Just becuase a "Mormon" quotes some of their beliefs in esoteric Doctrine does not make it false. I know your posting style is standard when it comes to Mormons (anything Mormon = wrong/bad) (anything anti-mormon = good/true) but it doesn't match the reality of early Christian teachings on esoteric Doctrine. This document has their actual quotes about the matter. Which quote do you disagree with. Pick any one of them and we will discuss it?
There was nothing at the link to the site that suggested the early fathers believed in the same esoteric rites of Mormonism. There simply is no proof of that.
That some early Christians might have believed in ritual and esoterics really isn’t in dispute. Many of them did some pretty outlandish things to heighten their spirituality. Christ never said we must do those things. EVER!
You must remember also, we do not view early fathers as Prophetic in the way that you hold Gordon B. Hinckley or Joseph Smith. If Origen practice plural marriage and said God told him to do it, we would all be very alarmed. Not many people except the extremely sexualized (a looking for an excuse) would follow that practice.
Early Christians had some good, correct and valuable understandings and teachings, and they had erroneous beliefs. It is as simple as that. In no way are we admonished to follow whatever practices they might have dreamed-up or been made privy to.
The practices of Mormon Temple Ceremonies have morphed continuously. You don’t even perform, or take part in, the same ceremonies, oaths and ordinances that your parents did.
I really don’t see what the whole connection is between the early fathers and Mormon secret rites.....the Apologist at FAIR are obviously grasping, trying to maintain hold on the delicate cord that they believe links them to something.....anything. They’d better get ready to hold their breaths for a long, long time.