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The endowment ceremony performed in Mormon temples (of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is the subject of curiousity by many friends of other faiths. In reality, it is a peaceful and sacred ritual repeated many times daily in LDS Temples around the world. The endowment ceremony is partly shown on film and partly recited. It is always the same and takes about ninety minutes to complete. Most temples have several endowment rooms, which look like small auditoriums, but decorated in light and heavenly hues. Endowment sessions usually are scheduled every 20 to 30 minutes. A temple patron performs an endowment ceremony once for himself or herself. Thereafter, he or she performs the ceremony by proxy for a deceased ancestor. The ordinances and covenants performed there can be accepted or rejected by the dead. (See Doctrine and Covenants, Section 138.)
An “endowment” is a gift. The Mormon endowment is a gift of... Read the rest of this article »
An endowment room in the Oquirrh Temple
Because temples are sacred, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak very little about what goes on inside, people are curious about the rooms and activities inside Mormon temples. Open houses are held before temples are dedicated and sanctified as houses of the Lord. Thousands attend these open houses to tour and learn about Mormon temples. However, many people will never have that opportunity. This article will be a mini-tour of the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Mormon Temple, which opened summer, 2009. We’ll begin outside the temple, at the main entrance.
On the exterior of the temple are engraved the words “Holiness to the Lord.” The gardens are meant to inspire and bless those who walk through them, and anyone is invited to do so. The Lord’s spirit can be felt in these gardens, but even more so inside the temple. Atop the temple spire is a statue of the... Read the rest of this article »
What is a Mormon Temple Dedication?
Members of the Mormon Church call the Mormon temple dedication ceremony a dedication because the building is being offered to God for His use. Before any ordinances can take place in a temple it must be dedicated. The dedication ceremony is sacred and is only attended by those who have prepared themselves for participation in such an event. Many of the people who attend a dedication go fasting and praying so that they may add to the spirit. Patrons must have obtained a “temple recommend” through an interview with the bishop of their congregation, certifying their worthiness.
Often the dedication for a single Mormon temple is repeated multiple times, so that all who would like to attend can participate. During the dedication ceremony General Authorities of the Mormon Church speak to the audience. Often these speeches encourage the members to dedicate themselves to the Lord, just as the temple is being dedicated.... Read the rest of this article »
What is a Mormon Temple Open House?
A Mormon Temple Open House allows members of the Mormon Church as well as people who are not of the Mormon faith to see the inside of the temple and learn more about Mormon beliefs. Temples are important to Mormons because they are the place where you learn more about Heavenly Father’s plan for His children and where families can be linked together for eternity. For this reason a person must be spiritually clean and prepared to enter the temple, this is why the general public is not allowed to enter the temple after it has been dedicated.
Open houses are usually held for at least a week. Some of the open houses require tickets, such as the Nauvoo Mormon temple open house, but all tickets are free. Tours are never given on Sundays, and tours usually stop early on Mondays to allow the volunteers time for Family Home Evening. A tour guide takes groups of between 30 and 50 people through the temple.
Generally, those planning... Read the rest of this article »
One of the main characteristics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) is the work performed in the Church’s holy temples. This work sets apart the Mormon Church from every other religion on the face of the earth.
“The temple is a place of instruction where profound truths pertaining to the Kingdom of God are unfolded. It is a place of peace where minds can be centered upon things of the spirit and the worries of the world can be laid aside. In the temple we take covenants to obey the laws of God, and promises are made to us, conditioned always on our faithfulness, which extend into eternity” (The Priesthood and You, Melchizedek Priesthood Lessons—1966, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1966, p. 293).
In Mormon temples faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perform ordinances essential to the their salvation and exaltation and enter into covenants with... Read the rest of this article »
Inside a Mormon Temple
Temples are made up of many rooms, which are designed for performing certain functions as part of Latter-day Saint temple worship. Examples of these functions are the ordinances of baptism and marriage, as well as sessions for instruction. Temples are built in various sizes, layouts, and décors, but all have the required rooms.
While inside, Church members wear simple, modest white clothing. There is a spirit of reverence inside the temple. After a temple is completed, an organized open house for the general public is held by the Mormon Church. During the open house, members of the Church hold tours and explain the different functions and ceremonies performed in the temple. After the open house, the temple is dedicated to the Lord. After this dedication, only worthy church members may enter the temple.
The rooms inside a temple include the following: On the basement level, there is usually a cafeteria, a laundry, offices, and... Read the rest of this article »
Mormon Beliefs about Temples
To members of the Mormon Church, Mormon temples are houses of the Lord. They stand as symbols of “membership in the Church, as a sign of our faith in life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for our families and us.” 1
Temples are different from regular meeting houses because they are set aside for sacred and eternal ordinances. After a temple is dedicated, only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are living the principles of the gospel may enter.
Since the establishment of the Church, members have built temples. The Lord told the prophet Joseph Smith, “And verily I say unto you, let this house (temple) be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people.” 2
Within Mormon temples sacred ordinances are performed for both the living and the dead. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “The work that goes on in these buildings sets forth God’s... Read the rest of this article »
‘Mormon’ Temples: A Little Enlightenment
By Annie L. Henderson Cechini
In the short film Between Heaven and Earth, Krister Stendahl, former Dean of the Harvard Divinity School, states that in any interfaith discussion, individuals should never compare bests with worsts. Stendahl reasons that, “Most people think of their own tradition as it is at its best, and they use caricatures of the others.” I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It’s a mouthful, I know, and most people therefore refer to my church as the Mormon Church.
Fig. 1: Washington D.C. Temple
Immediately, some of you readers are pulling out the sketchbooks and charcoal to begin work on the caricatures just from reading that name. In composing this article, I am driven by my experience of being viewed through cracker-jack lenses because of said caricatures. These inaccurate and sometimes painful sketches abound in even highly respectable minds and... Read the rest of this article »
This section will provide useful maps of Mormon temples around the world.
Temples to Dot the Earth: A site dedicated to the geographic study of the Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
LDS Temples: Temples will dot the earth: The purpose of this map is to create more awareness of the history and location of Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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