Inside Mormon Temples
One of the purposes of the Mormon church is to help “perfect the Saints.” In other words, one of the Church’s goals is to help members (Saints) be as good as they can be. The Church does this by helping members in their personal efforts to follow the perfect example set by Jesus Christ.
Mormon temples are key in this goal of the Church. There are two important ways that the temples help: by providing a holy place apart from the world and through sacred ordinances.
A Holy Place
Temples are designed to be “set apart from the world,” thereby creating an atmosphere where God’s Spirit can have greater influence on faithful Church members. Those members of the Mormon church who keep minimum standards of conduct and have a strong faith in Jesus Christ are permitted to enter the temple. This is similar to ancient temples, where only those who went through a process of purification were permitted into the inner courts of the temple. As in ancient times, those who have prepared to enter the temple—those who meet the minimum standards—are able to participate in temple activities and receive the blessings available there. This concept was stated quite clearly by James Faust, a member of the Church’s First Presidency:
“The days our our lives will be greatly blessed as we frequent the temples to learn the transcending spiritual relations we have with Diety. We need to try harder to be found standing in holy places. [James E. Faust, "Standing in Holy Places," Ensign (May 2005), 67.]
To those who are prepared, the temple is a “holy place” where the Spirit of the Lord can freely dwell. In this way Mormon temples serve as a kind of sanctuary to those who attend them, providing a place that is holy and has been set aside as a house of the Lord. They are places for prayer, thought, reflection, and revelation.
A Place for Ordinances
The second way in which temples help to perfect the Saints is through holy ordinances that can only be performed within the temples. These special ordinances are ritualistic ceremonies performed as a way to signify covenants made between the member and God.
One common temple ordinance in Old Testament times was the sacrificing of animals to God. The sacrifice itself did nothing for the people; it served as a symbolic reminder of the sacrifice that would one day come through the Lord Jesus Christ. While the need for animal sacrifice was removed after the death and resurrection of the Jesus Christ (the Eternal Sacrifice), the New Testament indicates that ordinances and the covenants they represented did not cease. The Gospel of Matthew provides the following account:
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)
The apostles ate bread and drank water that as a symbol of the sacrifice which Christ was about to make. This same ritual, or ordinance, is practiced by many Christians to this day. The ordinance goes by many different names, such as the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or (in the Mormon church) the Sacrament, but it is essentially the same ordinance instituted in New Testament times.
Not only do ordinances remind us of an event, but they are a sign of covenants made with the Lord. A covenant is a two-way promise. Those who are baptized make a covenant with the Lord to strive to follow the example of Christ and repent of their sins. In return, the Lord promises that if the person keeps his or her part of the covenant, He will forgive that person of their sins when he or she comes to Him with their mistakes and a sincere heart, with a real desire to change.
Inside Mormon temples there two primary ordinances performed. The first is known as the temple endowment and the second as the sealing ordinance. The first ordinance is designed for individuals, and the second is designed to create eternal families. These ordinances are very sacred and holy, so faithful Mormons don’t discuss their details outside of the temple, even with each other.
Ordinances for Others
Not only are temples provided so that ordinances can be done for the living, but ordinances in Mormon temples can also be done for those who are dead. Mormons believe that earthly ordinances must be performed, even for those who are no longer capable of performing those ordinances for themselves. Billions of people have lived on this earth without ever hearing the name of Christ, or coming to understand the sacrifice He made for them. Would a loving or just God consign His children to hell for not believing in someone of whom they had never heard?
Ordinances offered in the temple for living members of the Mormon church are also performed for those who have passed on. Temple marriage, sealings, and endowments are performed with someone symbolically standing in for the person who is deceased. Baptisms are also performed by proxy (with someone standing in) for these people who have passed on.
We have no way of knowing who will or will not accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, so temple ordinances are performed for everyone who has passed on. To have someone who has passed on baptized by proxy does not commit that deceased person to accept a “Mormon baptism.” Instead, it merely gives that person the opportunity to accept or reject the ordinance as they choose.