--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 32 number: 12 published: 1929-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "*Improvement Era* 32, no. 12 (October 1929). Salt Lake City: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, October 1929." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera32012unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera32012unse curator_note: Internet Archive issue scan; advertising and unpaginated plates omitted. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1929-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera32012unse publication_year: 1929 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1929, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Improvement Era, October 1929 Improvement Era Vol. XXXII OCTOBER, 1929 No. 12 Temple Ceremonies By James H. Anderson THERE are certain temple ceremonies always connected with temples of God. In Solomon's temple there were certain pre- cincts which only the high priest was permitted to enter, for participation in the rites pertaining thereto. In the temple referred To those rites and ceremonies consisted of oral instruction and il- lustrating symbols indicating the progress of mankind. 1 hey told of the beginnings of men's occupancy of the earth, of the instructions from God, and the conditions and rewards pertaining thereto. 1 hey told also of the efforts of the evil power to draw mankind away from the precepts of Deity. They explained how observance of those precepts brought peace and joy and happiness throughout the ages- and how disregard thereof brought the opposite result. They indicated how that through the activity of evil powers, per- secution and mortal suffering necessarily would come to those who sought to live righteous lives; but that when human selfishness, greed and unlawful desires were overcome by the principle of sac- rificing these human appetites by overcoming them there would come victory over those baser human attributes, and these attributes wTuld be replaced by God-like attributes of a higher and nobler life They also pointed out that as in his superior wisdom God knoweth best, the noblest results are achieved by obedience to his laws, despite the temptations, devices, difficulties and persecutions inspired from an evil source, of which men sometimes are ignorantly the agents These rites and ceremonies, consisting of oral and symbolic instruction, constitute the temple ceremonies. In Solomon's temple this ritual contained historical record only up to the time of its administration. As a history in symbol and recital it could contain no more. Beyond this, there are the sacred promises for the future, as given in prophetic symbol and P^phetic promise. The chief of these pertained to the anticipated resurrection from the dead, and the eternal judgment which awarded to man- kind the result of their actions, based upon their conformity to God's law, as they had opportunity which comes m great measure from their diligence in adopting that conformity. The actual sym-