Mormon Temple

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Rose74

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There is a Mormon Temple open house in our state coming up. My husband’s family is LDS. My husband has been an ex-mormon for a dozen years. The temple endowment ceremony before his mission was the beginning of his exit from the church. He now follows no religion and thinks all rituals are either silly or unnecessary (typical response from a multi-generational mormon).

That said, we want to go to he temple open house just to see it. His active Mormon mom wants the whole family to go. My husband knows she’ll think if we’re interested in going that it will give her hope that our family will join the LDS church. Of course, that is not going to happen. I ignore the subject of religion with my mil.

If we go, I want don’t to bring my kids. My five year old just started CCD and is just learning about Catholicism. I don’t want to confuse him with people telling him about the “plan of salvation”. So, how to respectfully go without giving my MIL hope? I think I’ll leave that up to my husband.
 
I thought Mormon Temples were usually closed to the uninitiated. Is this a special exemption to that? I would love to get the chance to see the inside of one, just out of curiosity. Of course I don’t have any family connections to Mormonism and so I have none of the complications.

I think the decision not to bring your children along sounds right. It could cause confusion. I’m inclined to think that if your mother-in-law insists on putting more meaning on your attending than it obviously has then that is her problem, and that it is your part to be respectful but also give her no (rational) reason to believe you are interested in converting. But that’s your call.
 
Do you have to go with the entire family? Maybe just you and your husband go on your own? I definitely agree with not taking your children. You don’t want them to get confused. It’s probably best to let your husband handle his mother. TBM mothers can be difficult to deal with and it is important to not give them any hope that you may become LDS.

My husband and I left the LDS church in January and my youngest sister married in the temple this summer. My parents took the opportunity of my sister’s temple wedding to talk to my 4 year old about the temple. After the wedding, we had it out with my parents because our son kept talking about the temple. We explained to our son that we were not allowed inside because we go to a different church and don’t pay money to go inside. Fortunately, we resolved everything and my son does not talk about the temple anymore and does the sign of the cross when he says prayers. Whew!

Good luck. I’m sure the temple is nice but probably doesn’t even come close to your diocese’s cathedral! Most new temples these days seem to be rather bland and corporate McTemples.
 
Aelred_Minor said:
I thought Mormon Temples were usually closed to the uninitiated. Is this a special exemption to that? I would love to get the chance to see the inside of one, just out of curiosity. Of course I don’t have any family connections to Mormonism and so I have none of the complications.

I think the decision not to bring your children along sounds right. It could cause confusion. I’m inclined to think that if your mother-in-law insists on putting more meaning on your attending than it obviously has then that is her problem, and that it is your part to be respectful but also give her no (rational) reason to believe you are interested in converting. But that’s your call.
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They are open for a few weeks to the public before being dedicated. Anyone can get a ticket to see. I don’t know how much of it will be shown to the public. Probably a sealing room, the celestial room and the baptismal font.

MIL suggested this be a family event. My husband and I had been speaking about it sometime back, but with the announcement of open house, she wants the whole family to go. We may or may not make it. We live almost three hours away. It depends on schedules.
 
Rose74 said:
So, how to respectfully go without giving my MIL hope? I think I’ll leave that up to my husband.
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Sometimes my friends/neighbors who are Episcopaleans or Evangelicals or Catholics or Jehovah’s Witnesses start thinking if they invite me to enough things I’ll consider joining them. When I guess they’re thinking this way, I say “Thanks for the invite - this is wonderful. You won’t be gaining a convert, but you’re gaining a friend.” I appreciate knowing more about other religions, doing so often makes me a better friend.
Aelred_Minor said:
I thought Mormon Temples were usually closed to the uninitiated. Is this a special exemption to that? I would love to get the chance to see the inside of one, just out of curiosity.
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Pretty much every new temple includes an open house before it is dedicated and put into service, where the public can tour the temple and hear about most of the stuff we do in them.
 
I personally would leave the husband and kids at home. That should make things nice and awkward for her. lol.
 
Rose74 said:
They are open for a few weeks to the public before being dedicated. Anyone can get a ticket to see. I don’t know how much of it will be shown to the public. Probably a sealing room, the celestial room and the baptismal font.

MIL suggested this be a family event. My husband and I had been speaking about it sometime back, but with the announcement of open house, she wants the whole family to go. We may or may not make it. We live almost three hours away. It depends on schedules.
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A ticket? You have to pay to see the inside of a Mormon temple when it is being dedicated? :eek:
 
KimberlyCat said:
A ticket? You have to pay to see the inside of a Mormon temple when it is being dedicated? :eek:
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The tickets for the open house are free. Tickets to go inside the temple after the dedication are known as “temple recommends” and cost 10% of your income (including gifts and inheritances).
 
iepuras said:
The tickets for the open house are free. Tickets to go inside the temple after the dedication are known as “temple recommends” and cost 10% of your income (including gifts and inheritances).
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Haha good one! 👍 :rotfl:
 
Personally I wouldn’t go, but if I were to, I’d leave my kids at home. I think it’s pretty safe to say that any TBM mother would perpetually hold hope for the return & conversions into the LDS. I am still going through this! 😃
 
We have a dedication coming up soon too and some good LDS friends of ours invited us to go w/them. We won’t take the kids w/us, but I thought it would be a good time to ask questions about the nature of the temple and why they have one. I’m hoping to prepare some really good questions and begin a deeper discussion. Maybe you could do the same? Rather than just go and look and give your MIL hope, perhaps you can evangelize a little and give her something to think about. 🙂
 
jadamo said:
We have a dedication coming up soon too and some good LDS friends of ours invited us to go w/them. We won’t take the kids w/us, but I thought it would be a good time to ask questions about the nature of the temple and why they have one. I’m hoping to prepare some really good questions and begin a deeper discussion. Maybe you could do the same? Rather than just go and look and give your MIL hope, perhaps you can evangelize a little and give her something to think about. 🙂
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Good point…
 
jadamo said:
We have a dedication coming up soon too and some good LDS friends of ours invited us to go w/them. We won’t take the kids w/us, but I thought it would be a good time to ask questions about the nature of the temple and why they have one. I’m hoping to prepare some really good questions and begin a deeper discussion. Maybe you could do the same? Rather than just go and look and give your MIL hope, perhaps you can evangelize a little and give her something to think about. 🙂
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Well the original post was many years ago. I wonder what happened. Viewing a Mormon temple is nothing special, except to Mormons. Some non-Mormons will say that it is peaceful. Yes it is, and very ornate. Mormon’s will pounce on that and say it is the Holy Spirit bearing witness of the truthfulness of temple worship and the Mormon church. The dedication ceremonies are used as a missionary tool for non-Mormons and a means of strengthening the Mormon faithful. The ceremonies that are performed there are all online. Just Google. They are not overly spiritual, but do teach you the signs and passwords that you need to know to pass by the angels who stand as sentinels to entry into Heaven. I always felt uneasy with them. The blood oaths have now been taken out, so they are less “scary”.

Taking children would confuse them. Going yourself not a problem - in my opinion.

God Bless you,

Hal.
 
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