOL . . . and on the AMERICAN FLAG! :::shocked intake of breath:::

[Fugazi]

Yes, Freemasonry uses the pentagram today. There are women in the masons that are Eastern Stars. The Eastern Star is a pentagram. Freemasonry has online magazines and various websites that show the different versions of the pentagram and how they are used in masonry.