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Temples

Richard O. Cowan

Temples occupy an important place in the spiritual lives of Latter-day Saints. Unlike the Church's thousands of meetinghouses worldwide that are open to the public, temples are entered only by those Church members who are recommended as worthy by local ecclesiastical leaders. Sacred ceremonies performed only in temples include the endowment instructions that emphasize the requirements for returning to God's presence and sealings that unite families for eternity. In temples, Latter-day Saints may also be baptized vicariously for deceased persons and receive these higher ordinances in their behalf.

The first temple, dedicated at Kirtland, Ohio, in 1836, consisted principally of two large auditoriums, one above the other. It served as the meetinghouse and spiritual headquarters for the Saints. Although remarkable divine manifestations occurred in this structure, it was abandoned when the Mormons were forced to leave northeastern Ohio. During the 1830s, the Saints dedicated sites for two other temples at Independence and Far West, Missouri, but persecution prevented construction there. Temple ordinances were inaugurated during the early 1840s, and the temple dedicated at Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846 included a baptismal font and other facilities designed for these sacred ceremonies. Once again, the Saints were compelled to abandon this temple, and soon afterward, it was burned by a mob and leveled by a tornado.

Cornerstones for the Salt Lake Temple were laid in 1853, but completion and dedication would come 40 years later. In the meantime, three other Utah temples were completed. The St. George Temple (1877) followed the basic pattern of earlier temples. The Logan Temple (1884), and Manti Temple (1888), however, replaced each lower auditorium with a series of rooms painted with murals to provide a setting for the instructions of the endowment. The Salt Lake Temple (1893) followed this new pattern and also provided special council rooms for general Church leaders. This six-spired structure has become perhaps the most widely recognized symbol of Mormonism.

The four temples dedicated during the first half of the 20th century reflected the Saints' geographical expansion. For the first time, the temples were not in the same state as Church headquarters: Laie, Hawaii (1919); Cardston, Alberta (1923); Mesa, Arizona (1927); and Idaho Falls, Idaho (1945). These omitted the upper auditorium and retained only the rooms for temple ordinances.

Thirteen more temples were completed during the next three decades. Three temples outside the United States were dedicated during the 1950s: in Switzerland in 1955, and in New Zealand and London in 1958. Rather than having the traditional series of muraled rooms, these three temples employed motion pictures to present the endowment in a single lecture room. Hence these structures were smaller, ranging from 34,000 to 38,000 square feet--less than half the size of most other temples. Furthermore, the films facilitated presentation of temple instructions in multiple languages.