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HistoryThe Latter Day Saint movement was conceived as a restoration of practices believed to have been lost in a Great Apostasy from the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Temple worship played a prominent role in the Bible's Old Testament, in the New Testament, and also in the Book of Mormon.
More importantly, Latter Day Saints see temples as the fulfillment of a prophecy found in Malachi 3:1 (KJV):
This is believed to emphasize that when the Lord comes again, he will come "to his temple". There must be a temple on earth for him to come. Image:Kirtlandtemple2.jpg The Community of Christ's LDS Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter Day Saint movement and the only temple completed in the lifetime of Joseph Smith, Jr. As plans were drawn up to construct a temple in Kirtland, the decision was made to simultaneously begin work on a second temple at the church's colony in Jackson County, Missouri. Surviving plans indicate that both temples would have the same dimensions and approximately the same appearance and both were to be at the "centerplaces" of cities designed according to Smith's plan for the City of Zion.
Conflict relating to the failure of the church's Kirtland Safety Society bank, caused the church presidency to leave Kirtland and move the church's headquarters to the Mormon settlement of Far West, Missouri. Far West was also platted along the lines of the City of Zion plan and in 1838 the church began construction of a new, larger temple in the center of the town. They may also have dedicated a temple site in the neighboring Mormon settlement of Adam-ondi-Ahman. The events of the 1838 Mormon War and the expulsion of the Mormons from Missouri left these attempts at temple-building no further progressed than excavating foundations. In 1839, the Mormons regrouped at a new headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois. They were again commanded to build a "House of the Lord" — this one even larger and greater than those that went before. Plans for the temple in Nauvoo followed the earlier models in Kirtland and Independence with lower and upper courts, but the scale was much increased. New conflicts arose that caused Joseph Smith, the Prophet and President of the Church, to be murdered, along with his brother Hyrum the Patriarch, at Carthage Jail on June 27,1844. The Nauvoo Temple stood only half finished. Eventually, this temple was finished and dedicated. Some temple ordinances were performed before most of the saints followed Brigham Young west across the Mississippi River. Joseph Smith's martyrdom resulted in a succession crisis which divided the movement into different sects. The concept of temple worship evolved separately in many of these sects and only the LDS church continued to build temples until April 1990 when the Community of Christ, then known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), began to construct their first temple, which was officially dedicated in 1994. The Community of Christ still owns the Kirkland Temple, which is open to visitors and is used for worship services or special events by various Latter Day Saint denominations. PurposesTemples have held numerous purposes in the Latter Day Saint movement, both historically and their differing expressions today. These purposes include:
Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsImage:LDS Temples in Operation 1938-2005.jpg LDS Temple construction reached an all-time high during the late 1990s. There are now over 120 operating temples. Image:World Map LDS Temples.png Map of the world showing the geographic location of each LDS temple. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called the LDS Church) is by far the most prolific builder of temples. Currently there are 124 operating temples, 6 under construction, and 5 announced (not yet under construction). Additionally the LDS Church uses temples for special purposes, rather than for Sunday worship services which are held in meetinghouses. Instead, temples are special houses of worship where ordinances and sealings (most frequently thought of as marriages) are performed. Occasionally meetings are held within temples (such as the weekly meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), but not all temples have facilities for such meetings. Temples and their associated ordinances are a vital part of the theology of the LDS church. Their importance is often emphasized in weekly meetings, and regular participation in temple work is strongly encouraged of all Latter-day Saints (LDS). HistoryThe first Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies were performed in Kirtland, Ohio, but differed significantly from the endowment performed on the second floor of Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois and the Nauvoo temple. Kirtland ordinances included washings and anointings (differing in many ways from the modern portion) and the washing of the feet ordinance. For nearly four years beginning in 1842, the prophet’s modest mercantile functioned as a de facto temple—the site of the first washings, anointings, endowments, and sealings. In contrast, the grand edifice known as the Nauvoo Temple was in operation for only two months before the Saints left Illinois for the West. Preparations to initiate the first members of Joseph Smith’s Quorum of the Anointed,[1] or Holy Order, as it was also known, were made on May 3, 1842.[citation needed] The walls of the second level of the Red Brick Store were painted with garden-themed murals, the rooms fitted with carpets, potted plants, and a veil hung from the ceiling. All the while, the ground level continued to operate as Joseph Smith’s general mercantile. After the early events of the succession crisis, Brigham Young assumed control of the church's headquarters at Nauvoo, Illinois. While he and the rest of the Quorum of the Twelve made contingency plans for abandoning the city, he may have hoped that it would not prove necessary. For example, in early 1845 he held a conference at the Norwegian colony at Norway, Illinois and announced a plan to build a Latter-day Saint town there with a temple for the use of the Norwegian Saints. Meanwhile Young urged the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo to redouble their efforts to finish the temple. By the end of 1845, the building was sufficiently finished to allow temple ordinances to be performed. Ordinances continued to be performed in early 1846 as the Mormons were forced to abandon the city. A small crew remained in the city and continued to work on the temple until April 30, 1846, when it was finally abandoned. Upon reaching the Great Basin, Brigham Young began to build settlements based on the City of Zion plan and designated four of these to contain temples: Salt Lake City (1847), St. George (1871), Manti (1875), and Logan (1877). All four were larger than the one left behind in Nauvoo, and all four included castellation motifs, symbolically representing "the Kingdom" and also the resolve of the Latter-day Saints to defend them.[citation needed] The St. George Temple was the first to be completed in 1877, followed by Logan (1884) and Manti (1888). The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to complete because of various setbacks and delays. It was dedicated in 1893. Latter-day Saint temple building halted until the presidency of Joseph F. Smith who announced two additional temples: Cardston, Alberta (1913) and Lā‘ie, Hawai‘i (1915). Cardston became the first Latter-day Saint temple dedicated outside of the United States. Smith broke with the previous tradition (established since Kirtland) of building temples with upper and lower courts. Temples previously had been ever larger, but the Laie, Hawaii temple was smaller than the Nauvoo Temple had been. Both Cardston and Laie were dedicated under church president Heber J. Grant as was a temple in Mesa, Arizona. George Albert Smith dedicated the next temple in Idaho Falls, Idaho. David O. McKay dedicated five additional temples including one in Bern, Switzerland — which was the first temple dedicated in Europe and the first temple to use film recording of the endowment rather than live actors. Joseph Fielding Smith dedicated a temple in Ogden, Utah and Harold B. Lee dedicated its twin in Provo, Utah. Spencer W. Kimball began a plan to build many more smaller temples according to standardized plans. Twenty-one temples were dedicated during his presidency, including the tiny Papeete Tahiti Temple — which was less than 10,000 square feet (900 m²). This trend has continued. Nine additional temples were dedicated in the presidency of Ezra Taft Benson and two in the brief presidency of Howard W. Hunter. The current church president, Gordon B. Hinckley, has built over seventy temples since coming into office. Most of these are according to smaller, standard plans, but one particularly noteworthy achievement was the rebuilding of a temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, known as the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. Currently there are 124 operating temples, 6 under construction, and 5 announced (not yet under construction). PurposesTemples have a different purpose from LDS meetinghouses. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, temples serve two main purposes: (1) Temples are locations in which worthy Latter-day Saints can perform sacred ordinances on behalf of themselves, their deceased ancestors, or unrelated deceased persons whose names are compiled from historical records through the church's Family Record Extraction Program. (2) Temples are considered to be a Houses of Holiness where members can go to commune with God. Ezra Taft Benson, a former president of the Church, taught:
Such personal revelation can be received as needed, but many feel that it is easier to receive such revelation when one is in a place as peaceful and apart from the world as temples are. Nearly everything in the temple is symbolic, from the clothing worn (those who attend the temple dress in white, a symbol of purity), to the building and rooms, to the ceremonies themselves. Symbolism in Temple ArchitectureLatter-day Saint temples are constructed with several symbolic elements meant to represent their religious theology. Each temple has the words "Holiness to the Lord" inscribed on it, representing the same inscription on the Old Testament Temple of Solomon. Most temples are built facing East, pointing the direction Jesus Christ is prophesied to return. The spires and towers on the East side of the temple are elevated higher than spires and towers on the West side for this same reason, and to represent the Melchizedek, or Higher Priesthood. Some temples, like Salt Lake, Chicago, and Washington D.C. have triple spires on each side of the temple representing The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost. Stones carved with sun, moon, and earth or star designs are placed in ascending order around the temple facade to represent the Latter-day Saint belief in a Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdom, or Three Degrees of Glory in the afterlife. The statue of the Angel Moroni, placed on most temples built after the Salt Lake Temple, was designed in 1891 by Cyrus Dallin. The statue design represents the Latter-day Saint belief that Moroni was the angel spoken of in Revelations 14.[2] Temple ordinancesImage:Laie Hawaii Temple (1400).JPG Lā‘ie Hawai‘i Temple is the fifth oldest Latter-day Saint temple, and the first built outside the North American continent. It is also one of only three temples designed to look like Solomon's Temple in scripture and one of the few temples without spires. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make covenants and perform special rituals and ordinances within temples. Some of these include:
These ordinances may be performed either on behalf of the participant or by "proxy" on behalf of the dead. Some of these ordinances are normally performed outside of temples for the living, but when performed on behalf of the dead they are performed exclusively in temples. This includes baptism, confirmation, and ordination to the priesthood. The ordinances of Washing and anointing and the ceremony of Eternal marriage are performed only within a temple. Latter-day Saints perform these proxy ordinances because they believe deceased non-Mormons are in a condition commonly referred to as "Spirit Prison." They believe that Christ went to the righteous spirits and organized a great missionary force to teach the gospel to others of the dead who, in turn, may be baptized by proxy in a temple. It is believed that the dead may accept or reject the other ordinances done by proxy on their behalf prior to the Final judgement. In addition, the Endowment is considered sacred and highly individualistic, although the presentation is the same to all who attend. Church leaders have taught that those who attend the temple should get something different out of the experience each time they attend.[citation needed] Requirements for entering LDS templesImage:Brazil Porto Alegre Temple.jpg Porto Alegre Brazil Temple in southern Brazil is the 102nd Mormon temple. The temple follows the recent LDS pattern of building numerous temples that are much smaller than previous temples. An LDS church manual called Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple explains that Latter-day Saints "do not discuss the temple ordinances outside the temples." Further, the manual states:
However, to experience the temple firsthand, one needs to convert to the faith, and then (after a year's membership) obtain a temple recommend to enter. The recommend is obtained from and signed by the member's bishop after passing a one-on-one worthiness interview, in which one's commitment to the gospel is reviewed. The recommend is also signed by the member's stake president after a second one-on-one worthiness interview, and finally by the member themselves. By signing his or her own recommend, the member acknowledges their responsibility to ensure that they remain worthy to hold the recommend. Once issued a recommend remains valid for a period of two years. A limited-use recommend can be obtained by those who just want to act as proxy in temple baptism and confirmation ceremonies. A member of the church must be twelve years of age (and hold the priesthood if male) and pass a worthiness interview with the member's bishop. Unlike the temple recommend, a limited-use recommend does not require a year's membership nor an interview with a stake president. A limited-use recommend is also not valid for participation in temple ceremonies beyond proxy baptism and confirmation. To qualify for a temple recommend, one must faithfully affirm a series of questions examining what the church believes are the most important factors indicating one's spiritual worthiness. These questions seek to ensure that the interviewee has a basic belief in key church doctrines, and obeys the most significant church rules, such as the following:Image:DCTemple.jpg The Washington D.C. Temple is the 16th Latter-day Saint temple
ControversyExclusive Temple WeddingsTemples are often a sore spot for non-LDS family members of Mormons who marry in them. No individual is allowed into the temple without a temple recommend regardless of church membership - which excludes all non-Mormons from attending temple weddings. When a couple chooses to marry in the temple where a parent does not possess a temple recommend, the parent(s) may feel resentment and pain[1]. Additionally, the practice of holding a traditional wedding ceremony for the benefit of the non-Mormon friends and family is contrary to established Church policy,[3][4] although receptions after the ceremony, held at local churches or other public venues, are common and often quite elaborate. For those couples who prefer a non-temple marriage first, the couple is required to wait at least one year to be sealed[2]. The church specifies that the sacred nature of the temple ceremony and a desire not to promote any confusion between it and a non-temple marriage[5] as reasoning for this policy. Critics claim that this is simply an intrusive and divisive way used to persuade members to donate more, while at the same time, putting pressure on non-Mormons to convert.[3] Critics also note that the practice of discouraging traditional ceremonies is an act of man-made policy rather than an immutable commandment of God,[citation needed] noting that the measure is not imposed upon European Mormons, who by law must have a civil ceremony in a designated public place outside the temple for the marriage to be legally valid, or in the case where a home country does not recognize a marriage performed within a temple located in another country.[6] (Note, however, that in such countries, a temple sealing must closely follow the civil ceremony, within the space of a few days at most, otherwise the one-year wait is again necessary.) When a marriage ceremony outside of the temple is required by local law, the church also instructs that this ceremony is to be performed before the temple ceremony, to reinforce the idea of the temple marriage being the "final" ceremony, not a pre-amble to the one required by secular law. Other Groups With TemplesImage:CommunityofChrist Independe.jpg Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994 The Community of Christ maintains two temples. Unlike those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, however, these temples are open to the public, and do not involve sacred ordinances, except at certain times for Communion and a daily prayer for peace. The oldest temple maintained by the church is in Kirtland, Ohio. This temple was the first temple built by Latter-day Saints. In its 1994 World Conference, the Community of Christ dedicated a temple in Independence, Missouri. During the life of Joseph Smith, Jr., he dedicated a location in Independence, Missouri for the building of a special temple, which was to be the center of a New Jerusalem. The lot for this temple is owned and maintained by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot). Although the church planned to build a temple on the site in the early 20th century, and even excavated a foundation, efforts were abandoned during the economic woes of the Great Depression and due to a schism which resulted in the establishment of the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message. Today, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) has no plans to construct a temple of its own. Instead, the church believes it is the steward of the location until the various sects of the Latter Day Saint movement re-unite into a single organization before the Second Coming of Jesus. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) began to construct a temple at their headquarters in Voree, Wisconsin in the mid-1840s. Another temple may have been planned for Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, prior to their expulsion. The church has made no attempt to build temples since the death of their prophet, James J. Strang. The Apostolic United Brethren has had a temple in Ozumba, Mexico at least by the 1990s, as well as an Endowment house in Utah since sometime in the 1980s. The Community of Christ Church of Modena, Utah built a temple-like Pyramid-shaped structure in the mid-1980s, for use in its ordinances.[citation needed] The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) made news in 2004 by embarking on the construction of a temple at their new settlement near Eldorado, Texas. The foundation of the FLDS temple roughly matches that of the original Nauvoo Temple. This is the second time any of the polygamous Mormon fundamentalists sects have attempted to build a temple of their own. The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days reportedly believe that when the end time arrives, they will enter the Manti Utah Temple (owned by the LDS church) and assume control of it. At that time all of the wicked outside of the temple will be destroyed and only the righteous, inside the temple will survive. Temple Comparison ChartImage:LDSTempleDiagram.gif Some Mormon temples and their relative sizes The reference chart to the right shows the relative sizes of various temples in the Latter Day Saint movement. (Note that the LDS church has many more temples than are shown and a comparison of those Temples is found on the List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints page.) See also
Notes
References
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