Lately, I’ve been thinking about the difference between sacred and secret. On the surface, some people may think that something that is sacred is secret. After all, things that we hold sacred are things that we often don’t share with other people. Yet, I think it’s important to differentiate between the two. I don’t have a perfect understanding of the difference. I also don’t have a perfect understanding of what sacred means, but I would like to learn.
What Does It Mean to Be Sacred?
The Bible Dictionary does not contain an entry for “sacred.” Fortunately, the Topical Guide does have one. The verses on this topic talk about things such as preaching, places of worship, keeping records, and revelation. The Topical Guide also directs people to words such as “holiness,” “holy,” “sanctification,” and “virtue.” To me, this is a reminder that something sacred is something we treat with respect and as something holy.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary I think has some really great definitions for sacred. They focus on how it has to do with deity. According to their definitions, it’s also about something having to do with religion and not something secular or something to be taken lightly. I actually liked the final definition, which says that it’s something we highly value or something of great importance.
What Does Secret Mean?
Looking at the Merriam-Webster dictionary for secret, words such as hidden, discretion, not acknowledged, unexplained, and kept from the knowledge of others are used. When comparing the definitions for the two words, two things stood out. First, nowhere in the explanation of secret are any words dealing with religion mentioned. It also does not mention a secret being something we highly value or something that is of great importance.
Why Do People Confuse the Two?
I think one of the biggest reasons people confuse these two words is that in both cases, they are things we don’t readily share with other people. When it comes to secret things, these are things we may not want other people to know. Maybe, we want to surprise a friend with a birthday gift they’ve wanted for a while, so we want to keep it a secret. Perhaps, we were given confidential company information, which we were told not to share with other people.
With sacred things, we do not share these things with others because they are so personal and such a holy experience. These aren’t necessarily things we want to keep from other people. They are things that they need to learn and understand on their own. At times, we may decide not to share something sacred with someone because that person isn’t ready to accept the truth. Maybe, the person would treat the sacred lightly. Perhaps, the person is headed down the right path but doesn’t have enough of an understanding to appreciate or comprehend the concept.
We may feel we should not share something sacred because it is so personal. This is especially true when it comes to revelation, especially revelation we receive in the temple. It’s not a matter of us trying to hide the information from someone else. It’s a matter of us understanding that it was a sacred experience, something we need to keep between us and Heavenly Father. The more we share the sacred, the more likely it is to be taken lightly. When shared with the wrong person or people, the more likely it is to begin to feel less sacred or treasured.
Some (Hopefully) Helpful Comparisons
The gospel is full of parables and analogies. I’m hoping these comparisons will make sense. I feel like one of the places where “sacred” and “secret” are confused the most is when it comes to the temple. With the covenants made in the temple now stated in the church handbook, I think some people at least view the temple ordinances as less of a secret.
Reading Analogy
In life, there are many things we learn step-by-step. When a child is learning to read, you don’t hand them a huge novel and expect them to be able to read it right away. Instead, they learn the sounds each letter makes. They learn to identify specific “sight words.” They begin to develop reading skills. It’s a gradual process. We aren’t trying to hide the reading experience from the child. We just realize they aren’t ready to read the huge novel yet. The child needs to build up to that. When it comes to sacred things, the process is similar. We learn the basics of the gospel. We then build on those things. With time, can better understand and appreciate things of a greater sacred nature.
Recommend and License Comparison
As a temple worker, I’ve encountered people who aren’t sure why they need a recommend to enter the temple. It was particularly hard for a lady who was not a member of the church but who thought she invited to her friend’s temple sealing. When she was told she was welcome to wait in the lobby or go to the visitors center while waiting for her friend, this lady was not happy. She wanted us to let her by the recommend desk so she could talk to her friend. She couldn’t understand why she had to have a recommend to get past the recommend desk.
For people within the LDS church, the temple is a sacred place. Maybe, this is a weird analogy, but I think of a temple recommend like a license. This could be a driver’s license, a pilot’s license, or being licensed in a specific profession or specialty. In both the case of the license and the example of the temple recommend, there are things you need to learn and skills you need to demonstrate before you are ready to move forward.
A temple recommend does not symbolize a mastery of gospel principles, but it does show a commitment to the gospel and an understanding of the sacred nature of the temple and the covenants they are making.
The Key Difference Between Sacred and Secret
Some people will disagree with me. I feel like there’s one key difference between something sacred and something secret. With a secret, you are trying to keep something hidden from other people. With something sacred, I’m not trying to hide it from you. I’d love for you to have the same sacred experiences as me. It would be great if every person in the world was worthy of a temple recommend and could visit the temple regularly. I’d love for everyone to have wonderful, personal, uplifting personal revelation experiences in their lives. Yet, if you’re not ready, you cannot take full advantage of the sacred opportunities available in the world.
