President Ezra Taft Benson posed this inquiry to the Saints during the October, 1988 General Conference:
“Do we periodically participate in all of the temple ordinances and thus receive the full blessings of vicarious work for our ancestors? Do we return to the temple often to receive the personal blessings that come from regular temple worship? Prayers are answered, revelation occurs, and instruction by the Spirit takes place in the holy temples of the Lord.”
I look at my ward every month, and I have to pose an inquiry, myself:
“What will it take to get these bozos to the temple?”
Our congregation resides some 16 miles from the Los Angeles Temple. Two weeks before stake temple day (every other month) and ward temple day (monthly — we integrated it with stake temple day every other month to help memberships get their numbers) we start telling members to make plans to go. Over the course of the week before temple day, we implore members to exercise their recommends, send reminder emails, emphasize that this is why we’re here on earth, to be saviors to our kindred dead, etc. Our pleas are met with discouragement colored in deadpan. The turnouts are uninspiring. The usual suspects who show up, mostly leaders, smile appreciatively at each other, with a hint of disappointment there aren’t more.
If you saw the droves who waited in the foyer to get their new bar code recommends, you’d think they were giving away free turkeys with each interview. For some reason, I suspect, it’s more important to be a card-carrying member than to hustle up a babysitter and blow a couple of hours performing what President Hinckley called “the ultimate in our worship… the most profound expressions of our theology.” It’s embarrassing when you think about it. I only wish the felons would join in on the mortification. 16 miles… while some family from Fubutu saves a year’s income to make one trip in their lifetime.
I have to admit, although I go every month, it does still feel like an effort. The more incomplex member would tell you that’s Satan up to his wacky hijinx. However, since I’m one that likes to make things more complicated, I try to find more personal motives, such as the pain of spiritual toxins coming out of my spiritual pores, or the natural discomfort of being removed from “the world” and just sitting & knowing exactly every detail of what’s to come. This irritation of my natural manliness is offset by the desire to “do what is right” and the anticipation of the great glow I feel when I’m done. Plus– and this is probably inappropriate to say– but the sisters look so attractive in the celestial room, glowing themselves.
In the April, 1993 General Conference, Thomas S. Monson quoted President Benson, who said this about temple attendance:
“I am grateful to the Lord for temples. The blessings of the House of the Lord are eternal. They are of the highest importance to us because it is in the temples that we obtain God’s greatest blessings pertaining to eternal life. Temples really are the gateways to heaven.”
“May we remember always, as we visit and work in these glorious temples, that the veil may become very thin between this world and the spirit world. I know this is true.”
“It is well also that we keep in mind that it is all one great program on both sides of the veil and it is not too important whether we serve here or over there, as long as we serve with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.”
My next plan of attack is to see if we can get a volunteer YW babysitting campaign and a carpool campaign rolling for February. See if we can’t shake a few more of those complacent koalas out of the proverbial eucalyptus trees.
Come to think of it, maybe those free turkeys aren’t a bad idea, either.
19 responses so far ↓
1 xoxoxoxo // Feb 5, 2008 at 3:01 am
Three hints to consider-
1-Offer free chocolate/sweets/pastries/or various other forms of bribery instead of turkey.
2-Don’t pay up until AFTER the session is completed.
3-Hold all future temple recommend interviews IN the parking lot of the temple.
Sadly, I often think to myself on such occasions, that these are the “ratios” that will be eternally obvious between kingdoms. They say the Terrestrial Kingdom is the biggest-filled with good people who just weren’t completely faithful.
But hey-maybe your ward members attend the temple on so many other days of the month that they just don’t have time to go “again” on ward/stake temple night???? Huh? Positive thinking!!! Besides…they’ll have a thousand years of it in the future anyway…maybe they are taking it slow for now….
2 Jim // Feb 5, 2008 at 5:22 am
David,
Here in Utah, our temple is approximately 10 minutes away, and we have the same issues. It is surprising.
With our busy lives, attending the temple will always seem a little inconvenient unless we make it a high priority. How will we face the pioneers when they sacrificed so much and we often sacrifice so little?
One thing that helps me is to break the monotony by doing different ordinances. In fact, I probably do more initiatory and sealing work than I do endowment sessions. It has been fun to go with the youth for baptisms too.
3 David // Feb 5, 2008 at 3:39 pm
xoxoxoxo,
If I do end up passing free turkeys, you can bet it’ll be after they come out of the session– the last thing they need before going in is a whopping dose of tryptophan.
I’d like to think positively, that they go on other days (believe me, the thought crossed my mind), but the bishop himself shares my frustration and I have to believe he knows more about the situation than I do. Hmmm… maybe a new session movie with celebrities? A Katherine Heigl Eve and Aaron Eckhart Adam? Mike Huckabee as Satan?
Jim,
I like doing baptisms for the dead and sealings, but seldom do, only when I get pulled aside and asked if I’d like to help there. My favorite activity is working the veil, especially with the sisters– seeing all those happy faces.
4 Chris Bigelow // Feb 5, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Guilty. I live about two blocks from the Provo temple and am lucky to make it once a year. My life has become so busy that I just have a very difficult time sacrificing the three precious hours, and plus I find it somewhat, um, tedious and boring. I don’t seem to get much meditative or spiritually therapeutic benefit out of it; instead, I’m usually either sleepy or antsy.
I really wish they could cut it way down and simplify it, at least for the repeat visits. In other words, do the full-blown movie and everything for first-timers, do a way-stripped-down version for work for the dead; or better, make both available at all times, for whatever people choose–sometimes a quickie, sometimes a full refresher course.
5 Spencer // Feb 6, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I love the honesty from Chris Bigelow! I have to admit that there have been times where I too have struggled to get “edified” on repeat visits if there isn’t enough time in-between them. Once a year, though, wouldn’t be enough for me. I just love the whole feeling of being at the temple, and I’ve tried to lower my expectations in terms of how much I expect to “learn” each time. Then I can go away happy with a simple spiritual impression that means something to me personally. PS: I understand that already changes have been made that perhaps “cut it down” a bit. Looking forward to my next visit…
6 John // Feb 6, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that while it is always nice to get something for us out of going to the temple, what we are really doing is performing acts of service FOR others.
The service we give (baptisms, endowments, sealings, etc.) for the dead is paramount. Any blessings we receive (other than when we do our own work) is a by-product of that service. We would not find ourselves contemplating our own questions, desires, and problems in that sacred setting if we were not there in the first place to help others.
On another note, I sometimes think temple attendence is inversely proportional to the distance the temple is from you!
7 Jim // Feb 6, 2008 at 4:51 pm
John,
I don’t completely disagree and perhaps this isn’t what you suggested, but if our sole purpose of attending the temple is to perform proxy ordinances, temple work may become drudgery, we may miss opportunities for learning, blessings, and joy, and our attendance may be infrequent.
I believe the blessings *we* can receive for doing proxy work are just as real and as beneficial for *us* as the ordinances are for those that we do them for. In my mind, it is equally important that we go to the temple for ourselves as it is for those for whom we perform ordinances.
In other words, I don’t see any problem with viewing the temple as a place that we go for solace, worship, peace, inspiration, etc. and that the fact that someone else has the opportunity to accept these ordinances is the by-product of our attendance at the temple and not vice versa.
When viewed this way, at least for me, the temple then becomes a joy, a blessing, and something that we seek to participate in as often as possible.
8 David // Feb 6, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I’m going to have to lean towards the “service for others” side as the primary reason for going, and the learning-solace-inspiration aspect– although a powerful by-product– isn’t the bottom-line motivation. The urgency is set on having the work done for our kindred dead. But because of the nature of the temple and access it has to the spirit world, we become the beneficiaries of wonderful personal blessings as well– the least not being that we cannot be saved without our dead. Keeping it real, I admit our personal ultimate goal is to get back in one piece ourselves, but in order to do that, we have to help the others get there, too. It’s a tough deal, but there it is.
9 Spencer // Feb 6, 2008 at 7:08 pm
It’s nice to think about doing service for others in the temple, but let’s be honest, we’re thinking about those covenants in terms of how they relate to us–empowering our lives now. Every once in awhile I will glance down at the name of the guy who has passed on, but other than that it doesn’t do much for me. If that were the only reason for going to the temple I would simply wait until the millennium and let it get done then. But that isn’t the only motivation; temple attendance helps and fortifies us in the here and now.
PS: Now that I think about it, maybe I ought not to feel too guilty about not doing family history and just wait until the millennium to do that. Surely it would free up some time now and it will be easier then anyway!
10 Jim // Feb 6, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Fortunately it doesn’t have to be an either/or- we provide a needed service *and* we receive blessings there. Both are reasons to go to the temple. And the important thing is that we go. Hopefully we benefit while we are there, and hopefully we return as often as possible.
11 Spencer // Feb 6, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Well said Jim. Well said. I sure enjoy all the perspectives and the discussion!
PS: David, I missed the “Mike Huckabee as Satan” comment the first time I read the post. That sure gave me a chuckle!
12 Chris Bigelow // Feb 7, 2008 at 11:35 pm
OK, my question is, does the temple movie help the dead person for whom we’re doing the work? Do they get to or need to somehow watch it through our eyes?
Because if not, then I really think it’s overkill to make us watch the movie every single time we go through for someone else. Seriously.
I mean, keep the prayer circle, but other than that, I say strip it down to the ordinance essentials, at least as an option for those not wishing to sit through the movie ad nauseum.
13 David // Feb 8, 2008 at 2:48 am
I think it’s more, for us, a retention thing. You have to admit it’s better than the live sessions when the sweet grandmas and grandpas did the parts. “I SAID… !”
14 xoxoxoxo // Feb 8, 2008 at 6:14 am
Huckabee IS Satan…those who are trying to get him elected want that whole Anti Christ thing to happen.
Chris and Spencer-
I hear that people who dodge temple attendance during mortality are consigned to spend the entire Millenium doing temple work….just a thought. *g*
As a mother, I can tell you that any place on Earth that prevents my children from being near me for 3 hours IS Heaven and a celestial version of it proper. I LOVE just walking the halls and breathing in the peace…the dignity…the elegance. It is my Father’s house and since my earth father has passed away, I delight in knowing I can “go home and visit” my HF and all I need is an unsuspecting babysitter and a personal loan!
The dh and I started going to do sealings when our stake assignment comes around and we have had THE most hilarious experiences! One time our sealer was the brother of a GA-the stories he would tell in the breaks were either goosebumpy cool or hysterically funny. The next time they brought a women in so the group could help her seal her great grandparents to her grandparents and we all cried with her as she thanked us profusely.
If the “session” is boring for you, there are plenty of other ways to serve in the temple that are anything but!
15 David // Feb 8, 2008 at 3:45 pm
xoxoxoxo,
Huckabee IS Satan…those who are trying to get him elected want that whole Anti Christ thing to happen.
Boy, did you hit the nail on the head there:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120243323721852411.html
16 Chris Bigelow // Feb 8, 2008 at 11:33 pm
My mom said the other day at the temple they got an old guy leading the prayer circle who kept saying big, long, rambling passages without stopping to let the group repeat it back.
And then when he would finally stop, my mom said it was HILARIOUS because everyone would just mumble-mumble-mumble and watch either other so they could all finish at the same time on the old guy’s last word, which they DID remember.
17 David // Feb 9, 2008 at 12:22 am
Oh, I wish I were there. Priceless.
18 queuno // Feb 9, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I didn’t attend the temple for a while. Not a worthiness issue, I just didn’t feel like going.
What made a difference is when I *needed* the temple — I needed answers to a temporal problem and found solace in the temple. And it dawned on me that I should have that eternal input all the time.
But I don’t view temple worship as “Church”, and I suspect that’s what gets people into a rut. We add up our hours we spend preparing lessons or serving as clerks or leaders and home teaching and Sunday service and family scripture study and FHE, and we think — “I’m doing my part”.
It’s EASIER, so much so, to attend the temple when you approach it as part of self-maintenance. How many hours do you spend on hobbies? On working out? On reading? On going for a drive to clear your head? Approach the temple this way — not as Church — and it makes it easier to justify the 3 hours or so.
When we start taking the temple personally, we find it critical to attend.
And to Chris’ point, the presentation is for you, not for the dead. I have to fight through it at times, but sometimes, in between the repetitive lines, I find some gems. I think when we become familiar with the words, we can see past them to additional truth.
19 Andy // Mar 20, 2008 at 10:37 am
I have a problem with those who complain that the temple ordinance sessions are “too long.”
Ahem, this IS the edited-for-prime-time version! It is shortened even from when I received my own endowments in the eighties.
And if you ever get a chance to go into the Special Collections area of the Family History Library, please look up the pre-Endowment House ordinance books when the pioneers had to CLIMB up Mount Ensign before starting an ALL-DAY (yes, sunrise until sunset) endowment session. Then, take notice of just how many of them give the weather as “Raining” or “Hailing” or “Snowing”. No cover, on top of a mountain!
Once you do that, you can think about complaining about not being able to set aside two hours of a month to visit your local temple and do a session.
“Just do it.”
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