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About Mormon Temples Articles
By Terrie
The term “temple” has a variety of meanings to various religions. According to Judaism101, a synagogue is a place of worship and study and a “town hall.” It is, then, what Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) call a meetinghouse. To a reform Jewish person, a temple is the same as a synagogue, although other branches of Judaism use the term only for the ancient temples. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often nicknamed “Mormons”), a temple fits the definition of the ancient temples, but Latter-day Saint temples continue to be built today.
Latter-day Saint temples are not just meetinghouses. In fact, they are closed on Sundays. Regular “Mormon” meetinghouses are open to the public and host not just the worship service and classes, but also socials and various weekday activities. However, Latter-day Saint temples are not open to the public. To enter a “Mormon” temple, one must be a member in good standing.... Read the rest of this article »
by Tiffany
Growing up as a young child, I was (and still am) a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Which church is often mistakenly referred to as the “Mormon Church.”) My childhood best friend was of another faith. My friend was familiar with and occasionally participated with my family during some of the religious practices we held in our home. (Things like family home evening, family prayer, and scripture reading.) Similarly, I spent many hours in her home and spent many a meal time staring at an ornate statue of the Virgin Mary that sat atop their kitchen window sill. I was always fascinated when on a rare occasion my friend would pull her rosary beads out of a bedroom drawer and recite the prayer that went along with them. While more complex parts of my religion, like the Mormon temple endowment, were not part of my practice at that point, it did come up later in our relationship.
Religion was really never a topic of... Read the rest of this article »
by Rhett
When I consider my experiences in attending temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is often misnamed the Mormon Church), a bevy of memories come to mind. Here’s just one: When I was 12 years old—that’s the age in which young men and women may receive a recommend from their congregation’s bishop to begin attending one of the Church’s 136 temples throughout the world—I traveled with my youth group in Centerville, Utah, to the Bountiful Temple 10 minutes south of my family’s home. I may have been surprised by our bishop’s taking some dozen-plus of us to eat ice cream afterwards (surely that counts as a fun memory to my first-time temple trip), but it didn’t match the feelings of peace that I experienced as I entered through the sacred doors of the structure, which rest on a mountainside overlooking a sliver of Utah’s Wasatch Front. I felt nothing less than serenity... Read the rest of this article »
by Roy
Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey his word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to exaltation and eternal life may be administered. “And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (1 Kings 9:3).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the Mormon Church by those of other faiths) teaches the importance of temples. A temple is literally a house of the Lord. It is a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed. It is a place where the Lord may come and His Spirit can be strongly felt. It is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare... Read the rest of this article »
Before a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated as God’s House, prepared to engage in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, an open house is held, so that the general public may see the interior rooms and get an explanation of what goes on inside. Mormon temple ritual is not secret, but sacred, and Latter-day Saints don’t discuss it outside the temple, even with others who have made temple covenants. The temple is the House of the Lord, and everything inside is pristine and beautiful. It is a privilege for Latter-day Saints to participate in Christ’s glorious work for the salvation and exaltation of His children in His house. A member of the LDS Church who has made temple covenants lives the highest laws of behavior and seeks always to keep the commandments of God, including the Law of Chastity. Therefore, it is insulting to church members when people accuse them of doing anything immoral inside their... Read the rest of this article »
