The late Krister Stendahl (1921-2008), who was a Swedish theologian, New Testament scholar, and a Professor and Dean of Divinity at Harvard University, once addressed the press about one of the Mormon temples that was being built nearby, and spoke about three important rules for religious understanding. These rules have since been recognized for their tremendous insight and application in interfaith dialogue and learning. They are:
- When you are trying to understand another religion, you should ask the adherents of that religion and not its enemies.
- Don’t compare your “best” to their “worst.”
- Leave room for “holy envy.” In other words, recognize those aspects of other religious traditions that you admire and wish could be reflected in your own.
I think there is great truth embedded in these principles, and we have the opportunity to exercise them every day. In fact, we use them often here on TempleStudy.com to compare the similarities and differences of Mormon temples with other religious traditions and sacred worship practices.
Below is a short new video which succinctly explains what Mormon temples mean to the Latter-day Saints, from the Latter-day Saint perspective. Hopefully those that are inquisitive about the Church will be able to learn, from us, what the temple means when investigating and evaluating LDS temple worship.
A more comprehensive video of 44 minutes, of which this is only a snippet, is also available to watch, entitled “Between Heaven and Earth,” which includes commentary and interviews from a number of scholars and theologians, both LDS and from other faiths.
I believe that Between Heaven and Earth is one of my favorite Church videos. I have shown it to numerous people and each time they have come away with a different feeling about the LDS people and Temples. I believe that the publicity that is being thrown our way is the perfect time to allow more teaching about LDS temples in precisely the manner you have done. Great post.
I am saddened to hear of Prof. Stendahl’s passing. I remember reading his comments to the press several years ago. I was not only impressed by what he had to say on that occasion but also by what he had to say in our own Encyclopedia of Mormonism. He wrote the entry concerning Baptism for the Dead, if I remember correctly. He truly must have been a man of the highest moral and intellectual integrity to receive the invitation to contribute, as a non-member, to such a publication. I will have to see what more I can learn of him.
I was glad to hear of his passing (at a goodly age) because I knew he was now hearing the truth and could embrace the Restored Gospel if he would.