Temples Today

Temples Photo Gallery – New

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Photo Gallery pageI thought it would be appropriate on a blog all about temples to include a photo gallery of some of the best photos I’ve found of temples. The temples of the Church are exquisitely beautiful structures exhibiting some of the best artistry and architecture found in all the world. Indeed, the architecture of the temple itself stands as a symbol of what occurs therein. The spires are an indication of where the temple directs us and where it connects us. The often white stone exterior is symbolic of purity and cleanliness. The water fountains represent the living waters. The flower gardens represent the Garden of Eden, the first temple on earth, that paradise to which the earth will return once it is cleansed. The angel Moroni represents that angel who was prophesied to be flying in heaven in the last days to proclaim the true gospel once more upon the earth in the winding-up scene:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelations 14:6-7)

The temple is truly the house of God, the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17).

The 80+ photos shown in the gallery all come from the best that are available on Flickr. If you like a particular photo, please visit Flickr and give credit to the respective photographer.

“Between Heaven and Earth” Videoclips

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DVD Cover

DVD Cover

In 2002 the Church released a documentary on LDS temples that was originally broadcast between sessions of General Conference. It is entitled “Between Heaven and Earth” and is available on VHS or DVD at Deseret Book, Church Distribution, or the BYU Bookstore. It is being shown at temple open houses and in temple preparation classes throughout the Church. The Millennial Star published a post on it back in 2005, with great excerpts. As the Millennial Star points out, it is very possible that Truman Madsen personally made requests of some of the non-LDS scholars to appear and speak on the subject of temples in antiquity and the Mormon practice today. Many of their comments are very insightful to the Latter-day Saints. The scholars/authorities that appear in this film include: Frank Moore Cross (Harvard), Krister Stendahl (Harvard), Lawrence Schiffman (NYU), John Lundquist, Truman Madsen, Elder Boyd K. Packer, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, among others.

I think it is an excellent study from many angles, inside the Church and out, of the LDS practice of building and worshiping God in temples. You may see the 44-minute film below:

The Temple is About Families

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Elder Richard H. WinkelI received this LDS Gem today in my inbox:

When you come to the temple you will love your family with a deeper love than you have ever felt before. The temple is about families. . . . It extends to parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, forebears, and especially our grandchildren! This is the Spirit of Elijah, which is the spirit of family history work; and when inspired by the Holy Ghost, it prompts the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Because of the priesthood, husbands and wives are sealed together, children are sealed to their parents for eternity so the family is eternal and will not be separated at death. ((Richard H. Winkel, “The Temple Is about Families,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 9))

Other parts of Elder Winkel’s talk are equally good:

Like you, I don’t want to lose any of my children. I want to be together forever with all of my family. The temple gives all of us extra hope of continuing and improving these relationships, even after this life. Sealings bestowed in the temple promise additional blessings.

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared-and he never taught more comforting doctrine-that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain.” . . .

President Hinckley has told us that “just as our Redeemer gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for all men, and in so doing became our Savior, even so we, in a small measure, when we engage in proxy work in the temple, become as saviors to those on the other side who have no means of advancing unless something is done in their behalf by those on earth.” . . .

The temple is a place to know the Father and the Son. It is a place where we experience the divine presence. The Prophet Joseph Smith made this plea: “I advise all to … search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness.”  And where shall we search? In the house of God. ((ibid.))

The Poet’s Obsession with Death

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Billy Collins, two-term U.S. poet laureateJesse Gunther reported in an article on BYU Newsnet today about a speech given at BYU by a prominent poet:

English majors are essentially “majoring in death,” said Billy Collins, an acclaimed poet laureate in the Joseph Smith Building auditorium on Friday.

“If you have an anthology and take out all poetry on death, you would end up with a pamphlet of what is left,” Collins said, a two-term U.S. poet laureate.

I’ve posted before on another literary scholar, Harold Bloom, that also had some thoughts on death and the unique views of the LDS Church on the subject.

Why the obsession by poets through the ages on the theme of death? [Read more…]

Rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem

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The Jews anxiously await the day that they will be able to rebuild the Jerusalem temple, often referred to as the third temple, as a holy house of worship of God. There has been a Jewish institute established, The Temple Institute, in Jerusalem for the very purpose of researching the history of the temple and its eventual reestablishment on the temple mount, and making steps toward that end goal. The Jews plan to reinstitute or “restore” daily temple prayer and sacrifice, as was prophesied in the Bible, and they speak with fervor about the “restoration” of the divine service of worshiping Almighty God in His holy house. It is interesting that in ancient Israel the building of the temple was always directed very carefully by abundant revelation of God to His prophet on the earth. In a different sense, The Temple Institute today seeks understanding in ancient prophesy and tradition as found in the Torah to restore the architecture, vessels, ordinances, worship, and other characteristics that will accompany the temple of God. ((See a video of the restoration of the menorah, and the restoration of the crown of the high priest.))

The Latter-day Saints also see the reconstruction of a temple in Jerusalem as one of the signs of the times of the Second Coming of the Savior. Whether it will be built by the Church or the Jews or the Jews under the direction of the Church or will later come under the direction of the Church after the Jews are converted to Christ is unclear (Do you know of any studies clarifying this?). What is clear is that the saving ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will be performed therein at some point, under the authority of the priesthood of God, as they are performed currently in 125 temples around the world.

Joseph Smith once taught: [Read more…]