Hi Parker - By seeing empty rooms as you walk through a museum-like tour, one is not going to get a basic understanding about what happens in those temples! All of the rituals are private and secretive. Are the sacred rituals discussed during the tours? I doubt it. I still say it is to make people think the temple is beautiful so that they will aspire to it someday.
I think it is like our friends that have pictures of temples up on their walls. It is to (name removed by moderator)sire their children to be temple-worthy (so I was told).
What goes on inside is a mystery Parker! It is only for a select few, right?
Lax16,
There is a brief movie explaining about temples before each tour. There are also brief explanations about each room during the tour. They are fairly simple concepts, so the explanations are quite simple.
They explain that just as the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s temple had symbolic “washing” and so forth and had a font with twelve oxen facing outward, these things happen inside a temple today. They explain that there are instructions and sacred covenants that involve understanding the plan of God’s creation of this earth and the plan of salvation for humankind, including sealing families together forever as a family unit.
The words of covenant making are to be kept confidential because they are sacred promises to God, and to share them with others would be to make them “earthy” instead of “heavenly”. But they are simple promises–nothing mysterious about them.
I would estimate that perhaps a million LDS members are temple-worthy adult members, and that number grows each week.
I did not hear about cookies at the other tour, but the Draper tour was over the top. Shuttles buses running from morning til night - it was like a tram ride to Disneyland. I was on 1300 east in Draper where they were running the shuttles from and I saw it myself. I have been up to the temple looking at houses in the neighborhood since then.
Those attending were mostly member families, which explains the large numbers of people and why they had to park at an LDS chapel and bus to the temple location since the parking there is limited.
The negative buzz is because the temple rituals are not in keeping with Christian tradition. What other religions that call themselves Christian have secret marriages and other ordinances for a select few?
You are correct about “Christian tradition”. If you add in “Old Testament practice” then you have a very different situation. The LDS don’t believe that the New Testament was a complete break from everything the Old Testament had as doctrinal foundations, including of course the belief in the Promised Messiah but also the belief in temples, tabernacles, and “holy places” and that some things within the tabernacle and temple were so sacred that the general population was not told all the sacred details. Also, the Jewish marriage covenant “under a canopy” represents being “inside the tabernacle of the children of Israel” which is what the temple became at the time of Solomon.
If I go on a tour of a temple, what will I see that will dispel my negative view of non-Christian rituals?
You might start to think about the Old Testament and the why of Solomon’s temple, but perhaps not so you might leave exactly as you had started out–with a misconception.
I am sure that it is true for you. My point is that the LDS in my neighborhood really wanted us to come see the beautiful fixtures, not discuss temple rituals.
Just because people try to appeal to a person’s interest by mentioning something they think might be interesting to them, does not mean that is their sole interest for making the invite. One could ask them why, and they would probably expand on their simple explanation of “beautiful fixtures”. (I wasn’t saying to “discuss temple rituals”, but rather to “understand the Old Testament temple better to understand the LDS temple better.”)
Will the tourists learn about baptisms for the dead and secret marriage ceremonies?
In a general way, yes.
I don’t ever remember hearing any of this when I visited the SLC temple grounds ten or so years ago. Actually, I have been down to see two epic-type movies (Legacy and some other one about the natives meeting Christ), walked through a wax like museum with depictions of JS and the BoM, visited a building with a huge organ, spoke with female missionaries from China, ate brunch at what used to be the JS Memorial building (I am not sure it is still there)…no one ever mentioned anything about secret temple rituals.
There are short films about LDS baptism for the dead and Why Mormons Build Temples. If people ask about those subjects, they are invited to watch the short films or to see a display about the subject.
How long do the wedding ceremonies last?
Start to finish from greeting each other to well-wishing after the ceremony, is roughly an hour of time within the temple itself, then more time outside afterward.
It is interesting to see wedding receptions during the week so I know there are many weddings going on. Why the need for such opulent buildings if they are just to perform rituals? Obviously one does not need imported anything for a marriage ceremony. What is the history of the fancy decor and building materials and the purpose of it?
I suggest that a person really wanting to figure out the answer to that question, would do well to read about the importing of wood and other materials and the craftsmanship and specialness of Solomon’s temple as described in how it was built. Each LDS temple is to indeed be the “House of the Lord” with just as much care in its building and inspiring architecture as was the case for Solomon’s temple.
