What is the Statue on Top of Mormon Temple?
My first glimpse of a Mormon temple was of the statue at the very top. My family, lost and looking for an alternative Saturday activity, saw the statue and wound our way through the streets of Los Angeles—the City of Angels—until we found the building it was on. We learned it was a Mormon temple. We weren’t Mormons, but my parents noted there was a visitor’s center and decided it would be a good educational activity for us.
This statue is an angel. It represents a man named Moroni, whose writings during his lifetime are recorded in the Book of Mormon. He was, in fact, the son of Mormon, for whom the book is named. After his death, he became an angel and played an important role in the history of the Mormons. However, his role began when he was just a teenager.
Moroni and his father belonged to a group of people known as Nephites. In the beginning of the Book of Mormon, we meet the family of a prophet named Lehi. He lived in Jerusalem at the time of the prophet Jeremiah and was also a prophet. God instructed him to leave his wealth and home behind and take his family and a few others into the wilderness because his life was in danger from the enemies of the prophets. In time, they’d cross the ocean into the Americas.
Two of his sons were wicked and two were righteous. (Two younger sons, also righteous, would be born in the wilderness, and there were also daughters.) The oldest of the wicked sons was Laman. The younger of the two righteous sons was Nephi. In time, after the death of the parents, Laman and his followers become so violent that Nephi and his followers were forced to flee. The family divided into two groups, known as Lamanites and Nephites. Most of the time, the Nephites were righteous and had prophets in their line.
They had been promised that if they remained righteous, God would not allow them to be destroyed. However, they eventually fell away from God’s teachings and the Lamanites were permitted to destroy them in a series of deadly battles. Mormon, the prophet, and his son Moroni were among the last survivors of the Nephites when the battles ended, and soon, only Moroni, believed to be a teenager, remained. The Lamanites continued to seek him out, and he was forced into hiding.
Moroni’s father had worked to abridge the records kept by the prophets since the time of Laman, and which were engraved on plates. Moroni completed the book while in hiding and added the final ending to the story, as well as instructions to future generations who would read it. Then he buried the book in a hill called Cumorah and slipped away from the place he had been raised. Eventually, surprised to find himself still alive, he returned secretly and added further instructions before re-burying the book and again fleeing. We have no further record of him until after his death.
In the 1800s, in New York state, a young Joseph Smith receives a visit from Moroni, who is now an angel. As a teenager, Joseph had prayed to know which church to join and was visited in a vision by God and Jesus Christ. He was told the complete truth was not currently on the earth, and he must wait. Moroni was sent to begin the restoration of the complete gospel. While elements of truth remained, the large number of Christian churches, all teaching contradictory information about God, was proof that there had been an apostasy.
Moroni came to Joseph several times to tutor him in preparation for the restoration and to monitor Joseph’s maturity and worthiness to lead the restored church. When Joseph was nearly ready, Moroni showed him where the he had hidden the plates so long ago. However, it was several more years before Joseph was deemed worthy to begin his life’s work. He removed the plates and began the complex task of translating them and of finding a few people who had testimonies of the work at hand. Eventually, with the plates translated and the record published, the church was restored.
Moroni’s life was one of great hardship. He grew up in a world in which the number of good people was rapidly shrinking. He was fighting wars at an age when modern teens are worried about prom dates, and he had sole responsibility for guarding and completing the record of an entire nation when he was just a teenager. As a teenager, hundreds of people were out to kill him and he lived out the remainder of his teen years without family, friends, or even anyone who shared his religious faith. It would be enough to crush most teenagers, but Moroni never caved in to pressure to deny his God—the only way to end the persecution and attempts on his life. He remained strong and faithful through every trial.
It is fitting that he was chosen to bring the book to those for whom it was written. The ordinary Nephites didn’t have this book. They were instructed to keep the record for our time and to record those things that would be of value to us. As Moroni worked to complete the records, he was shown our day and understood what trials we would face and what we would need to know. He was, therefore, qualified to prepare a teenaged Joseph for a life that would be filled with similar trials resulting from the need to preserve God’s teachings.
The temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, built in Joseph Smith’s time, was the first to have an angel atop it. Like most buildings of the time, it had a weather vane, but the temple’s vane was a horizontal angel with a book in one hand and a horn at his lips. An actual statue of an angel was placed on top of the temple in Salt Lake City, Utah in pioneer times. The idea of using Moroni to top the temples was that of Cyrus Dallin, a sculptor who was not LDS, but who discovered Moroni while looking through LDS scriptures to decide what to put on the temple’s spire. He immediately recognized the importance of Moroni’s role in the restoration. Mormonism’s most recognizable symbol, then, was actually the inspiration of someone who was not LDS. Since 1980, this statue has been placed on most new temples, and added to many older ones. Read more
Did Proxy Baptism Make Obama’s Mother Mormon?
Filed under: Mormon Temples: Purposes and Promises, News, Public Issues, Saving Ordinances, Temples, Work for the Dead
The stories are circulating the internet that President Obama’s mother is now a Mormon according to Mormon records, because a posthumus baptism was done on her behalf. It’s important to understand how names come to be submitted and what it means when the work is done. It does not mean she is a Mormon; nor does it mean her name has been added to church membership records.
Mormons are instructed they must only submit names of direct ancestors and their immediate family (parents, siblings, etc.) unless they have permission from the family. Not every Mormon knows the rule, however, although it is written in the places where submissions are made, and many feel they are helping people they consider special by submitting their names. Therefore, when a name is inappropriately submitted, it is due to a misunderstanding of the rules by the member who submitted it. Since they can be submitted online, there is generally not a worker who can ask them about the names they’ve submitted. The church itself does not submit these names and does not give permission for the practice. Of course, as you go further back into a famous person’s genealogy, there are LDS church members who can legitimately submit the names because they are also descendants of the ancestors. Read more
Importance of Temples
Filed under: Mormon Temples: Purposes and Promises, Purpose of Temples, Saving Ordinances, Temple Work, Temples
All through my life I’ve known the importance of temples. I’ve known they are necessary for us to know where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going after this life, because the temple ritual is a review of God’s Plan of Salvation. Temples are also important to help family relationships extend beyond this life and last for eternity. With temples we can also make these blessings possible for our departed ancestors. These truths are taught to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, from the time they are little and throughout the rest of their lives. I have a testimony of this but wondered why it was so difficult to attend the temple.
So often my good plans of temple attendance were derailed or sidetracked. Why was it that months passed between trips to the temple? Often at the end of the year I would look back and realize that I had only attended a handful of times. For awhile the nearest temple was in Dallas Texas, a five hour drive away. Then we received the wonderful announcement that we would have a temple in Oklahoma City in 2000. This cut our driving time to less than two hours but unfortunately my temple attendance did not improve.
This really started to bother me as I listened to lessons at church and heard talks in general conference reiterating the importance of temples. It was obvious that temples are important to the Lord and I wanted them to be important to me.
I came across the following words spoken at the funeral of Joseph Smith Sr., father of the prophet Joseph Smith Jr., the prophet of the restoration.
“To dwell in the house of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, was his daily delight; and in it he enjoyed many blessings, and spent many hours in sweet communion with his Heavenly Father. He has trod its sacred aisles, solitary and alone from mankind, long before the king of day has gilded the eastern horizon; and he has uttered his aspirations within its walls, when nature has been asleep. In its holy enclosures have the visions of heaven been opened to his mind, and his soul has feasted on the riches of eternity.” (History of the Church 4:194)
Why weren’t my visits to the temple a “delight” and why hasn’t my “soul feasted on the riches of eternity”? I decided to take my desires to my Heavenly Father. I knew He would answer my prayers, but as a wise man once said, “You can’t steer a parked car.” I knew I needed to get to work and “must study it out in [my] mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8). I needed to see what more I could learn about temples.
I decided to start learning about the temples of old. I read about the tabernacles that the Lord commanded the Israelites to build as they journeyed through the wilderness. I read about the Temple of Solomon in all of its glory. The Temple of Zerubbabel was next followed by the Temple of Herod visited by the Savior during his earthly ministry.
In the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, near the beginning of its history, a prophet named Nephi built a temple “after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things”. (2 Nephi 5:16) Then I read in Mosiah about the great speech King Benjamin made from the temple in the land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 2-6). Of course, who could forget the climax of the Book of Mormon where the resurrected Savior visited the people who were gathered at the temple in the land Bountiful (3 Nephi 11-26)?
Moving my focus to the latter-days I learned about the commandments of the Lord “to build a house to me” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:33) and the intense struggles the early members of the Church had to fulfill that commandment.
It was evident that temples were central to the people of God in all ages. It seemed to me that there had to be additional benefits of temple attendance for the living—more than I currently understood.
A large piece of the puzzle fit into place as I read the words of George Q. Cannon at the Logan Temple cornerstone dedication:
“Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence” (Millennial Star, 12 Nov. 1877, p. 743).
Our loving prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910 – 2008), obviously understood this principle. Looking back to the October 1997 General Conference when President Hinckley announced the plan to build smaller temples around the world, there were 50 temples in operation. According to www.lds.org, there are currently 146 temples announced, under construction, or operating across the world. What an amazing and miraculous accomplishment in 12 short years!
I was beginning to understand. We live in a time that is becoming exponentially more evil. Heavenly Father knew this and instructed President Hinckley to build more temples. He almost tripled the number of temples in fact! I realized this was to provide the power and protection for us spiritually as well as lessen the Adversary’s affects and power on the earth.
As I continued my studies, I noticed three blessings of the temple that I had not noticed before: power, protection, and spiritual refinement.
John A. Widstoe taught that temple service not only strengthens us personally but affects the entire community. He said, “Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; … the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before” (“Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Apr. 1921, pp. 51).
President Boyd K. Packer, the president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles for the Church, explained why attendance can be so difficult at times when he said, “Temple work brings so much resistance because it is the source of so much spiritual power to the Latter-day Saints, and to the entire Church” (The Holy Temple, p. 178).
Continuing to teach about power, protection, and spiritual refinement, Pres. Packer stated:
“No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness.
Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.
If we will accept the revelation concerning temple ordinance work, if we will enter into our covenants without reservation or apology, the Lord will protect us. We will receive inspiration sufficient for the challenges of life” (The Holy Temple, p. 265).
Also, President James E. Faust taught:
“We are bombarded on all sides by a vast number of messages we don’t want or need. More information is generated in a single day than we can absorb in a lifetime. To fully enjoy life, all of us must find our own breathing space and peace of mind. How can we do this? There is only one answer. We must rise above the evil that encroaches upon us. We must follow the counsel of the Lord, who said, “It is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places (Doctrine and Covenants 101:22)” (“Standing in Holy Places,” Ensign, May 2005, 62).
I know I am “bombarded on all sides” and I know I need a “shield and a protection”. I see the world around me and I know that we need to “lessen the power of Satan on the earth”. All that I hold dear depend on my ability to withstand the temptations of the world and endure to the end. I have often worried about how to best prepare my young children to succeed in this world. I know if they understand the power and protection the temple affords, they will be more apt to make temple worship a high priority.
I know a lifetime of study may not be enough to fully understand everything about the temple but now I understand enough to help me realize how important it is. We have many tools to help us on our journey and the temple is a very powerful one.
Now as I prepare myself to attend the temple I am filled with excitement. I eagerly mark our ward temple dates on my calendar. The temple has become a top priority for me and attendance has become regular. The old excuses and roadblocks melt away as my priorities shift and I can see Heavenly Father’s hand helping me accomplish my righteous desires. My time in the temple has become a “delight” and I am beginning to see the “riches of eternity”. I feel more help and guidance in all aspects of my life as I worthily and regularly attend the temple.
I know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I know He loves me and wants me to succeed. I know the things I learn and the covenants I make in the temple will provide the power, protection, and spiritual refinement essential to “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23).
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Differences Between Mormon Temples and Chapels
Something that often confuses people learning about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Mormons”) is the difference between chapels and temples. Both are important buildings in Latter-day Saint worship. Chapels are meetinghouses for local congregations. These might also be called “ward buildings” (a “ward” being a local congregation), “meetinghouses,” or simply “churches.” When a Latter-day Saint says he’s going to church, he means that he’s going to attend regular worship services at his local meetinghouse. Regular services are held here on Sundays, and they include sacrament meeting, during which all members of the congregation gather and partake of the sacrament (similar to communion). There are also classes for the children, for the youth, and for the adults.
Local chapels are widely available in many parts of the world today. The latest numbers available at www.lds.org show that there are 27,475 local congregations of the Church today. Many of them share meetinghouses with nearby congregations, so the number of local chapels would be substantially smaller than this. Nevertheless, most larger cities in the United States today either have one or more wards or have one nearby.
But temples are less common. There are just over 120 Latter-day Saint temples in operation worldwide today. While this is a huge number in comparison with times past — just as an example, there were only about 20 temples in operation worldwide a generation ago — this is still a relatively small number. Hence, when a Latter-day Saint temple is built and dedicated, it’s an occasion that receives widespread notice.
Another reason for the media buzz generated by the building of temples is that after the dedication of these temples, they are only open to faithful Latter-day Saints. This spurs some natural curiosity and speculation regarding what goes on inside them. The temples of the Lord are sacred places where we are able to make further covenants with the Lord and receive guidance and inspiration from Him. For those who are not living their lives in accordance with the Lord’s commandments, or for those who are merely curious, to enter the temple would detract from the sacredness of the place. “It is not a matter of secrecy. It is a matter of sanctity,” says President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was serving as the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the time of his death on January 27. (“Why These Temples?” Available at www.lds.org)
President Hinckley continues:
The work that goes on in these buildings sets forth God’s eternal purposes with reference to man—God’s child and creation. For the most part, temple work is concerned with the family, with each of us as members of God’s eternal family and with each of us as members of earthly families. It is concerned with the sanctity and eternal nature of the marriage covenant and family relationships.
It affirms that each man and woman born into the world is a child of God, endowed with something of His divine nature. The repetition of these basic and fundamental teachings has a salutary effect upon those who receive them, for as the doctrine is enunciated in language both beautiful and impressive, the participant comes to realize that since every man and woman is a child of Heavenly Father, then each is a member of a divine family; hence, every person is his brother or sister. (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Why These Temples?”)
Open houses are usually held before each temple is dedicated, thus giving the public the opportunity to see what they look like inside and to learn about what goes on in there. For more information on one such open house that recently took place, read “Mormon Temple Open House in Idaho,” posted previously on LDSBlogs.com.