“Reporters whom I have met simply cannot believe that we pay 10 percent of our income as tithing. I explain that this is a spiritual phenomenon. We pay because we are obedient to the commandment of the Lord. We pay because we have faith in His munificent promises. Let us teach our children while they are yet young of the great opportunity and responsibility of paying tithing. If we do so, there will be another generation, and yet another, who will walk in the ways of the Lord and merit His promised blessing” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Look to the Future,” Ensign (Conference Edition), November 1997, p. 69).

TOKENS (of the Holy Priesthood)

2nd President Brigham Young

“Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 416. See also Ensign, “The Doctrine of Temple Work,” October 2003, p. 60 and Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual, p. 2).

Other Sources

“Only the best of feelings should exist in the [Prayer] Circle. If any of you have unkind feelings toward any member of this Circle, you are invited to withdraw so that the Spirit of the Lord may be unrestrained. In the Circle we make the signs of all the tokens of the Holy Priesthood… We will begin by making the Sign of the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood. This is done by bringing the right arm to the square, the palm of the hand to the front, the fingers close together, and the thumb extended. This is the sign. The name of this token is the New Name received in the temple today. The Execution of the Penalty is represented by placing the thumb under the left ear, the palm of the hand down, and by drawing the thumb quickly across the throat to the right ear, and dropping the hand to the side. We will now make the Sign of the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood. This sign is done by bringing the right hand in front of you with the hand in cupping shape, the right hand forming a square, and the left arm being raised to the square. This is the sign. The name of this token is your first given name if you are going through the temple for your own Endowment, or if you are going through for the dead, it is the first given name of the person for whom you are officiating. The Execution of the penalty is re