Don't have to believe it, we know they did.
When John C Bennett was excommunicated from the church and drive out of Nauvoo at gun point by Brigham Young, he wrote a number of exposés about the church including the fact that he sold the masonic ritual to Smith in order for him to set up the Rising Sun lodge in Nauvoo and proclaim himself Heliophant.
The reason Bennett was in the USA was that the The Rectified Scottish Rite, also known as Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City, of freemasonry had placed a death sentence on him in Europe for selling their secrets their too.
Smith's father, brothers, Uncle and other family member were all masons but belong to the lass esoteric branch known as the Scottish Rite and the York Rite was home to Sidney Rigdon and a few others.
What is more extraordinary is that the temple ordinances were supposed to eternal rites, passed down from the time of Eden, perfect and unchangeable, except for the changes made in 1842, and 1843, which corrected early misinterpretations and so restored the perfect form as intended by God. Except for the the mistakes rectified in 1877 and 1893, and those in 1904, 1906, 1919, 1923, 1927 and 1936.
allowing the Endowments to be given in languages other than English began in 1945 but absolutely no further changes were made.... until 1960, and 1975 and 1978, but that was it for definite, it was the perfect god given ritual, that was never to be deviated from ever again ....
Until seven major changes were made in the 1990s leading to a mass apostasy of those who felt this shit was getting beyond a joke.
Further changes did happen in 2005 and 2008 but that is it, definitely, no more ever, it is the perfect ceremony now, with no touchy feely stuff, no nudity, death threats and blood oaths or the promise to kill the murderers of Joseph smith if you ever happen to come across them.
JUST good wholesome covenants with god, in silly bakers suits, with green aprons and weird handshakes.
What more is wanted?