On Friday, the whole family (including my sister-in-law HG) drove up to Sacramento (technically Rancho Cordova) to attend the open-house for the new Sacramento LDS Temple. This is the 123rd temple worldwide and the 7th in California. There is one relatively close to us in Oakland and another close to where I grew up in Bethesda. Since I'm not a member of the LDS Church, this could very well be my only opportunity to see the inside of a LDS temple.For those of you not familiar with LDS temples, here are two questions and answers from a handout I received (see scans of all handouts here).
Q: What is the purpose of the temple?
A: Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider the temple the house of the Lord. Inside, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and other people. In addition, they participate in ordinances such as baptism and eternal marriage for their deceased ancestors.
Q: What is the inside of the temple like?
A: The interior of the temple does not resemble a great hall or a cathedral. Instead, it contains a number of rooms, each designed to accommodate certain ceremonies, such as marriage, baptism, and instructional sessions. Church members participating in these ordinances change into simple, modest, white clothing. The color white symbolizes purity and reverence.
A couple of observations from the trip. It was a gorgeous day - very sunny. The temple itself was quite beautiful - not as stunning or majestic as the ones in DC or SLC but still an impressive piece of architecture. Many commented that it's similar to the temple in Fresno. I was a little disappointed that the interior of the temple isn't more exotic. Other than the baptismal font (resting on the backs of 12 oxen, symbolically representing the 12 tribes of Israel), all of the rooms were fairly ordinary - although impeccably designed and furnished. During the informational video at the beginning of the tour, a couple of church members commented that temples are like a piece of heaven on Earth. I personally didn't get that feeling going through the building but I'm also not a church member.
On our way into the temple grounds, there were people holding signs for SacredOrSecret.com. It's always amazing to me to see people who want to tear down other people's beliefs rather than exemplify their own. In the case of LDS temples, I guess people fear what they can't personally experience or understand. The same is true with fraternities (like Kappa Sigma), other secret societies, and their rituals.
On a whole, I'm very glad I took the day to visit the temple. I'm especially glad that I got to share the experience with my wife, kids, and HG - all of whom are church members.
2 comments:
I thought the trip was a good experience, too. I didn't feel like I was in heaven or experiencing a bit of heaven, but I think the people in the video were referring to how they felt when completing ordinances in the temple and maybe praying there, too. Since I've never been to a temple for those purposes, I wouldn't have a clue. Maybe HG can comment on it for us. love you
Hi dudes, I'm so glad we got to go to the Open House together. To me, the temple feels very different at an Open House than it does when I'm doing ordinances there. I think every person has a different experience with the temple. For me, when I'm in a dedicated temple, I don't feel like I'm in heaven or anything, but I do feel close to God. I think that's because the ordinances are all about our eternal progression, so it makes me think a lot about who I was before this life and who I'll be in eternity. The ordinances are beautiful and uplifting, but everyone there is still human, and we often trip or say the wrong thing or forget what to do next. For me, as an anthropologist, it's fascinating to see how the temple experience forms a bond between eternal truths and our very limited mortal experiences.
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