During your initial visit to the LDS temple, you will be required to receive a special “New Name.” This involves being escorted into a small room by a temple worker, who then provides you with the name, along with instructions to remember and use it later in the ceremony. The origin of this practice can be traced back to a verse in the New Testament:

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

Revelation 2:17 (AKJV). 

The secrecy surrounding this name is highly emphasized. Along with various handshakes and symbolic gestures, the ‘New Name’ must be delivered flawlessly to attain the highest degree of heaven. This requirement of secrecy is rooted in the verse’s statement “which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” Following the initial visit, mentioning this name again is strictly prohibited, except if unconnected with the event.

Previously, the seriousness of this commitment was underscored by the threat of symbolic death penalties for its disclosure. However, the credibility of this practice is undermined when one realizes that everyone visiting the temple on a given day is assigned the same name, often shared by all participants for that particular day of the month. Thus, the claimed connection to the New Testament appears to be lacking in substance.

If you have forgotten your assigned name and wish to confirm it, or if you’re curious about someone else’s, you can easily discover it by visiting the Temple Name Oracle website.