Why Do Mormons Build Temples?
Temples are holy places where important ceremonies are performed and where God communicates with man on the earth. The Mormons build temples for similar reasons that the ancient Israelites did. The first and most fundamental reason is that God has commanded prophets to build them.
As the children of Israel traveled in the wilderness, God told Moses that the people should donate materials to build a tabernacle, a portable precursor to temples (Exodus 25:1-7). The offerings included gold, silver, brass, fine cloth, animal skins, wood, oil, spices, and precious stones (Exodus 25:1-7); these materials were valuable and hard to come by. Once constructed, the tabernacle served as a holy place where priests could perform their ceremonial duties, away from the distractions of regular life. The tabernacle had different areas to it, some more restricted than others (Exodus 26:33). The least restricted, outer area was where priests washed themselves and offered animal sacrifices (Exodus 29). The tabernacle also had an inner tent made of wood, overlaid with gold, and held together with golden rings (Exodus 26:29). The inner tent also was made special with curtains, linen, and embroidered scarlet that lined the walls (Exodus 26:1). In the innermost part of the tabernacle, the so-called “holy of holies,” only the presiding high priest (e.g., Moses) was allowed to enter. In this separate area, the Lord could commune with the high priest and tell him what the people needed to know (Exodus 25:8,22); this is also where the Ark of the Covenant was placed.
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| Diagram of ancient tabernacle, courtesy of Gabriel L. Fink |
After the Israelites had established themselves in Jerusalem, they were commanded to build a permanent version of the tabernacle: a temple. Some time earlier, an angel had made it known to David (through his servant Gad) that he should build “an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite” (1 Chronicles 21:18). After receiving that commandment, David began gathering stone, wood, and precious materials to be used in building a temple there (1 Chronicles 22:1-4). However, because David had been a man of war, the Lord told him to pass the temple project on to his son Solomon who grew up in a time of peace (1 Chronicles 22:6-16). Over the course of seven years (1 Kings 6:38), Solomon oversaw the building of the temple—hence it is referred to as “Solomon’s Temple.” The temple was patterned after the tabernacle, yet with more precious materials (1 Kings 6:21), and it was twice as large. Although Solomon’s temple served the people for many years, it was raided several times during wars, its precious materials were stolen or traded away, and it was eventually destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:9).
About 70 years after the temple’s destruction, the Israelites rebuilt the temple under the direction of Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:3; Ezra 6:15), although this time it was not nearly as ornate. Then around 17 B.C., after the Romans had taken control of Jerusalem, Herod the Great oversaw a huge effort to revamp and expand the temple. The construction process continued throughout Jesus’ life and was completed in 64 A.D., six years before “Herod’s temple” was demolished by a Roman army in response to a Jewish uprising (more). What little remained of the temple included the western, outer wall; to this day, many Jews treat this wall as a place of pilgramage and prayer (more), an indication of the importance that Jewish tradition still places on the temple. However, since the temple’s destruction, no significant rebuilding process has been undertaken; many Jews believe that a “third temple” will someday be built in the same location, but disagreement among the Jews and political disputes over the land have so far prevented it from happening (more).
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| Diagram of Herod’s temple (from www.bible-history.com) |
In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus visited the temple and considered it the house of God (Matthew 24:1; Luke 2:46). In one notable demonstration of the value He placed on the temple, Jesus cast out of the temple a group of people who were using it for financial gain (Matthew 21:12). After they were gone, Jesus healed the blind and lame in the temple (Matthew 21:13-14). Later, after Jesus was crucified, the veil of the temple, which separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, “was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matthew 27:51). One interpretation of the significance of its being torn in two is that Jesus’ sacrifice made it possible for all people to enter into God’s presence, not just the high priest (Hebrews 10:19-20).
Although few details are given, The Book of Mormon describes other temples that were built on the American continent by men who had emigrated from Jerusalem (2 Nephi 5:16; Helaman 3:14). Construction of the first of these temples was directed by Nephi, a prophet-leader. Also described in The Book of Mormon is a personal visit from Jesus Christ to a temple in the Americas, shortly after His death and resurrection (3 Nephi 11).
This long history of temple building and worshipping in temples served as a precursor to the temples that have been built (and continue to be built) in modern times by the Mormons. The first of these was in Kirtland, Ohio (USA), a small town settled by the Mormons in 1831. As the church began to grow, God commanded Joseph Smith to “build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:8). As with Moses and Solomon, Joseph was given specific requirements for the size of the temple and how it should be used. The temple was to be constructed “not after the manner of the world…[but] after the manner which [God] shall show….” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:13-14). After much financial sacrifice and physical labor by church members, the Kirtland Temple was completed and used for worship services; this temple still stands and can be visited by the public (http://www.kirtlandtemple.org). Several years later, Joseph Smith was commanded (Doctrine and Covenants 124:27) to lead an effort to build another temple in Nauvoo, Illinois (USA) (http://www.nauvootemple.com). The Nauvoo Temple was never fully completed and was vandalized and destroyed by mobs in the late 1840s, after Joseph Smith had been assassinated and most church members had emigrated to Utah. Upon arriving in Utah in 1847, the Mormon pioneers started building more temples. Perhaps the most famous is the Salt Lake City temple. Today there are more than 130 such temples throughout the world.
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| Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah |
So far this article has discussed the history of temples. Now the focus will be on the purposes of temples.
Temples can help form a connection between God and His children on the earth. As Solomon’s temple was being built, the Lord told him, “Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee…And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.” (1 Kings 6:12-13) Along similar lines, Mormons believe temples are the “house of the Lord” and that by worshiping in temples they can draw closer to God and receive answers to prayers more readily.
Temples also are places where people go to learn. During some Mormon temple rituals, information is shared about the origin and purposes of life. The people are taught about the Priesthood and what is required for them to return to God’s presence. Perhaps most importantly, people can gain personal spiritual guidance through answers to prayers.
But Mormon temple worship is about more than learning and prayer.
Anciently, temples served as places to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses. And among the ceremonies performed in ancient temples were animal sacrifices. The people would offer their firstborn flocks as a symbol of their willingness to give their best to God and as a way to be forgiven of sins. The sacrifices also were symbolic of the atoning sacrifice that would later be made by Jesus Christ, God’s firstborn son (Moses 5:4-8). After Jesus sacrificed for our sins, the laws requiring animal sacrifices were fulfilled (satisfied). Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5:17) Nowadays, instead of asking us to sacrifice animals, God asks us to offer a “broken heart and contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20). Accordingly, Mormons temple rituals are designed to draw the people’s hearts and spirits to God. Each ritual—or ordinance—is accompanied by a covenant, in which the person dedicates himself/herself to God by promising to follow Him in specific ways. In return, God promises help and guidance.
Mormon temple ordinances are performed in a specific order, as the person has prepared himself/herself for successively greater commitment to God. Upon receiving all the temple ordinances, the person is prepared to enter God’s presence after this life, as long as he/she continues faithful to the promises that have been made. In fact, Mormons believe that those who have not received all the temple ordinances—and thus have not taken on the associated covenants—are unprepared to return to God’s presence. Knowing that billions of people who have lived on the earth were unaware of temple ordinances and died without them, Mormons perform ordinances on their behalf. By acting in place of someone who died without the ordinances, Mormons believe it becomes possible for that individual (whose spirit may be waiting in anticipation for such to occur) to return to God’s presence. Mormons believe that if the person accepts the ordinances, it is as valid as if the person had received the ordinances during their life.
One ordinance that is performed in temples is baptism. When a person is baptized, he/she is immersed in a pool of water, a symbol of spiritual death and rebirth. The person also covenants with God to “serve him and keep his commandments” (Mosiah 18:10). In return, God promises to “pour out his Spirit more abundantly” in that person’s life (Mosiah 18:10). In temples, Mormons can get baptized on behalf of those who did not receive baptism during their life. Interestingly, the apostle Paul mentions such a practice in New Testament times (1 Corinthians 15:29).
How temple ordinances are performed and the words that are said are considered sacred, only to be known by those who have participated in them. However, participation in temple ordinances is available to any person who prepares himself/herself (Psalms 24:3-6) to accept the covenants associated with them. It would be inappropriate for someone to make such extensive commitments to God without being prepared to do so.
Finally, it’s important to mention that the most important temple ordinance that Mormons receive is called sealing (also known as “temple marriage”). In a sealing, a man and a woman make a covenant with God that they will be faithful to their spouse “for time and for all eternity” (more here). Having made that covenant, they are promised that they (and their children) can be together forever, not just “till death do us part.” Thus, the ultimate goal of Mormon temples is to bring families together and keep them together forever.
The following resources explain more about temples.
- The Holy Temple
- Video: Temples and family history
- Video: Why Mormons build temples
- Video: The blessings of the temple
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