LDS Church is building temples rapidly all around the world. 300 existing or planned temples worldwide. 168 currently operating, compared to 50 thirty years ago and just 19 fifty years ago. The Bible talks a lot about the temple. Are LDS temples the same? What are they all about?
How Mormons View Their Temples
- LDS consider temples to be “The House of the Lord”
- Faithful members participate in Mormonism’s highest rites
- See their temples as the most sacred buildings on earth
- LDS President RM Nelson: “every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house”
- Thus temple is very different from a meeting-house
- Temple is sacred → a seriously holy place
- Not spoken of
- Sacred, not secret
- Potential to be really offensive to LDS if take this lightly / mock / make fun
- Requires level of worthiness to enter
- Interview required / “temple recommend card” issued
- Temple recommend questions
- Because “holy”, general public can enter only prior to temple’s consecration
The Purpose of LDS Temples
- Training - learn how to return to heavenly Father
- Ordinances - perform necessary ordinances to return to Father
- The training takes place in context of those ordinances
- Make covenants (vows / commitments) in temple that you are held accountable to
- This is what makes LDS temple more important than any other element of Mormonism
- Absolutely necessary for the LDS plan of salvation to take place
- Without temples → no way for people to be exalted in eternity
- Reflection
- Temple creates a sort of church within a church → 2 tiers of Mormonism
- Those temple worthy, those who are not → very different experiences of Mormonism
A Look at Temple Ordinances
- The Endowment ceremony
- Seen as one of the most sacred events in a person’s life
- Normally received before serving a mission / before a temple marriage
- Also available to other members if local leaders approve
- Must be at least 18, out of high school
- Be faithful (interview) and prepare themselves
- First part: initiatory ordinances
- Includes rituals of washing & anointing
- Make certain covenants with God → to obey / sacrifice
- Taught secret signs needed to allow entrance into God’s presence
- Second part: group instruction / plan of salvation presented
- After initiatory ordinances → receive and begin to wear temple garment
- Members encouraged to return to temple often
- Do the endowment ceremony for ancestors
- Temple sealings
- Eternal marriage & family is a significant part of Mormonism
- Highest salvation / exaltation is achieved through families
- This kind marriage is only possible through a temple sealing
- Children born or adopted into such marriages are automatically sealed
- Children not “born in the covenant” can be sealed to parents later
- Proxy ordinances for the dead - including the 2 above but also baptism / confirmation
- A stated purpose of the LDS Church = “redeem the dead”
- Salvation requires baptism by someone with priesthood authority
- For the living, these are not performed in temples, but local meeting houses
- For the dead, living people must be baptized by proxy for them if they have any hope of being saved
- They have opportunity to accept or reject this in the spirit world, post-death
- Proxy ordinances must be done in temple
- Reflections
- Biblically: eternal marriage is not a real thing
- There is no marriage in the resurrection
- Matthew 22:29-30 (NLT) Jesus...
