Sacred and Secret - What is the difference?

[pam]

I've been asked to pose this question to the forum for discussion.  Let's please keep it on topic.

What is the difference between sacred and secret when it comes to the temple? 

Your thoughts?

[Jane_Doe]

30 minutes ago, pam said:

What is the difference between sacred and secret when it comes to the temple? 

The same difference between sacred and secret for when it comes to other things.  

For example, my husband and I engage in very sacred acts together which strengthen our relationship.  It is not secret that these acts occur, but due to their sacredness I'm unwilling to discuss the details with a public audience.  I'm happy to discuss the broader concepts with everyone: things like love, commitment, and having an open heart.  I wish that someday everyone else will be able to experience this joy in the appropriate place/time/readiness.  

It's 100% the same with the temple.

[Guest]

Motive and purpose.

Secret is that which is kept from others because we don't want them to know about it.  Most of the time the secrecy is motivated by shame or evil of some kind.  In more innocent cases, it is about security/safety or possibly reasons of personal privacy.  For instance, I'm not just giving out my ATM PIN or the passwords to my financial accounts.

Sacred is that which we understand belongs to the Lord and we have no right to simply give it out to others without His blessing on it.  When a non-Mormon cries foul about our temple ceremonies I think of that friend of mine that is a mooch who wonders why I don't give him the keys to the company car.  It's not mine to give.  I have a certain responsibility and duty.  I've made a promise that I'd be responsible for that car.  I can't just let him drive it.

When it comes to the temple, there really is no secret.  Just go onto Youtube or anti-Mormon or fringe-LDS websites and you can eventually find all of it somewhere.  So, when people cry out how "secret" it is, I wonder if they've even looked.

[Traveler]

 

In my mind it is not as much a matter of sacred or secret as it is a matter of casting pearls before swine.

 

The Traveler

[Just_A_Guy]

I agree with @Jane_Doe and @Carborendum; but I think my experience in dealing with non-Mormons is that these types of explanations don't tend to sink in.  My preferred approach is a little different; something along the lines of:

"My church likes to draw a distinction between secret and sacred; but practically speaking I don't see much difference.  Yeah, for all intents and purposes--it's secret.  There are some things you just don't talk about very much, because they're too important; and in those types of situations the secrecy adds to the sacredness.  But remember--we don't want this to stay secret.  We want you to know it!  Our religion teaches that once you know something, God expects you to act on that knowledge; and we believe that God has instructed us not to teach certain things to people who seem unlikely to act on it.  That's where things like actually being a Mormon, and having a 'temple recommend' come in."

 

[CV75]

21 hours ago, pam said:

I've been asked to pose this question to the forum for discussion.  Let's please keep it on topic.

What is the difference between sacred and secret when it comes to the temple? 

Your thoughts?

The word "sacred" is heard in the presentations, but the word "secret" is not.