23 Nov
LDS Temples: Sacred, Not Secret
Those admitted inside of the temples hold a current temple reccomend. It can seem confusing to some that we can seem so secretive about what happens inside of such beautiful buildings. I admit that I heard many horrifying rumors about the temple growing up, some stories told in jest, and others thought to be true. The temple is not secret, it is sacred. I think it would help if you heard from one of our church leaders what temples are for.
Elder Boyd K. Packer answered that question:
The ordinances and ceremonies of the temple are simple. They are beautiful. They are sacred. They are kept confidential lest they be given to those who are unprepared. Curiosity is not a preparation. Deep interest itself is not a preparation. Preparation for the ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes invited as a guest into the house of the Lord. All who are worthy and qualify in every way may enter the temple, there to be introduced to the sacred rites and ordinances.
LDS.org points out that many people believe the temple is like a large, grand cathedral. In fact it is made up of many different rooms, all of which serve a specific purpose. As members we enter to make sacred covenants with the Lord, and we return often to both perform the same work for others, as well as to remind ourselves of the covenants we have made. One of my favorite things about the temple is that after the first time through, each trip is an act of service for another person. It’s a wonderful sacrifice of my time.
After a lot of digging, I was able to find some images released by the Church of the inside of the magnificent Salt Lake City temple. Did you know that this temple took 40 years to complete? It’s definitely a goal of mine to visit this temple at least once in my life.
The baptistry. Members begin doing baptisms at the age of 12. I used to love our youth temple trips when I was younger.
Per, LDs.org, “The endowment is given in rooms painted to represent the Creation, the Garden of Eden, this world, and terrestrial conditions.” In the Salt Lake Temple this includes the creation room, the garden room, and the world room.
The creation room
The garden room
The world room
The lower grand hallway
The upper grand hallway
The terrestial room
The celestial room
“The celestial room, with its beautiful furnishings, suggests the noble and exalted conditions awaiting the faithful.”
A sealing room
“There are more than a dozen sealing rooms for ordinances of marriage and of sealing children to parents.”
Another sealing room. I was sealed to my husband in a room much like this one. You can barely see it, but each sealing room includes the “forever mirrors”. It is two mirrors set across from each other, which cause the reflection to go on forever. We believe that our marriage lasts beyond death, extending forever, and the sybmolism is very beautiful.
The council room of the first presidency and the twelve apostles
“The Salt Lake Temple also has council rooms for the presiding priesthood quorums of the Lord’s church, and a large assembly room for meetings.”
The main assembly room
“As did ancient Israelites, we Latter-day Saints regard temples as places set apart, places to which we may go to draw close to God. Temple sites are revered as sacred ground. The spiritual atmosphere found in temples is further nurtured by the character of those who enter therein and by the nature of the instruction and ordinances presented.”
I hope that after seeing these photos, and reading a little bit about what happens inside of the temples you understand the term “Sacred, Not Secret” a little bit better.
I know that the work of God happens inside of these temples. I know that because of this work, families are sealed together for eternity. I’m so happy to know that no matter what happens, I’ll be with That Husband again someday, forever.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Jenna, thank you so much for this post! Obviously, I know all this but it was so well written and very informative. I really appreciate you taking the time to put this all together!
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1Jenna, thanks for your explanations about the temple. When I was in junior high, the St. Louis, Missouri LDS temple opened and the public was allowed to tour it. My entire family went to see it and it was simply beautiful.
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2Wow Jenna. I’ve never known or seen any of this. It is incredible, and beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to put all of this together. I love the last quote, it gives me a different perspective to walk into my church with today. Have a lovely Sunday full of worship
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3I really enjoy these posts - they are really informative for those of us who don’t know much about your faith and, my oh my, that is a beautiful temple!
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4it’s beautiful - looks like a gorgeous old theatre!
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5and ps - the celestial room is the most beautiful room i have ever seen - it far surpasses even gorgeous places like versailles.
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6Oh my goodness it’s absolutely stunning!
I actually did some research when I was reading your posts on WeddingBee because I was really curious about what happens in the temple. There’s a lot of good information available from the Church itself, and from members like you who are willing to share (some of the related posts that wordpress has recommended are actually great too). And I’m glad that you decided to share this with us because it is a very important distinction to make between secret and sacred.
I look forward to these posts every week, just so you know. And I’m looking for an excuse to make cheesecake enchiladas.
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7Thanks for sharing the pictures, Jenna! I have to admit that this was one of my curiosities and I’m so glad that you shared!
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8I think that the post itself is wonderful. I think that it is a great thing to be willing to share our beliefs. I am slightly hung up though. I know you said the pictures were released by the church and I did follow the link that you provided, I just feel…I feel like the inside of the temple is just as sacred as the ordinances that take place there. Just like the Prophet said, it is sacred not secret. I just feel that by putting all of the pictures of what the inside of a dedicated temple look like, takes away from that sacredness. A lot of the people’s comments on here say that they were “curious” what it looked like. “Being curious is not being prepared” and therefore is not a reason to show such pictures. That is what a temple open house is for. It is for those to see what a temple looks like, before it is dedicated therefore making it sacred. I just…I feel like if people want to see the inside of the temple, they should go to one before it has been dedicated. I guess seeing those pictures on there made me feel like some of that sacredness was violated.
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9The post was great! Thanks - I really don’t think LDS is secret as much as there needs to be an educational advocacy which this blog kinda contributes to. The issue of sacred tradition is definitely important - when we kids, only qualified Catholics can be godparents (imagine how my non-catholic friends will feel).
I’m going through being accepted into the Catholic faith and all the stuff I had questions and doubts are being answered through asking questions, reading, having counselors so I totally understand the frustration of trying to get people to understand your perspective. And actually, I’m going to show this my husband who is really interested about LDS.
Reading your blogs have been enlightening and educational. It gives a perspective of LDS life that honestly, I don’t get to interact with. So please continue being an advocate.
Thanks.
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10This is really informative - thanks! I have basically zero background in LDS traditions, so I’m learning a lot from this site. I have a question: what is the “endowment” that is given in the various rooms?
Also, just to comment on Amanda’s comment above, I have never seen the inside of an LDS temple before, and I probably never will in real life, so I appreciated the pictures. I understand that these pictures were taken before the temple was dedicated, and I think that’s about the same as taking a tour of the building before its dedication. It might not be as clear to folks who grew up in an LDS tradition, but there are some pretty crazy rumors about what happens in those temples. Showing some pictures of the pre-dedicated rooms and giving this general explanation can do a lot to stave off rumors and to give non-LDS folks some perspective.
As a Catholic, though, I understand bristling at the idea of people being overly casual about sacred places/traditions. I think what matters here is how respectful the posts and the comments are, and how this site is acting as a place of learning.
Just my two cents. Thanks again, TW!
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11I’ve just been catching up… so fascinating to read and see all of this. Thank you.
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12Jenna, this was beautiful. You do such a wonderful job of explaining.
I’m not sure who Amanda is, but don’t worry. People see the same thing when they go through the Temple Open houses. I think it’s important to show people how absolutely beautiful it is. That there is nothing secret, that we just hold it sacred. With everything that is going on, I think people need to know why we are so upset about people protesting outside of the Temples. How could so much hate be going on outside something so peaceful and beautiful.
I appreciated the pictures of the SL Temple. I went through there first and was sealed there. It was the most magnificent thing. I go to the Rexburg Temple and Idaho Falls now and there is just something extra special to me about the SL temple. I know that that is mostly because it was where I was sealed to my husband. But non-the-less, I can’t wait for you to go through. It’s absolutley amazing.
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13Allison-Have you ever been through the SLC temple? I was very excited to find this article and the explanations for the rooms that went along with it.
Abbie-I’ve toured two different temples, the Spokane and the Tri-Cities growing up and they are both experiences I will never forget.
kaymarie-That last quote was my favorite as well.
Kate-I’m glad you are turning to credible sources when reading about the temple and the ceremonies found therein. There are many many terrible things written about the temple online and it makes me sad to hear about them.
Amanda-I prayed about this post multiple times as I was writing it. And I made a rule that I would not write it unless I found the photos on lds.org, not through google image search. I talked about your comment with TH and we both agree, it is not the walls, chandeliers, sconces, or couches that make the temple sacred. It’s not the window dressings or the color of paint, or any of those other wordly things. It’s the ordinances that take place therein. We put so much time, care, and money into the temple because of what it means to us, but the actual construction itself does not make it what it is. The church has released photos of the inside of the temples multiple times in the ensign and for other publications, and I feel like if the church has done it, it’s nothing I, as a member can’t do either. We can’t keep that information to ourselves. Rather than withdrawing from the world, I believe the best way to fight against attacks is to be as open as possible in spreading correct information.
mhb-Thank you for sticking up for me. Amanda is my friend, and I don’t think she was attacking me, but I do think she has the same attitude as many members. I’ll do some research into what has been said about the endowment ceremony and write a post about that as well. It’s difficult to explain though, as I didn’t understand it very well until I actually experienced it myself.
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