The Meaning of the
Pentagram
On LDS Temples
To say that the LDS Church is Satanic because of its use of the inverted pentagram, is like saying that Buddhists are Nazi's for their use of the swastika. Many may be surprised to learn that the swastika is one of the most ancient and widely spread symbols in the world. In Sanskrit, the swastika meant "amen" or "so be it". In Japan the symbol represented "infinity". To the Hindus, swastika was a symbol for their god, Ganesha, "Lord of Hosts". Later, early Christianity adopted the symbol to represent Jesus Christ. (It was common practice to place the symbol at the foot of windows and on baptismal fonts.) It wasn't until many centuries later, in the 1930s, that the Nazis adopted the symbol, calling it the "pure Aryan" sign.
The Pentagram has a similar history. It too has ancient roots throughout the world. In ancient Mesopotamia, 3,500 BC, the symbol was used to represent the vault of Heaven and imperial power extending to the four corners of the earth. The Druids used the symbol to represent the Godhead. The pentagram served the Pythagoreans as a symbol of health and perfection.
To the Jews, the pentagram represented the chief name of God, being inscribed on King Solomon's Ring. The Jewish pentagram also represented the first five books of Moses (the Penteauch). During the period 300-150 B.C., the ancient symbol was the official seal of the city of Jerusalem.
As for early Christianity, the Pentagram was recognized as the Five wounds of Christ. In fact, Emperor Constantine used the pentagram, along with the chi-rho symbol (the combination of the Greek letters for Christ, XP, into one symbol) side by side on his personal seal and amulet.
The first time the pentagram was used to represent evil, came when a French occultist, named Eliphas Levi (1810-1875), used the symbol in his artwork. In his own paintings, he associated the inverted (two points up) pentagram with negative magic.
Many scholars today, believe the actual roots of the geometric symbol, to have originally come from ancient astronomical observances, tracing the eight-year cycle path of Venus (Also called the Morning and Evening star).
Carl G. Liungman explains:
"If one knows the ecliptic and can pinpoint the present position of the planets in relation to the fixed star of the zodiac, it is possible to mark the exact place in the 360 degrees of the zodiac where the Morning star first appears shortly before sunrise after a period of invisibility. If we do this, waiting for the Morning star to appear again 584 days later (the orbital time of Venus) and mark its position in the zodiac, and then repeat this process until we have five positions of Venus as the Morning star, we will find that exactly eight years plus one day have passed. If we then draw a line from the first point marked to the second point marked, then to the third, and so on, we end up with a pentagram." (Dictionary of Symbols, 1991, pp. 333-334).
If the pentagram really did originate from tracing the path of the Morning Star, then it would be quite logical for Christians to associate it with Jesus Christ, since he, himself said,
"I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelations 22:16)
On our temples, this is one of the meanings that the symbol is intended to illustrate. It is used to represent the Savior of the world, the "bright and morning star".
Why is the symbol inverted, you may ask?
With one point down, the symbol suggests 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)-- It is a well known fact, that the reason Venus appears so bright in our horizon, is because it actually reflects the light of the Sun.
Other symbolic meanings of the Pentagram (Morning Star) which are used in the LDS temples can be further found in the Bible, as well.
Jesus, said,
"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star." (Rev. 2:26-28)
Peter, while counseling the Saints to work towards having their "calling and election made sure" (2 Peter 1:10), said,
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star (Morning Star) arise in your hearts:" (v. 19)
In conclusion, it is important to always remember that the meaning of a symbol does not come from out-side interpretation. A symbol means what it is intended to mean by the user.
If this wasn't the case, then most Christians would be guilty of Paganism for their use of the cross. The symbol predates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and historically has had various meanings- just as the Swastika and Pentagram have.
We should all be careful in our judgements. Those who aren't may soon find that they have caused "their own tongue to fall upon themselves." (Psalms 64:8)
By: Michael Reed