Why do the Latter-day Saints Build Temples?

— ;;

Why do the Latter-day Saints Build Temples?

1!Y JAMES E. TAEMACE, OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE

[As the author of the following excellent article makes plain, the

subject is one of great scope and supreme importance, while the space

available for its elucidation is limited. For a comprehensive trcdt-

ment we refer our readers, with earnest commendation, to the splendid

work, "The House of the Lord," written by Dr. James E. Talmage, and

published by the Church. The book named embraces "A Study of

Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and Modern," and deals specifically with

the Provisional Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and

the Third Tabernacle of Israel's early history, together with the suc-

—

ceeding temples, of Solomon, of Zerubbabel, and of Herod; and

more particularly witji the temples of the present dispensation, the

work therein performed, and the doctrine of temple ministration.

Moreover, the book includes numerous half-tone plates, each of full-

page size, showing exterior and interior views of modern temples.

Excepting offtces, storage closets, and other minor apartments, every

room in the great Temple at Salt Lake City, is pictured. Latter-day

Saints should be informed concerning the purpose and scope of tem-

'

ple service as at present administered. Editors.]

The Latter-day Saints are known and distinguished as a

temple-building people. Among the numerous churches, sects,

societies and associations professing belief in the principles of

Christianity, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is

alone in the acceptance and practise of the doctrine of temple

service. Other religious bodies build houses of worship, ranging

from humble chapels to great synagogues and stately cathedrals

but for none of these edifices, however great or imposing they may

be, is the claim advanced that they are intended for use as temples,

in the true and specific sense of the term.

Be it remembered that temples are not designed for purposes

of general assembly or congregational worship, as are church

buildings in general, but for the administration of ordinances in

service regarded as sacred. It is both interesting and instructive

to note that this characteristic applies alike to heathen temples

anl to sanctuaries reared to the name of the true and the living

God. The altar of sacrifice in pagan temples of old was erected

in front of the entrance to the structure ; and though devotees

thronged about the altar, none but the priests were admitted to

tb.e actual shrine, or inside the temple itself. So also with the

Tabernacle of the Congregation, which was a portable sanctuary

constructed by the people of Israel in their migration from Egypt

and so with the imposing Temple of Solomon, the Temple of

THE LOGAN TEMPLE

This imposing structure is located upon an elevation above the

city ofLogan in Cache county, Utah. The corner stone was laid on

the 19th of September, 1877. The mason work was completed De-

cember 22, 1882, and the building was dedicated on the 17th of May,

1884. The structure is built of dark-colored siliceous stone; the

water tables, string courses, and the caps of the battlements and

towers, are of a light bufif sandstone. The dimensions of the out-

side of the building are 171 by 95 feet and 85 feet high to the square.

The octagon towers on each corner are 100 feet high and the large

sciuare towers at each end are respectively, on the west 165 feet high.

:

714 IMPROVEMENT ERA

and on the east 170 feet to the top of the vane. There are 51 rooms,

the large assembly room seating 1500 people, and the cost of the

building was approximately $665,000. Truman O. Angell, Jr., archi-

tect. There are eight acres of land connected with the temple. The

immediate surroundings of the temple are planted in lawns, orna-

mental trees, flower beds and shrubs. Other portions of the grounds,

on the west and south, are at present undergoing a general improve-

ment with the idea in view of making the temple block one of the

most beautiful spots in Cache county. The interior of the building

is kept scrupulously clean by the voluntary services of the Cache

Stake Relief Societies, and annually a renovation of the whole build-

ing is conducted by the Relief Societies of the Logan temple district.

The grounds are cared for by an experienced gardener who has kept

tliem neat and attractive.

Zerubbabel, and the greatest of all, the Temple of Herod in each

;

of these, spacious courts were enclosed by an outer wall, with

altars and other equipment, within which courts the people con-

gregated according to prescribed rule and order but the sanctuary

;

itself was a relatively small structure, reserved for the most holy

ordinances and ceremonial ministry.

Profitable as would be a study of the sanctuaries erected by

Israel of old, the purpose of the present writing and the space

limits imposed forbid the undertaking here, and the reader is

referred to special works treating this important and interesting

subject."

Temples are a necessity in the present dispensation. Without

them the revealed purposes of God would fail in fulfilment. In the

long ago the Lord said unto Moses

—

"Behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the im-

—

mortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.)

We affirm that temples are indispensable to the accomplish-

ment of this Divine undertaking, and in support of this affirmation

present the following facts.

Mortal man is in a fallen state, shut out from Heaven, the

abode of God, as surely as were our first parents shut out from

Eden after their transgression.

The power of death, which came to human-kind through the

Fall, is robbed of its permanency by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus

Christ, whereby the resurrection of the dead was inaugurated.

The resurrection of the dead will be universal, the victory of

Christ over death thus being extended to all men irrespective of

their righteous or sinful state.

The resurrection, however, constitutes the redemption of the

soul from death, deliverance from the temporary victory of the

oSee "The House of the Lord," particularly Chapter I, for a brief

treatment of temples in general, and Chapter II for a more detailed

description of holy sanctuaries of earlier dispensations.

WHY DO THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS BUILD TEMPLES? 715

g'rave, and not salvation from the etTects of individual sin. The

resurrected sinner will have to meet the just and inevitable results

of his evil career, as surely as will the righteous stand in their

resurrected bodies to receive the eternal blessings that constitute

the fruitage of their devoted lives.

The atonement wrought by Jesus Christ provides not only

for the redemption of the soul through the breaking of the thrall

of death, but also for the saIi'atio)i of every soul who accepts the

conditions prescribed and established, which conditions are sum-

marized in the requirement of "obedience to the lazvs and ordi-

nances of the Gospel."

Great and glorious as is the boon of redemption from the

power of the great destroyer manifest in the resurrection of the

dead, greater and more glorious as is the provision made for the

salvation of the soul, the revealed Gospel of Jesus Christ provides

yet more transcendent blessings in the plan of exaltation, whereby

resurrected man may advance from one stage of relative perfection

to another, until he attains the rank and title of God-ship with

powers of eternal increase and never ending progression.

The laws and ordinances of the Gospel so far as required for

salvation.— specifically the individual exercise of saving faith in

the Lord Jesus Christ, the manifestation of true repentance involv-

ing the actual renunciation of sin, submission to the duly author-

ized ordinance of water-baptism by immersion for the remission

of sins, and to the higher baptism of the Spirit through the au-

thoritative imposition of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost,

— these requirements may be met and the saving efifects thereof

may be secured, without temples. But the endowment incident

to the Holy Priesthood with its boundless possibilities of progress,

in short, compliance with the laws and ordinances of the Gospel

requisite to exaltation in the eternal worlds, are obtainable only in

the House of the Lord, for so the Lord hath declared.

Among the ordinances of particular import and solemnitv ad-

ministered exclusively within the temples is that of Celestial Mar-

riage, or Sealing in the marriage covenant. The distinguishing

feature of this, the holiest order of matrimony, is that it involves

covenants by the parties so sealed, and pronouncement of the

validity of the marriage contract by the officiating authority, for

time and for all eternity, and not merely for the period of mortal

life as provided for in ceremonies of marriage under the civil law,

or as performed by other churches. The Latter-day Saints recog-

nize as legal and binding all marriages duly solemnized in accord-

ance with the laws of existing government and furthermore the

;

Church sanctions and performs marriages for time only, among

its members who are not eligible to enter the Temple, or who

choose the lesser and temporal status in marriage. But, knowing

as we know, through specific revelation from Heaven, that the

716 IMPROVEMENT ERA

family rfldtionships established on earth under the authority of

th'jHoly Priesthood, shall be lasting and binding beyond the grave,

provided, of course, the individuals maintain their worthiness

through righteous living, we regard as the full and complete or-

dinance of marriage only that by which the parties are wedded for

eternity as well as for the period of mortal existence. Persons so

united by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood are said

to be scaled, whereas those who wed for time alone are said to be

married only. The state of union under the higher order of mat-

rimony is generally known as Celestial Marriage, though the term

is not found in any of the revelations comprised within the stand-

ard works of ths Church. No marriage is solemnized within the

temples among the Latter-day Saints which is in any particular at

variance with the civil law as far as the marriage ordinance ap-

;

plies to mortal life, it recognizes and complies with all the require-

ments of earthly law and legal government.

Sealing ordinances other than those of marriage are admin-

istered within the temples. Children born to parents legally mar-

ried, though at first under secular law only, may be sealed to those

parents, provided the parents, subsequent to their civil marriage,

have been sealed to each other in the order of Celestial Marriage.

No living persons can be sealed for eternity within the temples

who are not lawfully married, for the period of mortal life in ac-

cordance with existing laws of the land, either by prior ceremony

or at the time the seaHng ordinance is performed.

This, then, is one answer to the question as to why the Latter-

—

day Saints build temples that they may therein receive the en-

dowments associated with the Holy Priesthood, and the sealing

ordinances through which the perpetuity of family relationship

shall be binding even after death, which blessings, if faithfully

lived up to throughout life, shall make possible an exaltation in

the Kingdom of our Father. The possibility of securing such

assurances, which are beyond the power of man to comprehend in

their fulness, makes the labor and sacrifice involved in the erection

and maintenance of temples today appear incomparably small,

and enhances the privilege or opportunity to take part in this di-

vinely-appointed work as beyond any material wealth the world

affords or honors that man can bestow.

However, the beneficient purposes of temples are not for the

benefit of the living alone. The temples of the present dispensa-

tion are maintained for the blessing of both the living and the

dead and the holy ministrations performed within their sacred

;

precincts outnumber for the dead many fold the ordinances therein

adminiFtcred for the living.

Vicarious labor in behalf of the departed, providing means

for their salvation and exaltation in the Kingdom of God, is

peculiar to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While

— ;

'I'll !•: .MAN'ii 'ri'.iMi'i.i':

This l)faulifiil stnicttirc is located on a liiuii (.Icvalion in Manti

Cily. It was begun in 1.S72, and dedicated on the 21st day of May,

1HS8. It is built of oolite stone of a light cream color, and cost ap-

l)roxiniately $1,0()0,()()(). The outside dimensions of the building arc

171 by 95 feet, and 82 feet to the square. There arc forty-three

rooms. William H. Folsom architect. Tn connection with the temple

there are 26 acres of land which are beautifully laid out in lawns.

The whole slope by which the temple is approached is carpeted with

an excellent lawn beautified with trees and flowers. I-lach tree is set

in a great artificial flower pot liollovved out for its accommodation in solid

rock.

tl^edoctrine of salvation for the dead was understood in earlier

today in the creed of no

(lis])ensations, belief therein is set forth

church aside from the Church that builds temples and provides

for the savini^ ordinances pertaining thereto. Argument to su]i-

port the doctrine that obedience to the lazvs and ordinances of the

Gospel is absolutely essential to individual salvation need not be

attempted here.''

If, however, compliance with these prescribed laws and or-

dinances be the only way by which man may be saved and the —

scrii'tures both ancient and modern, are explicit in so declaring

is it not equally essential that the same requirements shall be made

of those who once lived and now are numbered with the dead?

When our Lord declared, "Except a man be born of water and of

the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

He made no distinction between the living and the dead. Further-

more, He declared that God "is not a God of the dead, but of the

living: for all live unto Him." (Luke 20:38.")

It would be difficult for the mind of man to conceive of the

justice of God in a plan of salvation accessible only to the com-

parative few who have heard the glad tidings while in the flesh,

to the exclusion of the myriads who have died without a knowledge

of th-^ Gospel.'^

Peter declared that the Gospel was preached "to them that are

dead, that they mieht.be judged according to man in the flesh, but

live according to God in the spirit." (I Peter 4:6.) The inaug-

uration of the work of declaring the Gospel to the dead was

effected by the crucified Christ between the time of His death on

the cross, and that of His triumphal coming-forth from the tomb

as the resurrected Lord. The Apostle last cited specifically de-

clares that our Lord "went and preached unto the spirits in prison

which sometime w^ere disobedient, when once the longsuffering of

God waited in the davs of Noah." (T Peter 3:1^, 20: compare

4:6.)

*See "The House of the Lord." Chapters III and IV.

"^For a treatment of the duties of the living in respect to their

vicarious labor for the dead, see "The Art-iclcs of Faith," pp. 148-159.

WHY DO THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS BUILD TEMPLES? 719

In view of scriptural afifirmation that the disembodied Christ

(Hd visit and minister among the spirits who had been disobedient,

and who, because of unpardoned sin were still held in duress, it

is pertinent to inquire as to the scope and object of our Savior's

ministry among them. His preaching must have been purposeful

and positive moreover, it is not to be assumed that His message

;

was other than one of relief and mercy. Those to whom He went

were already in prison, and had been there long. To them came

the Redeemer, to preach, not to further condemn, to open the way

that led to light, not to intensify the darkness of despair in which

they languished. Had not that visit of deliverance been long pre-

dicted? Centuries before that fateful time Isaiah had prophesied

of proud and wicked spirits "And they shall be gathered together,

:

as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the

prison, and after many days shall they be visited." And again,

referring to the appointed ministry of the Christ, the same inspired

voice of prophecv declared part of that work to be "to open the

blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them

that sit in darkness out of the prison house." David, filled with

the emotions of contrition and hope, sang in measures of mingled

sadness and joy: "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory re-

joiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave

my soul in hell."''

In support of the statement that baptism for the dead was un-

derstood and practised in an earlier dispensation, the authority of

Paul the Apostle is ofttimes cited. In his letter to the Saints of

Corinth he treats in a masterly manner the subject of the resurrec-

tion of the dead, and by way of illustration asks, "Else what shall

they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?

Whv then are they baptized for the dead?"-^ (I Cor. 15 :29.)

If it be necessary that the ordinance of water-baptism and the

authorized laying on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost

''See "TJic House of the Lord," p. 69.

'^"This passage has been the subject of much controversy. Dr.

Adam Clarke, in his masterly Commentary of tlic Scriptures, says:

'This is certainly the most difficult verse in the New

Testament; for,

notwithstanding the greatest and wisest men have labored to explain

it, there are to this day nearly as many different interpretations of it

as there are interpreters.' Yet, notwithstanding its supposedly enig-

matic meaning, this passage of scripture is part of the prescribed

burial service in the Episcopal church, and is duly spoken by the priest

at every interment. But wherein lies the difficulty of comprehension?

The passage is of plain import, and only when we attempt to make it

figurative do difficulties arise. It is plain that in Paul's day the ordi-

nance of baptism for the dead was both understood and practised, and

the apostle's argument in support of the doctrine of a literal resurrec-

tion is sound: If the dead rise not at all, why then were the people

of that day baptized for the dead?" See "The House of the Lord," p. 92.

:

720 improvF':mrnt era

l)c performed vicariously by the living in the interests of the salva-

tion of the dead, it is plainly evident that the hij^i^her ordinances

requisite to the possible exaltation of the departed shall be likewise

attended to by the livinijf as jiroxics for the dead.

This, then, is a further answer to the question as to why the

Latter-day Saints build temples and minister therein, that they —

thus provide the means whereby their departed ancestors who lived

and (lied without a knowled,Q'e of the saving Gospel of Christ in

its fulness may be saved and exalted, provided they accept the

Gosjiel as it is preached unto them in the spirit world, and thus

make it possible for the dead to be "judged according to man in

the fle!-h, but live according to God in the spirit."

Plainly, the commission to minister in behalf of the dead, if

indeed the vicarious labor is to be of any efifect beyond the grave,

must be given of God for it is impossible that men could create

;

or assume such authority. It is therefore pertinent to our present

subject to inquire as to the source and validity of the authority

claimed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to so

offici'ite.

In the last chapter of Malachi we find a vivid description of

the condition of mankind in the last days, and a prophecy of glad-

some promise in which the Lord says "Behold, I will send you

:

Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful

day of the Lord and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the

:

children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come

and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5, 6.) Consider

in connection with this scripture the following: On April 3, 1836,

in the first temple erected in modern times, that at Kirtland. Ohio,

a glorious manifestation was given to Joseph Smith and Oliver

Cowdery. in the course of which Elijah appeared to the two mod-

ern prophets and declared unto them

"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the

mouth of Malachi, testifying: that he (Elijah) should be sent beforc'

the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the hearts of the

fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole

earth be smitten with a curse. Therefore the keys of this dispensa-

tion are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the

great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even r.t the doors." (Doc-

trine and Covenants, Section 110:14, 16.)

in solid rock.

This, then, is the authority under which the Church is operat-

ing in its administration of saving ordinances in behalf of the

dead. Of old the Lord promised to send Elijah to bestow the

requisite power and authority for this particular work; Elijah has

come in the discharge of his special function and mission. Is there

not apparent a striking order and fitness in the fact that this great

work of uniting the interests of the living and the dead was au-

thorized and establislTrd through the ministry of Elijah, the

THE ST. GEORGE TEMPLE

This edifice is located in St. George, Washington county, Utah.

The first stone was laid on the 10th day of March, 1873, and work

was continued until January 1, 1877, when the lower part was dedi-

cated. Ordinance work began January 9, that year, with 223 bap-

tisms for the dead. The final dedication was made April 6, 1877.

The basement, or lower story, is of volcanic stone from the "black

rock quarry" west of town. The two upper stories are of red sand-

stone, the whole plastered with lime mortar and whitewash. The

cost of the building was about $500,000. The length is 141 feet 8

inches and the width 93 feet four inches. From the ground to the

top of the parapet the height is 84 feet; from the ground to the top

of the tower, 175 feet. The two large rooms measure 99 by 78 feet.

There are 54 rooms in the building, not including the halls, vesti-

bules, etc. The architect was Truman O. Angell, with Miles Romney

in charge of construction. There are twelve and four-fifths acres of

land in connection with the building. The block upon which the

temple is located is laidwalks, lawns and flowerbeds, with

off in

shrubs, vines, trees, etc., kinds in addition.

of various The temple

stands in the center of a city block which contains si.x and two-fifths

: — ;

722 IlMPRDVl'lMI.N'I' KRA

acres of land. A cily l)l()ck of land adjoiniiij;; the temple block on the

east also belongs to the temple, but has not been improved or culti-

vated. An annex 25Vj by 86 feet on the north side of the temple con-

tains eight rooms, only three of which are in use. The tower, after

the dedication, was remodeled, the present tower being designed by

William 11. Folsom.

prophet who was taken Ijodily from earth without iindergoini^ the

who. then'fore, stood in a special and peculiar

chaiii^c of death, and

relationship to hoth the living inhahitants of earth and the de-

parted?

The scriptures proclaim the mutual dependency of ancestors

and posterity in the plan of eternal advancement and exaltation

without the co-oj'jcration of hoth the fathers and the children the

])lan lacks ftdfilment. The £:^reat truth revealed and outlined

through Malaclii has heen made clear in its simplicity and fulness

in the present ai^e. The Prophet Joseph Smith thus taught:

"The earth will be smitten with a curse, unless there is a welding

link of some kind or other, between the fathers and the children, upon

some subject or other, and behold what is that subject? It is the

baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect;

neither can they without us be made perfect." (Doctrine and Covenants,

Section 128:18.)

As already stated in brief, certain ordinances for the living

such as the endowment associated with the Holy Priesthood, and

—

the sealing ceremonies, ^together with all the vicarious service for

and in behalf of the dead, are administered nowhere outside the

sacred precincts of temples duly erected and dedicated, for these

purposes, to the Most High. As early as 1841 the Lord made it

plain through revelation that a house must be erected to His name,

if the people would be partakers in the blessings of eternal riches

offered them. In explanation of this necessity, and by way of in-

struction as to procedure, the Lord said

"For there is not a place found on earth that he may come and

restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken

away, even the fulness of the Priesthood; for a baptismal font there is

not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those

who are dead; for this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot

be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are

not able to build a house unto me. But I command you, all ye my

saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient

time to build a house unto me, and during this time your baptisms

shall be acceptable unto me. But behold, at the end of this appoint-

ment, your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me;

and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment, ye shall

be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.

For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufificient time to

build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead

belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the

foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be ac-

ceptable unto me, for therein are the keys of the Holy Priesthood, or-

WHY DO THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS BUILD TEMPLES? 723

dained that you may receive honor and glory. And after this time,

your baptisms for the dead, by those who are scattered abroad, are

not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord; for it is ordained that in Zion,

and in her stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have ap-

pointed for refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead.

And again, verily I say unto you. How shall your washings be accept-

able unto me, except ye perform them in a house which you have

built to my name? For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he

should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the

wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those

ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the

world was; therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and

your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn

assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices, by the sons of

Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places, wherein you

receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the begin-

ning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory,

honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the

ordinance of my holy house which my people are always commanded

to build unto my holy name. And verily I say unto you, Let this

house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances

therein, unto my people; for I deign to reveal unto my church, things

which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world,

things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times." {Doc-

trine and Covenants, Section 124:28-41.)

On the grounds heretofore specified, the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims to the world the absolute

necessity of temples in this the dispensation of the last days and;

furthermore affirms that the commission and appointment to erect

temples and to minister therein, together with all authority re-

quisite thereto, have been placed upon the Church. As to the

devotion and fidelity with which this sacred charge has been met,

the history of temple-building and maintenance already made is

sufficient answer. Six temples have been reared by the Latter-

day Saints, and a seventh has just been begun. These, in the

order of their completion are the temples, at (1) Kirtland, Ohio;

(2) Nauvoo, Illinois; (3) St. George, Utah; (4) Logan, Utah;

(5) Manti, Utah; (6) Salt Lake City; and, (7) the one now in

course of construction at Cardston, Canada.

Of the temples already completed, that at Nauvoo was de-

stroyed by incendiaries the others are standing today, though the

;

Kirtland structure is no longer used as a temple, nor is it in the

possession of the Church whose devoted members built it in pov-

erty and suffering. The temples in Utah are in constant service

for the administration of holy ordinances. In conclusion let it be

here repeated, as elsewhere written in relation to modern temple-

work :

"This labor has already attained a magnitude at once impres-

sive and surprising. Ordinances of baptism with accompanying

confirmation, ordination in the Priesthood, and sealing both in the

relation of husband and wife and in that of parents and children,