Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Temple Question
Why can't people who are not members of your church go inside your Temples and why is the LDS church so secretive about what goes on in there?
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What a good question. This comes up often. I'll start with the second part of your question. Sometimes, even amongst members of the church, the line between sacred and secret is blurred. In the Temple some very sacred things take place but none of them are necessarily secret. The bulk of what goes on in Temples is learning. We learn more about Where we came from and why we are here. We learn about some of the sacred rules and laws that govern our actions while we are here. We make promises to obey these laws and are promised blessings if we do so. There are other sacred ceremonies that take place in Temples such as an eternal marriage and proxy baptism for someone that did not have a chance to be baptized during their lifetime. Now the first part of your question. Even in the days of the Temple of Salomon and the Temple at Bountiful and other ancient Temples, admittance to the Temple was regulated with certain worthiness requirements. In the church today, we believe that while the beauty of the Temple can be appreciated by anyone, the spirit can't be fully appreciated by someone that does not already have an understanding and even made a commitment to our beliefs. Not all church members can enter the Temple.
__________________________________________________________________________
What a good question. This comes up often. I'll start with the second part of your question. Sometimes, even amongst members of the church, the line between sacred and secret is blurred. In the Temple some very sacred things take place but none of them are necessarily secret. The bulk of what goes on in Temples is learning. We learn more about Where we came from and why we are here. We learn about some of the sacred rules and laws that govern our actions while we are here. We make promises to obey these laws and are promised blessings if we do so. There are other sacred ceremonies that take place in Temples such as an eternal marriage and proxy baptism for someone that did not have a chance to be baptized during their lifetime. Now the first part of your question. Even in the days of the Temple of Salomon and the Temple at Bountiful and other ancient Temples, admittance to the Temple was regulated with certain worthiness requirements. In the church today, we believe that while the beauty of the Temple can be appreciated by anyone, the spirit can't be fully appreciated by someone that does not already have an understanding and even made a commitment to our beliefs. Not all church members can enter the Temple.
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