Throughout history people have built temples to bring them closer to their god and to practice their most sacred rites of worship.
A temple is a building built to God. It is a place where He can dwell on earth and come to teach us of His ways. It is a place where we can worship and participate in sacred rituals that teach and help us remember God.
Temples are built out of devotion and reverence. They are built out of the finest a people can make. When Solomon built his temple, it was built of the finest material and by the most skilled craftsmen. Even the tabernacle of Moses was built with the best material they had at the time. When Nephi built his temple, he too used the finest materials that were available to them (2 Nephi 5:16).
Temples are sacred places. They are holy places. Holy implies being spiritually and morally pure rather than common or profane. They are God’s dwelling place on earth, and as such He can set the standards by which we must be measured before we can enter. In the Psalms it asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?” (Psalms 24:3). And the answer is given in the very next verse, “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” The temple is a holy place, and as such, those who wish to enter must be striving for holiness in their lives.
The devotion, reverence, and sacred nature of temples is what makes them places of peace in this troubled world. Seeing a temple elevates your eyes, your heart, and your soul towards God.
Below are two flash videos. The first is one I put together with pictures I have taken of temples I have been to over the past few years. I love taking pictures of the temples. The temple for me is a place of peace, it is a place where the love of God can be seen as He invites us to be with Him.
The second is one put together by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It explains a bit why the LDS Church builds temples. Below that are two links with more information about LDS temples.
I am an educator and PhD. I quilt, belly dance, run, read, and try to grow things. I am a Mormon. I am infertile. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, grand-daughter, friend, wife, and mom.
Brett L. Dennis
Mama g
Giggles
AmandaStretch
Heidi just sent me this link to an article written about sacred things and how the treatment of those things affects the way we interact with others. I would hope that all people have an aspect of the sacred in their lives.
Is Something Sacred?
I just found this news article about the Chicago temple. In December a pipe burst, flooding the temple and it just recently reopened. I had not heard this about the respect the firefighters who responded had shown the temple. What a wonderful example of respecting those things others deem sacred.
Mormon Temple in Glenview Back in Business
That’s classy. I’m impressed.
There is another video explaining temples on Mormon Messages today. It talks about the blessing we enjoy from temples. I recommend it as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLXYxmaHWQs
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