Christianity: Details about 'Temple Mormonism'
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In Mormonism, a temple is a building designed as a house of God and often reserved for special forms of worship. A temple differs from a church meetinghouse, which is used for weekly worship services. Temples have been a significant part of Mormonism since its inception. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now the Community of Christ, also has temples, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has over 120 operating all through the world.
HistoryThe Latter Day Saint movement was conceived as a restoration of practices believed to have been lost in a Great Apostasy from the true religion of Jesus Christ. Temple worship played a prominent part of the Bible's Old Testament and temples are mentioned in the New Testament and also in the Book of Mormon. On December 27, 1832 — two years after the organization of the Latter Day Saint church — the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., reported receiving a revelation that called upon church members to restore the practice of temple worship. The Latter Day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio were commanded to:
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 in Missouri led to the expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson County, obviating any possibility of building a temple there, but work on the temple in Kirtland continued. At great cost and after great sacrifice, the Latter Day Saints finished the Kirtland Temple in early 1836. On March 17, they held a lengthy dedication ceremony and reported numerous "spiritual experiences and visitations." 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 Latter Day Saints 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 than excavating foundations. In 1839, however, 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. The new temple plan also benefited from the conversion to the movement of new members with more architectural training. New conflicts arose, however, and on June 27,1844 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and President of the Church was assassinated with his brother, Hyrum the Patriarch at Carthage Jail. The Nauvoo Temple stood only half finished. Joseph Smith's martyrdom resulted in a succession crisis which divided the movement into denominations. The concept of temple worship has evolved separately in many of these 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 SaintsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called the LDS Church) is by far the most prolific builder of temples. In this church, temples are special houses of worship reserved to perform certain church ordinances and to conduct certain ceremonies and meetings. Temples and their associated ordinances are a vital part of the theology of the LDS church. Their importance is emphasized in weekly meetings, and regular participation in temple work is strongly encouraged of all worthy 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. 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 the 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 , or Holy Order, as it was also known, were made on May 3, 1842. 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. Shortly afterwards, however, James J. Strang — a for the church presidency — visited the colony and converted nearly all the Norwegians to Strangite Mormonism. 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 far enough finished to allow a limited number of temple ordinances to be performed there and more were performed in early 1846, as the Mormons were abandoning the city. A small crew remained in the city and continued to work on the temple until April 30, 1846, when it was 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), Logan (1877). All four were larger than the one left behind in Nauvoo, and all four included castellation motifs, symbollically representing "the Kingdom" and also the resolve of the Latter-day Saints to defend them. The St. George Temple was the first to be completed in 1877, followed by Logan (1884) and Manti (1888). Because of the Utah War and troubles between the church and the federal government over plural marriage, the Salt Lake Temple was not dedicated until 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 even 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 seventy temples since coming into office. Most of these are according to small, standard plans, but one particularly noteworthy achievement was the rebuilding of a temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, known as the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. Today there are 131 Latter-day Saint temples. 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 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 holy abode for Jesus where members can go to commune with God. In addition to being a place to conduct sacred ceremonies (see below), the temple is also considered to be a holy abode for God, where the temple attendee or "patron" may seek God’s aid in understanding His will for that person at that time through personal revelation. 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. Temple ordinancesMembers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make covenants and perform special instructions, 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, but when performed on behalf of the dead, they are performed exclusively in temples. This includes baptism, confirmation, and ordination to the priesthood. 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. Because of the sacred nature of the ordinances performed in the temples, Latter-day Saints do not discuss details of the ordinances outside of the temple, even with members of their own faith. Even inside of the temple, the sacred nature of the ordinances should always be remembered. The consequent secrecy surrounding ordinances has generated speculation and controversy of temple ceremonies in part due to use of language unfamiliar to non-Mormons. Because it is not discussed, some Latter-day Saints allege that those who publicize details of temple ceremonies are either disaffected, former or excommunicated Church members or non-Mormons who have trespassed on private property and made unauthorized recordings or transcripts which may violate copyright law. See also Ordinance (Mormonism) Requirements for entering LDS templesAn 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 first hand, 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. To qualify for a temple recommend, one must correctly answer 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:
Temples in Other Latter Day Saint denominationsAlthough the most prolific builder of temples within the Latter Day Saint movement is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several other Latter Day Saint denominations have built or attempted to build temples. The Community of Christ, the second largest Latter Day Saint denomination, 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 rituals, 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 Righteous Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of Modena, Utah built a temple-like Pyramid-shaped structure in the mid-1980s, for use in its ordinances. 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 ChartThe following reference chart 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.) References
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