Second Anniointing

The second anointing became one of the most secretive and controversial teachings to emerge from Nauvoo-era Mormonism. Unlike baptism or the sacrament, which exist openly across nearly all branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, the second anointing developed as a highly restricted ordinance associated with exaltation, priesthood authority, temple theology, and the concept of having one’s salvation “made sure” before death. 

The ordinance emerged during the final years of Joseph Smith’s ministry and became closely tied to the broader system of Nauvoo temple theology that included sealings, celestial marriage, and the endowment. Because of its secrecy and exclusivity, later Mormon groups divided sharply over whether the ordinance represented an authentic restoration of ancient priesthood rites, a symbolic ordinance for spiritual maturity, a theological innovation, or an illegitimate expansion of temple ritual.

Some Mormon groups preserved the second anointing in highly private settings. Others rejected it entirely or allowed the concept to disappear over time.

The LDS Church (Brighamites)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints historically administered, and continues to administer, the second anointing as one of the highest and most sacred ordinances within LDS temple theology, though the ordinance is discussed very little publicly by the church itself. The practice remains active but is reserved for a very small number of members, typically by invitation through senior church leadership.

The ordinance is closely connected to the idea of having one’s “calling and election made sure,” a phrase drawn from the New Testament and expanded within Mormon theology to describe assurance of exaltation. Historically, early LDS leaders taught that the ordinance represented a culmination of temple blessings and priesthood progression.

The second anointing was introduced during the Nauvoo period and expanded significantly under Brigham Young after the migration to Utah. During the nineteenth century, thousands of second anointings were performed, including for many prominent church leaders and their spouses. Over time, however, administration of the ordinance became increasingly restricted and less publicly discussed.

Historically, the ceremony included ritual washing and anointing, priesthood blessings, and symbolic acts associated with kingship, queenship, priesthood authority, and exaltation. Husbands and wives generally participated together. In portions of the ordinance, wives also participated in ceremonial washings and blessings connected to their husbands’ exaltation and priesthood role.

Although the LDS Church rarely discusses the ordinance publicly today, historical records, leaked temple documents, scholarly research, and accounts from participants confirm that the practice continues in modern Mormonism. Unlike ordinances such as baptism or the endowment, the second anointing is not presented openly to the general membership and is not included in standard temple preparation curriculum.

Because of its secrecy, the second anointing became the subject of considerable speculation among both critics and believers. Critics often portray the ordinance as evidence of an inner hierarchy within LDS leadership culture, while defenders describe it as a sacred ordinance reserved for exceptionally faithful members after long spiritual preparation.

The ordinance also became controversial because of historical teachings surrounding the idea that certain sins, aside from murder or denying the Holy Ghost, might no longer prevent exaltation after receiving the blessing. Interpretations of those teachings varied across different periods of LDS history, and modern church leaders rarely address the subject directly in public settings.

Community of Christ (RLDS Tradition/Josephites)

Community of Christ rejected the second anointing along with most late Nauvoo temple theology following the succession crisis after Joseph Smith’s death. Historically, RLDS leaders viewed many Nauvoo-era teachings involving temple ritual, celestial marriage, priesthood hierarchy, and exaltation theology as later innovations that departed from the earlier Restoration movement.

As a result, Community of Christ does not practice the second anointing or maintain doctrines surrounding “calling and election made sure” in the institutional or ceremonial sense found in early Utah Mormonism. The church gradually moved toward broader Protestant theology and away from the highly developed temple ritual structure that emerged in Nauvoo during Joseph Smith’s final years.

Fundamentalist Mormon Groups

Various Mormon fundamentalist groups preserved teachings surrounding the second anointing much more closely aligned with older Utah Mormonism. In many fundamentalist traditions, the ordinance remains connected to priesthood succession, celestial marriage, exaltation, and claims regarding preservation of “true” temple authority after the mainstream LDS Church abandoned plural marriage.

Groups associated with figures such as Lorin C. Woolley often viewed preservation of advanced temple ordinances as evidence that priesthood authority survived outside the mainstream LDS Church. In some communities, the second anointing became tied not only to exaltation theology, but also to hierarchical leadership structures and claims of prophetic legitimacy.

Because many fundamentalist groups maintain strict secrecy surrounding temple rites, reliable public documentation is limited. Accounts from former members, historians, and scattered historical records suggest that some groups preserved versions of the ordinance that remained closer to nineteenth-century Utah forms than modern LDS temple practices.

The Church of Christ (Temple Lot)

Church of Christ (Temple Lot) rejects the second anointing entirely. The church generally rejects most late Nauvoo temple theology and does not accept teachings regarding exaltation ordinances, priesthood kingship rites, or advanced temple ceremonies developed during Joseph Smith’s final years.

Strangite Mormonism

James Strang introduced ceremonial and kingship-oriented theology within his movement, and historians have noted parallels between Strangite ritual structures and broader Nauvoo-era temple developments. Strang’s movement emphasized priesthood hierarchy, sacred kingship, and covenant authority, themes that overlapped conceptually with parts of Nauvoo temple theology.

However, surviving evidence regarding a formal Strangite equivalent to the second anointing remains limited. Because the movement fragmented relatively early and remains extremely small today, much of its ceremonial history is difficult to reconstruct with certainty.

Cutlerites

Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) preserves some of the closest surviving continuities to Nauvoo-era temple traditions outside the mainstream LDS Church. Historically, the church maintained temple rites and priesthood ceremonial theology connected to Joseph Smith’s final teachings.

Because the Cutlerites see themselves as preserving legitimate priesthood authority directly connected to the Nauvoo period, historians have often speculated that elements of advanced Nauvoo temple theology may have survived within the tradition. Public information remains extremely limited, however, due to the church’s small size and private nature.

Bickertonites

The Church of Jesus Christ rejects most Nauvoo temple theology and does not practice the second anointing. Like several non-Utah branches of Mormonism, the Bickertonite tradition rejected many later developments associated with temple ritual, celestial marriage, priesthood exaltation theology, and secret ordinances introduced during the Nauvoo era.

The church focuses more heavily on New Testament Christianity, apostolic restoration, spiritual gifts, repentance, and ordinary Christian discipleship rather than advanced temple ritual systems.

Remnant and Restorationist Groups

Independent restorationist movements and remnant Mormon fellowships vary dramatically in how they approach teachings surrounding the second anointing. Some groups attempt to reconstruct Nauvoo-era temple theology through historical records, diaries, sermons, and reconstructionist theology. Others reject institutional priesthood gatekeeping while still embracing the broader theological concept of having one’s calling and election made sure through direct revelation and spiritual transformation.

Groups influenced by Denver Snuffer and broader independent restorationism sometimes reinterpret the idea less as a formal institutional ordinance and more as a personal spiritual experience involving divine acceptance, covenant fulfillment, or mystical encounter with God.

Because these movements are highly decentralized, no universal interpretation of the second anointing exists across independent restorationist Mormonism.