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Running Champion Bernard Lagat and Nandi Initiation

Bryce Haymond — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:28:22 +0000

U.S. professional running champion, Bernard Lagat

It is fascinating to me all the places that I hear or see or read glimpses of temple theology, the “scattered fragments” of ritual tradition¹. As Nibley found out, and taught extensively, these remnants are found all around us, everywhere. My wife was listening to the radio on the way to the grocery store last week, and heard part of a program on Classical 89 that related to the Creation song. She came home and told me about it, and I was immediately interested, and tracked down the transcription. I’m still studying that, and will write about it soon. But today, again, I was reading the February 2010 edition of Runner’s World, of all places, and came across references to ritual initiation and rites of passage.

The story is about Bernard Lagat², a Kenyan-born world-class U.S. professional running athlete, who is a two-time Olympic medalist, has several World Championship titles, and several U.S. records in the 1500m, mile, 3000m, and 5000m races. Just last week, Lagat set a record for number of victories in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York, having won the race eight times (last week in 3 minutes 56.34 seconds). Tonight, Lagat is trying to set a U.S. record in the indoor 5000m at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, for which he’ll have to beat a time of 13:18.12, and which is also his debut in the indoor event.

The remarkable thing about Bernard Lagat, about which the article focuses, is the longevity of his athletic career. While most athletes are able to train and compete well during roughly a five year window, Lagat is now in his 12th year of being ranked internationally as a short and middle-distance runner. He is 35 years old, competing against runners a fraction of his age. The 5000m indoor U.S. record he is trying to beat tonight was set last year by Galen Rupp, a 23-year-old. It is almost unheard of to see an athlete who has been training and racing so long, and is still setting records. The Runner’s World article points to his childhood as one of the integral aspects which projected this runner to a champion.

Bernard Lagat comes from an African tribal culture called the Nandi, in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. One of the historical traditions of the people has been their ability to run long distances without tiring. A century ago, they would go on cattle raids which would take then hundreds of miles from their villages. But the quality of the people that peaked my interest was their adolescent initiation into adulthood:

To make a man who can run a hundred miles on a bowl of ugali and a spurt of cow’s blood, the Nandi employed powerful means. The most potent was ritual circumcision. To come of age in much of East and South Africa, a boy between 12 and 20 must command himself to remain stoic while his foreskin is ceremonially cut away. “The boy’s face is carefully watched by the surrounding crowd of warriors and old men to see whether he blinks or makes a sign of pain,” Manners relates. “Should he in any way betray his feelings, he is dubbed a coward and receives the name kipitet.” This is such a disgrace he may never be allowed to marry and set up his own household.

Boys are prepared with weeks of seclusion and instruction in the ways of the tribe. “Circumcision parallels what the military does to a draftee,” says 1972 Olympic 800-meter bronze medalist Mike Boit. “The elders shave his head, give him a new name, and subject him to rigorous discipline, all to remove his individuality and replace it with a new identity of toughness and obedience.” The result is men who do not shrink from the discomfort of running or much else.³

Bernard Lagat followed the rituals of the Nandi:

… he was circumcised at 14. “It is very true,” Lagat says, “that being Nandi was vital to what I became, and that has to do with being a man. I went through my rite of passage in 1988. Before that, I was a boy. Before that, I was Bernard Kipchirchir. After that time, men looked at me as a man. After that, I could add ’son of Lagat’ to my name. When you are no longer a boy, you have to be tough. No matter how painful something is, you have to take it. I saw that in both my parents. I only had to observe them to learn toughness. But the essential thing in Nandi society is not simply enduring. It is also always finding a solution.” One does not simply suffer in silence. “You seek help from the elders. A society with elders is healthy. It’s not always that way in the West.“ ⁴

These kinds of traditions among tribal people in all parts of the world are very similar. An initiation, or rite of passage, takes place to pass from adolescence into adulthood. While some aspects of these initiations can appear quite brutal, there are other elements which are profound, and ancient, including:

they take a long time in preparation
they are taught the Law of the people and of the religion
they are sworn to rigorous discipline, virtue, and obedience
they undergo physical changes in appearance
they receive a new name
they pass from one phase of life into another
they become a full-fledged member of the society, and allowed to enter into marriage and other social orders
they venerate the spirits of their ancestors

The Romanian historian and philosopher Mircea Eliade has added other interesting traits of these initiations:

“this real valuation of ritual death finally led to conquest of the fear of real death.”
“[initiation's] function is to reveal the deep meaning of existence to the new generations and to help them assume the responsibility of being truly men and hence of participating in culture.”
“it reveals a world open to the trans-human, a world that, in our philosophical terminology, we should call transcendental.”
“to make [the initiand] open to spiritual values.”⁵

These initiations represent “above all the revelation of the sacred,” “by virtue of which adolescents gain access to the sacred, to knowledge, and to sexuality– by which, in short, they become human beings,” and in some cases, “in order to transcend their human condition and become proteges of the Supernatural Beings or even their equals”⁶.

Just a few minutes ago Bernard Lagat set a new U.S. record in the men’s indoor 5000m race, with a time of 13:11.50, beating the previous record by 7 seconds⁷.

Running Champion Bernard Lagat and Nandi Initiation

Nibley, The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment, xxvii
“Bernard Lagat is Not Done Yet,” Runner’s World, February 2010, pg. 74-82, 100-101.
ibid., pg. 77-78
ibid., pg. 78
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiation
ibid.
http://www.bostonindoorgames.com/events-results/mens-5000-meters/. It will be televised tomorrow, February 7th, on ESPN2 from 2-4pm EST

Store Owner Commands Robber to Leave in the Name of Jesus

Bryce Haymond — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:00:05 +0000

I received an email today of this interesting video clip. It is a news story from earlier this month of store owner Marian Chadwick from Frisco, Texas, who encountered a hooded robber that entered her store with a gun. The gunman walked up to the store counter and demanded money. The store owner pointed at him and commanded him, in the name of Jesus, to leave the store immediately. The gunman took a step back and told a customer to drop to the floor. The store owner repeated the commands. The robber slowly backed up and fled the store.

In an interview the store owner said that when the robber was leaving he started cussing at them, “as if Satan was walking out the door.”

Store Owner Commands Robber to Leave in the Name of Jesus

Hugh Nibley Weekly Lecture Series Beginning Tonight at BYU

Bryce Haymond — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:36:42 +0000

Dr. Richard Bushman

The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), in conjunction with Religious Education and the Harold B. Lee library, are hosting a weekly lecture series that begins tonight, January 14th, 2010, at 7:00pm, and extends through Winter Semester 2010 on Thursday evenings in the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium at BYU.

This lecture series is in honor of the 100th anniversary of Hugh Nibley’s birth this year. Hugh Nibley was born on March 27, 1910.

The presenters at these lectures will include Richard Bushman, Robert Millet, Terry Ball, Daniel Peterson, Zina Petersen, Ann Madsen, Alex Nibley, Bert Wilson, John Welch, Marilyn Arnold, Eric Huntsman, and Gaballa Ali Gaballa.

Tonight’s lecture is by Richard Bushman, biographer of Joseph Smith (Rough Stone Rolling), and an editor of the Joseph Smith Papers Project. His topic is “Nibley and Joseph Smith.” Next week’s lecture, January 21st, will be by Robert Millet who will present on “Nibley and the Church.”

I’m looking forward to these lectures. Hugh Nibley catapulted LDS scholarship and apologetics into a new dimension, and his work will affect many generations of Latter-day Saints to come. His work on the temple has particularly influenced me, and many others I know.

Update 1/15/10: The lecture was wonderful last night. And there’s good news! There were three cameras there filming it, which I think they will continue for the series, which means that they are planning on putting it all on TV or making it available somehow for later viewing (perhaps online). They also gave the rest of the series schedule of lectures:

14 Jan – “Nibley and Joseph Smith” – Richard Bushman
21 Jan – “Nibley and the Church” – Robert Millet
28 Jan – “Nibley’s Early Education” – Zina Petersen
4 Feb – “Nibley as Apologist” – Daniel Peterson
11 Feb – “Nibley and the environment” – Terry Ball
18 Feb – “Graduate School through BYU” – Alex Nibley
25 Feb – “Nibley on the Bible” – Ann Madsen
4 Mar – “Folklore on Nibley” – Bert Wilson
11 Mar – “The Lasting Legacies of Hugh W. Nibley” – John W. Welch
18 Mar – “Nibley and Classical Scholarship” – Eric Huntsman
25 Mar – “Nibley on the Book of Mormon” – Marilyn Arnold
1 Apr – “Nibley the Mentor” – Wilfred Griggs
8 Apr – “Nibley, Egyptology & the Book of Abraham” – TBA

These lectures will all be held in the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium (Level 1) at 7:00pm. This is a great lineup! If you plan on coming to these lectures, make sure you come early to get a seat, as the room was filled to overflowing last night.

Hugh Nibley Weekly Lecture Series Beginning Tonight at BYU

New WordPress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin for Bloggers

Bryce Haymond — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:05:06 +0000

Example of a popup using the new Wordpress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin by DearScriptures.com

For some time I’ve been using the excellent LDS Linker WordPress plugin, developed by Joey Day, to automatically link all scripture references on TempleStudy.com directly to the Church’s online scriptures at scriptures.lds.org. It worked very well, and continues to be one of the most popular WordPress plugins for LDS bloggers to link their scripture references to the online scriptures.

Recently I was thinking how much easier it would be to just hover your mouse over a scripture reference and see a popup with the scripture reference written out. It would make reading the scripture references that much quicker in a blog post, rather than clicking a link to another site.

A couple months ago I began some conversations with Steven Lloyd, developer of DearScriptures.com, the same person who developed the ability to search the scriptures via instant messaging (a feature I use often). He began work on a WordPress plugin that would give LDS bloggers the ability to have scripture reference popups on their blogs. Over the last month Steven has worked hard on the plugin. He asked me for feedback, and I gave him some tips and suggestions along the way.

I’m pleased to announce that the LDS Scripture Linker plugin for WordPress blogs is now available for download and use. Here is what the plugin does:

Any scripture references written in a blog post are automatically converted into a link when published.
The link contains a hidden popup with the scripture reference written out in full.
When you mouseover the link, the popup appears, displaying the scripture.
When you move your mouse away, the popup disappears.
(If you want the popup to stay, such as when you want to scroll longer references, click on the link. To make it disappear, click on the “close” link.)

Below are a few examples of what this plugin can do. The scripture references below were written out normally, without any linking or anything else done before being published. The plugin does all of the fancy work. Move your mouse over the references to see the popup of the scripture. For longer references, click on the link, which will make the popup stick, and you can then scroll the reference; use the “close” link to close the popup. (Note: This functionality only works if you are viewing the post on the website, and will not show in an email or RSS feed).

James 1:5-6
D&C 121:7-8
Alma 32
1 Ne. 3:7, 15-16
1 Ne. 4:1, 5:8, 16:8

As you can see, you can string multiple references together, in different parts of the same chapter, or different chapters of the same book. You can write out the scripture books in full, or use the standard abbreviations. Even entire chapters are linkable.

The plugin also includes several customizable options on the administration interface:

Customize the link hover color
Customize the link click color (for references over 1000 characters)
Customize the border color (IE only)
Customize the scripture reference box background color
Underline or not the scripture links
Index the scripture reference text in full on Google, or not

I am very pleased with the work Steven Lloyd of DearScriptures.com has done with this plugin. I am now using this new scripture linker plugin across all of TempleStudy.com. It is particularly useful in posts which deal with the scriptures heavily, such as Matthew B. Brown’s excellent guest post about D&C 124. Check out that post for a great example of this plugin in action.

I hope this plugin provides more value to you here on TempleStudy.com, and across the Bloggernacle where it’s used. What are your thoughts about this new feature? Any tips or suggestions? Please tell us in the comments below.

New WordPress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin for Bloggers

Who were the Shepherds in the Christmas Story?

Bryce Haymond — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:52:39 +0000

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Abraham Hondius, 1663, oil on panel. (Click image for a larger view)

The Christmas story from Luke 2 reads in part:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:8-20)

Most of us are very familiar with these scriptures, as it is tradition in many families to read this story at Christmastime every year to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

But who were the shepherds? Have you, like me, considered the angelophany to the shepherds in their fields something that was completely random? Were the angels announcing the birth of the Savior abroad in the land, and this was just one of the accounts that was recorded in scripture? Or was there a greater purpose to the angelic revelation specific to these shepherds?

A couple weeks ago my perception of the shepherds changed, and I gained a greater understanding of their significance. A preview of the upcoming Messiah documentary aired on BYU-TV on December 6th, in which Dr. Richard Holzapfel, professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU, noted that the Christmas story takes on added meaning when we consider that the shepherds who were abiding by their flocks in the fields were perhaps watching over temple sheep, sheep that were being bred and protected to be sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem. These shepherds may have been men who were accustomed to preparing lambs which symbolically represented the Messiah in their cleanliness, perfection, and their sacrifice on the altar of the temple. This gives added depth of meaning, if true, to these scriptures which tell of the angels who came to these shepherds to proclaim the birth of the Lamb of God, the Savior of mankind, who would offer the last and ultimate sacrifice.

But there are more interesting details. The place where the angels appeared to the shepherds is traditionally known as the “Tower of the Flock,” or Migdal Edar, which is very near Bethlehem. One commentator notes:

This watch tower from ancient times was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts. It was the place ewes were brought to give birth to the lambs. In this sheltered building/cave the priests would bring in the ewes which were about to lamb for protection. These special lambs came from a unique flock which were designated for sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem.

According to Edersheim in The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah, in Book 2, Chapter 6, states, “This Migdal Edar was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks that pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but it lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage from the Mishnah (Shekelim 7:4) leads to the conclusion that the flocks which pastured there were destined for Temple sacrifices…”

…What are we to make of all of this information from the writings of the rabbis? First, we know that Migdal Edar was the watchtower that guarded the Temple flocks that were being raised to serve as sacrificial animals in the Temple. These were not just any flock and herd. The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for this royal task. They were educated in what an animal, that was to be sacrificed, had to be and it was their job to make sure that none of the animals were hurt, damaged, or blemished. These lambs were apparently wrapped in “swaddling cloths” to protect them from injury and also used to wrap the Lord Jesus.

Thus, with the establishment of Temple worship in Jerusalem, the fields outside of Bethlehem became the place where a special group of shepherds raised the lambs that were sacrificed in the Temple. Being themselves under special Rabbinical care, they would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean stable for a birthing place. The Tower of the Flock was used for birthing ewes, and the surround fields were where these shepherds grazed their flocks. These shepherds customarily kept their flocks outdoors twenty-four hours a day every day of the year, but brought the ewes in to deliver their lambs where they could be carefully cared for. It was to this place that Joseph took Mary. It was in this special stable at "Migdal Edar" that Christ was born!…

Luke 2:8-18records that there were shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their sheep by night. Who then were these shepherds? Without question these were shepherds who resided near Bethlehem. They were none other but the shepherds from "Migdal Edar" who were well aware that the Targum hinted and many of the rabbis taught that Messiah might well be announced from "Migdal Edar" at Bethlehem. The angels only told the shepherds that they would find the Babe wrapped in “swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” There was no need for the angels to give these shepherds directions to the birth place because they already knew. These were the men who raised sacrificial lambs that were sacrificed in the Temple. When the angelic announcement came, they knew exactly where to go, as Luke 2 indicates, for the sign of a manger could only mean their manger at the tower of the flock! You cannot explain the meaning or direction of the sign they were given or their response unless you have the right manger and the right shepherds!

Typically, "Migdal Edar", (the tower of the flock) at Bethlehem is the perfect place for Christ to be born. He was born in the very birthplace where tens of thousands of lambs, which had been sacrificed to prefigure Him. God promised it, pictured it and performed it at "Migdal Edar". It all fits together, for that’s the place the place where sacrificial lambs were born! Jesus was not born behind an inn, in a smelly stable where the donkeys of travelers and other animals were kept. He was born in Bethlehem, at the birthing place of the sacrificial lambs that were offered in the Temple in Jerusalem which Micah 4:8 calls the “tower of the flock.”¹

I’m not sure how much of this commentator’s words can be corroborated, but it is interesting to consider.

As a side note, I also found it interesting when I was searching for an image to introduce this post that I found the painting “Annunciation to the Shepherds” by Abraham Hondius. This 17th century art piece depicts the angels in heaven forming circular ring dances, reminiscent of the ancient temple prayer circles, with the cherubim taking each other’s hands. Dr. Jeffrey Bradshaw has described this form of heavenly worship in an article recently at Meridian Magazine, which also describes temple themes in the Christmas story:

In ancient literature, heavenly worship is always described as taking a circular form. For example, in Abraham 3:23, God is described as standing "in the midst" (i.e., "in the center") of the premortal souls. Nibley clarifies this description by observing that: "He's surrounded on all sides." Likewise, Lehi describes God upon his throne "surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God." Nibley again points out: "A concourse is a circle. Of course [numberless] concourses means circles within circles."

Similar imagery relating to sacred circles is found in the Islamic hajj, where pilgrims circumambulate the Ka'bah and offer prayer in likeness of the angels. Teaching His disciples about prayer, Jesus said that "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them [in the center]."²

Who were the Shepherds in the Christmas Story?

Cooper P Abrams III, “Where was the Birth Place of the Lord Jesus?“
Jeffrey Bradshaw, “Temple Themes in Luke’s Account of the Angels and the Shepherds,” Meridian Magazine, 17 December 2009.

FollowTheProphet.net website launches!

Bryce Haymond — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:24:52 +0000

FollowTheProphet.net logo, a portrait by LDS artist Ken Corbett of President Thomas S. Monson. Used with permission. KenCorbettArt.com

My brother and I are pleased to announce the launch of our latest project--the FollowTheProphet.net website! This new website has been in design and development for the past month, and we are happy to finally be able to announce today that it is available.

FollowTheProphet.net is a website that allows members of the Church to follow the living prophet more closely. We go from General Conference to General Conference often not hearing or knowing what the prophet is doing, saying, or teaching. Not long ago, the activities of the prophet were much more well known among the membership of the Church. The prophet and members lived very close geographically, and members could even meet personally with the prophet. Today, with over 13 million members scattered worldwide, the activities of the prophet are much lesser known. Members who don’t live in Utah may only know what the prophet is doing every six months at General Conference.

FollowTheProphet.net helps to fill that gap of knowledge. With advances in search technology, we are able to aggregate all public information we find about where the prophet is, what he is doing, saying, teaching, visiting, etc., and post it all in one central place at FollowTheProphet.net. Any talks or speeches he gives, we will post links to his words. Any trips he goes on, we will post information about his visits. Any temples he dedicates, we will inform you about the events. Hopefully this will help you feel a closer connection with God’s living prophet, and stay up-to-date about his activities and his counsel. We believe that in these turbulent times, we will be safe if we stay close to the living prophet of God and heed his word.

More information about the new website can be found on the About page at FollowTheProphet.net, such as the ability to “follow the prophet” via Twitter, RSS, email, or Facebook.

We are excited to bring you this new service, and hope you will enjoy it! Please give us any tips, suggestions, or feedback that you may have that would help us improve the site.

FollowTheProphet.net website launches!

The Promises Made to the Fathers

Guest Blogger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:59:10 +0000

Elijah Appearing In The Kirtland Temple, by Dan Lewis.

My father is on the High Council in the Riverton Utah Stake, and this past Sunday he was asked to speak in a ward about the temple and family history work. He sent me his talk, and I thought it was good and thought provoking. I thought you might like it too. -Bryce

By Mark Haymond
November 15, 2009
Riverton 11th Ward

At the first of October, just last month, I had the privilege of traveling with other members of our stake and even President and Sister Higbee back to the important sites in early Church history. We visited the birthplace of Joseph in Sharon, Vermont. We visited Harmony, Pennsylvania, where the Prophet Joseph and Emma first lived after they were married. In the home in Harmony most of the Book of Mormon was translated and revelations were received. Just behind that home, not fifty yards, are the banks of the Susquehanna River where John the Baptist laid his hands on Joseph and Oliver's heads and the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood was bestowed upon them. While Joseph and Emma lived in Harmony, the Apostles Peter, James and John came to the earth and laid their hands on the heads of Joseph and Oliver and bestowed upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood and the holy Apostleship.

We visited the Peter Whitmore farm where the Church was organized on April 6, 1830.

We walked in the Sacred Grove and experienced the sacred feeling that is there 189 years after the Father and Son appeared to Joseph in that grove. We experienced the place where Joseph was visited by the resurrected being Moroni who told Joseph about the Book of Mormon buried in the hill not far from his home. We climbed that hill, even the Hill Cumorah, where the golden plates lay hidden for fourteen centuries. We walked in the very rooms of the Grandin Print Shop where the Book of Mormon was first printed.

The last place we visited was Kirtland, Ohio. I was very impressed with Kirtland as I came to realize all that transpired there. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve were first organized in Kirtland. The School of the Prophets was started there. Great manifestations of God happened there. Sixty-five revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants came to the Prophet while he lived in Kirtland, including the revelation to build the Kirtland Temple. This revelation came before the church was three years old.

The Church was new and the Saints were few when the Lord told Joseph to build him a house. It was while I was there in Kirtland that I came to realize that temples, temple worship, and Family History work have been a central reason for the Restoration of the gospel from the very beginning of the Restoration.

This might seem obvious to us but it may be so obvious that we don't think about it. We seem to focus on the concept that the gospel was restored so we can become members of the true Church and be taught the true gospel, and temple work for the living and the dead is just another component of the Restoration. But, it started to become clear to me that this is not the correct way to view temples and family history work. The Prophet Joseph explained to us that the very purpose of the gathering of the Saints and the Restoration of the gospel was the building of temples.

Joseph said,

What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world?… The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose.

It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was, that the principles and laws of the priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in every age of the world....

It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings, etc.¹

So, why the gathering of the Saints? So that there would be enough people with the right skills and enough resources to build a temple. What part did temple building play in the Restoration of the gospel? It has been a central reason from the very beginning.

Elder John A. Widtsoe, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained this. He said,

When Joseph Smith was commissioned to restore the Gospel and to re-establish the Church of Jesus Christ, the building of temples and temple worship became almost the first and last issue of his life... The main concern of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the restoration of the Gospel in these latter days was the founding, building, and completion of temples in which the ordinances "hid from before the foundation of the world" might be given.²

In last month's Ensign, in an article entitled “Blessings of the Temple,” Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve quoted Joseph Smith,

The Church is not fully organized, in its proper order, and cannot be, until the Temple is completed, where places will be provided for the administration of the ordinances of the Priesthood.³

So, the Saints have been gathered, and the gospel restored, so that temples could be built. Why? So that we could receive the ordinances of the Priesthood that have been hid from before the foundation of the world. But not only this. It was so that the "promises made to the fathers" could be fulfilled.

God the Father made "promises" to our "fathers" in the flesh, and in fact to everyone in the human family. God the Father's family, in the pre-mortal life, was promised that even if they lived on the earth when the gospel was not here in its fullness, and therefore priesthood authority would not be here, they would still have the opportunity to hear the gospel. Missionaries would be sent to everyone in the spirit world, and once taught the gospel they would be able to have ordinances performed for them even though they would not have a body. The hosts of heaven shouted for joy at the prospect (Job 38:7). This "promise to the fathers" is apparently one of the major features, facets, concepts and reasons why God the Father wanted to restore the fullness of the gospel and the power of the priesthood.

Elder Widtsoe explained,

…the Lord declared repeatedly to the Prophet that unless temples were built and used, the plan of salvation could neither be in full operation nor fully accomplished... The plan of salvation for eternal beings involves the principle that God's work with respect to this earth will not be complete until every soul has been taught the Gospel and has been offered the privilege of accepting salvation and the accompanying great blessings which the Lord has in store for his children. Until that is done the work is unfinished.⁴

Let's think about what happened from the beginning of the Restoration.

In the very first visit of Moroni to Joseph Smith, Moroni quoted a modified version of Malachi 4:5

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (D&C 2:1)

We know that Elijah was commissioned to bring the sealing power back to the earth which he did to the Prophet Joseph in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836 (D&C 110). That sealing power is used in temples to seal families together and in fact all the binding and sealing work in the temple is done because of the authority brought back to the earth by Elijah.

Moroni also quoted the next verse in Malachi to Joseph with some modification.

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. (D&C 2:2)

This is an obvious reference to temple work and family history work. This statement was made by Moroni in the very first visit to Joseph of a heavenly messenger after the visit of the Father and Son. Temple and Family History work must be very important for Moroni to tell Joseph about the "promises made to the fathers" right then in his first visit.

The Lord was anxious to get on with the work of fulfilling "the promises made to the fathers" right from the very beginning of the Restoration. He pressed the early Saints to build temples almost before they had enough people or resources to even build temples. Thus the "gathering" in the early Church from England and other places was commanded so that there would be people enough with skills enough to build temples.

Soon after the Saints arrived in Kirtland the Lord told Joseph to build Him a temple. One of the major reasons for the building of the Kirtland temple was so that there would be a special place for Elijah to come back to restore the sealing power of the priesthood.

The Prophet Joseph arrived in Nauvoo in 1840. In January 1841 the Lord again told the prophet to build a temple. The doctrine of baptism for the dead was revealed to Joseph in Nauvoo and the Lord explained that a suitable place needed to be built to perform these baptisms. Thus, a baptismal font for baptisms for the dead was built in the Nauvoo temple.

I am a product of the gathering for the purpose of building temples. My own Great Great Great Grandfather, William Warner Player, was among them. He and his family joined the Church in England in about 1840. They were the products of the missionary efforts of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and others in England. He was a skilled stone mason. He felt the need to gather with the Saints in America. After arriving in Nauvoo he quickly began working on the temple. His skills were great and he became the chief stone mason on the original Nauvoo Temple. This made him, effectively, the construction manager of the temple. He personally worked on the baptismal font and supervised the construction of the remainder of the temple.

Almost the first thing Brigham Young did after the Saints entered the valley was to designate the place for the temple. But this wasn't enough. The Salt Lake Temple was going to take 40 years to build, which is a long time. The Lord wanted to get on with temple work for the "fathers" so he had the Saints build temples in St George, Manti and Logan, all completed before the Salt Lake Temple.

As further evidence of the importance of fulfilling the "promises made to the fathers," think about the first thing Christ did after his crucifixion. Upon entering the spirit world he organized the missionary force to teach the gospel to those who had never heard it (D&C 138). That missionary force had operated in the spirit world for 1800 years. Everyone who heard and accepted the gospel would need the ordinances of salvation performed for them. By the time the Church was restored in 1830 there must have been a large backlog of people waiting for their temple work to be done.

No wonder fulfilling "the promises made to the fathers," the building of temples, and the performing of temple ordinances has been a central reason for the Restoration of the gospel from the very beginning. Temple work is not an incidental part of the Restoration. It is a critical reason for the Restoration.

It continues to be critical to God's plan to this day. All of the prophets continue to stress the importance of temples and temple work. President Howard W. Hunter was only the President of the Church for a short season. But, during the time he was president he repeatedly stressed the temple.

President Hunter said,

It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple. It would please the Lord if every adult member would be worthy of--and carry--a current temple recommend. The things that we must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very things that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families.

Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing.⁵

Temples are being built increasingly faster. The Lord said, "I will hasten my work in its time” (D&C 88:73). We all know that temple building and temple work was central to the work of President Gordon B. Hinckley. When President Hinckley became President of the Church on March 12, 1995 there were about 50 temples operating throughout the world. Today, just fourteen years later, there are 130 operating temples, with many more announced and under construction. Five more temples were announced by President Monson at the last General Conference.

The Lord continues fulfilling His promises made to the fathers. It continues to be central to the Father's plan. In fact it is growing in importance and it is hastening in its speed.

What part do temples and temple work play in our lives? In Elder Hales article in last month's Ensign he said, "The temple endowment blessings are as essential for each of us as was our baptism"⁶. The Prophet Joseph Smith said,

Let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as... they without us cannot be made perfect - neither can we without our dead be made perfect. (D&C 128:15)

We speak of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as having two parts. First, the suffering and sacrifice and resurrection of Christ broke the bands of death for every person who lives, who has lived, and who will yet live on the earth (Alma 11:40-41). Every person will be resurrected because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. But, the Atonement of Christ also makes it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and be worthy to live in the presence of the God. Christ said, "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10). If we obey Him, He will apply his atoning sacrifice on our behalf, cleanse us of our sins, and allow us to live in the presence of God. But, we don't just want to be with God. We want to be like God. This is what the gospel teaches us. The Lord said,

In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase. (D&C 131:1-4)

We don't just want salvation, we want exaltation. In order to be like God we must receive the ordinances of exaltation. Those ordinances are received in the temple including the crowning ordinance of the gospel, sealing in the new and everlasting covenant of celestial marriage.

In order for God to fulfill his "promises made to the fathers" we must be involved in the work that is obviously so important to Him--temple work. To be involved we must make ourselves worthy to enter the temple, keep ourselves worthy and then return often to do the work for our fathers to whom the promises were made.

Surely what Elder Widtsoe said is even more true today than it was when he said it.

We need more workers to accomplish the wonderful work... for all I know, the day may come... when we shall keep the temples open twenty-four hours a day. We need more converts to temple work, drawn from all ages, from the young, from the middle-aged, and from the rich and poor, from among the busy and those of leisure. The time has come, I verily believe... to bring into active service all the people, of all ages. From the children doing baptisms, to the aged grandparents doing endowments for the dead, all the members of the family, if we do our duty well, must be brought into the work. Temple work is quite of as much benefit to the young and the active, as it is to the aged, who have laid behind them many of the burdens of life. The young man needs his place in the temple even more than his father and his grandfather, who are steadied by a life of experience; and the young girl just entering life needs the spirit, influence and direction that comes from participation in the temple ordinances... Temple work is for the young and the middle aged and for the aged for all and not for one specialized, separated class within the Church.⁷

In addition to receiving the temple ordinances for ourselves, we must search out our ancestors, our "fathers," and receive the ordinances for them or submit their names to the temple so the work can be done for them.

The Lord is increasingly hastening his work of identifying those who have gone before. Family history work is increasing. The spirit of Elijah has already made genealogy research the most popular hobby throughout the land. Even among those who are not members of the Church, or especially among those who are not members of the Church, people are searching out their fathers like never before.

The Lord is making it increasingly easy to find and submit their names to the temples. The temples are being built throughout the world. They must be filled with the names of our fathers to whom the promises have been made. In August 2008 Elder Robert D. Hales gave a devotional address at BYU. In his talk he said that computer technology has been given to man to hasten the work of the Lord done in temples. Elder Hales said that,

…in the 1970's, Elder Theodore H. Burton presented the concept of computers being used for family records and research. “He was even bold enough to teach and proclaim that the computer technology was given to man for his use to hasten the day of family history, genealogy and temple work.” His proclamation was met with reservations about the size and expense of computers for personal use and how few Latter-day Saints would be able to afford or operate them. Other concerns were their complexity how to make them compatible with temple records. “All seemed to be reasonable reservations for their time,” he said, yet, “today, we are embarking on a new era of family history computer technology.”⁸

Elder Hales then explained the New Family Search program.

Those reservations back in the 1970's are not true today. Many of us have computers and the work of finding our fathers has never been easier. The New Family Search program has just been unveiled here in our own stake [Riverton Utah Stake]. As of the first of November we can now do Family History work right from the comfort of our homes like never before.

All of us are now encouraged to go to the new web site new.familysearch.org, register by entering our member ID number and our confirmation date, and then start learning and using this powerful tool for fulfilling the "promises made to the fathers." If you do not know your member ID number or confirmation date you can obtain them from the ward clerk.

There are easy to follow tutorials right on the web site that will teach us what to do and how to do it. We don't have to be computer experts or genealogy experts. If we need help our Ward Family History consultants will help us. If we don't have a computer the ward house has a Family History room with people ready to help us. The Church has prepared the new Temple and Family History Course. In clear and easy to follow steps the work is explained.

The New Family Search program combines and replaces the ancestral file, the IGI (the International Genealogical Index) and Temple Ready. From the comfort of our own computer we can now:

Add, correct, and manage family histories online
See what temple work needs to be done for ancestors
Prepare names for temple ordinance work at home over the internet
Easily see ordinance information and status or work in progress
Significantly reduce duplication or research and ordinance work
Correct personal submissions/data in real time
Work collaboratively with family members and relatives
Find living relatives not known to exist
Print temple ordinance sheets at home and then take them to the temple to do the ordinances

After we do the ordinances in the temple we can go home and check the New Family Search again and by the time we sit down at our computer the temple ordinance information will be updated in the computer.

We have three basic temple and family history responsibilities:

Receive our own temple ordinances and help immediate family members receive them.
Hold a current temple recommend and attend the temple regularly.
Participate in Family History work.

Family History work involves a simple process:

Gather information to identify your ancestors.
Record information about your ancestors in the New Family Search to link them into families.
Perform temple ordinances for your ancestors who have not yet received them.

The Lord does not expect us to submit thousands of names to the temple. Start with the pedigree chart in the Temple and Family History Course materials.

Much of the information on the pedigree chart can be filled out right from our own memory or records at home, or the memories of other family members. Fill out the information and submit it in the New Family Search. This will update the information about you and your family. You may find much of this information already there. Just complete it and then go on.

If you are the only member of the Church in your family it is important that you start there. If you and your family have been Church members for generations it is important that you start there.

Our youth who enjoy so much texting with their cell phones can do indexing work right from their cell phones or computers in their spare time and put their text messaging skills to work. So can the adults.

Our lives will be blessed for engaging in this work.

President Higbee last week in stake general priesthood meeting, and again while giving instructions to the High Council for preparing this talk, said that worshipping in the temple is the way we will protect ourselves in the difficult days ahead.

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, emeritus member of the Seventy, gave similar counsel:

The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan has and will unleash every evil, every scheme, every blatant vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this dispensation is the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. We and our wives and husbands, our children, and our members must find safety. There is no safety in the world; wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership alone in this Church will not guarantee it.

As the evil night darkens upon this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. In our temples we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate to us... Before the Savior comes the world will darken. There will come a time when even the elect will begin to lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure through their faith in Christ and within the temple walls. I believe the Saints will come to the temples not only to do vicarious work but to find a God-given haven of peace. The true and faithful Latter-day Saints will long to bring their children to our temples for safety's sake... There will be greater hosts of unseen beings in the temple. Joseph told the brethren, "And I beheld that the temple was filled with angels" (History of the Church, vol. 2, page 428). I believe prophets of old as well as those in this dispensation will visit the temples. Those who attend the temples will feel their strength and companionship. We will not be alone in our temples.

Endowed faithful members of the Church who keep all their covenants including the sacred coverings will be safe as protected behind temple walls.⁹

Everyone is being asked to participate in this great eternity spanning effort. Temples are now more accessible than ever before. Family History, i.e. genealogy work, is now more popular than ever before. Getting the names of our "fathers" in to the temple so their ordinances can be done is now easier than ever before.

God will fulfill "the promises made to the fathers."

The Promises Made to the Fathers

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 307-308.
John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” given at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Utah at the Assembly Hall in Salt Lake City on October 12, 1920.
Robert D. Hales, “Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, October 2009, p 47
John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” given at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Utah at the Assembly Hall in Salt Lake City on October 12, 1920.
Howard W. Hunter, “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises,” Oct 1994, General Conference
Robert D. Hales, “Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, October 2009, p 47
John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” given at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Utah at the Assembly Hall in Salt Lake City on October 12, 1920.
Reported in the Deseret News, August 8, 2008, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700252093/Seek-to-improve-yourselves-Elder-Hales-tells-BYU-audience.html
Vaughn J. Featherstone, “Holiness to the Lord,” May 1993.

Temple Worship by Elder John A. Widtsoe

Bryce Haymond — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:56:17 +0000

Elder John A. Widtsoe (1872-1952)

Occasionally you encounter a talk or book or article that is a classic. Elder John A. Widtsoe’s talk on “Temple Worship” given at a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Utah at the Assembly Hall in Salt Lake on October 12, 1920, is one of those talks. There are portions of this talk that many will recognize that are still frequently quoted today in connection with the temple. His treatment of the temple is fairly basic, yet it is powerful in its plainness and insight. Elder Widtsoe has given us a lot to ponder here.

Thank you, Steve, for sharing this talk with us! – Bryce

Temple Worship

My brethren and sisters, when those in charge of this work were planning the program, I urged upon them that they do not call this meeting for the Assembly Hall. I felt sure the congregation would be so small that we would all be unhappy. I am happily disappointed; and I am quite sure that neither the drawing power of Joseph Fielding Smith nor myself is the cause of this large attendance, but that the conviction in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints that all that pertains to temples and to temple work, to the salvation for the dead, is of tremendous worth. I regret, of course, that Elder Joseph Fielding Smith is not here tonight. I am sorry for those of you who came to hear him speak, for you will have to come again, because he speaks tomorrow. He is filling an important engagement, and we simply exchanged evenings. I regret, however, for my own sake, that he is not here, because what I have to say needs as a background the splendid talk that he has for us. He will deal with the spirit and the mission of Elijah. I was asked to speak about temple worship. He was to take up the great generalization, the great body of principles upon which this work rests; and I was to take one small part of the application of the work, for my theme. I feel just a little embarrassed to speak on temple worship without the background of Elder Smith’s discourse. I am embarrassed also because I realize how utterly impossible it is to deal with so vast and comprehensive a subject in the few moments that I can take tonight, especially in the presence of so many of you who have spent your lives in temple service and who understand the subject so well. But, like you I am willing to obey orders and to do the best I can; and with the assistance of your faith and your prayers, I shall try to discuss with you some of the high points pertaining to temple worship which all should understand, whether we have received the blessings of the temple or whether we are candidates for temple blessings. It is to be an elementary, non-technical discussion.

Section Two

If an apology were needed for speaking on temple worship, I would simply call your attention to Section 2 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the first recorded revelation of the Lord in these latter days, through the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith.

“Behold I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;

“And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers;

“If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”

Some day, no doubt, this Society will call us together and devote one evening or more to a discussion of this magnificent revelation its meaning, historical and doctrinal. Almost the first words of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith, when as a boy he was called to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ, dealt with the subject that we are discussing throughout this week; and almost the last words spoken by God to the prophet before the prophet’s death, as far as we can tell, dealt with the same subject.

Present Increased Interest in Temple Work

There is at present an unusual increased interest in temple activity. Our temples are crowded. The last time I attended the Salt Lake Temple I was a member of the third company. One started early in the morning, one late in the forenoon, and my company started about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. It was about 6 p. m. before we had completed the day’s work.

The number of temples is also increasing. The Hawaiian temple has only recently been dedicated; the Cardston temple is being rushed to completion, the Arizona temple is being planned and numerous communities in the Church are anxiously waiting and praying for the time that they may have temples.

There is a renewed spirit in behalf of temple work, not because people are wealthier than they were before, nor because temples are more accessible, but because the time has come for more temple work to be done. The spirit is abroad among the people, and those who are honest in heart and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, are willing to give their time and means more liberally in behalf of temple work.

Opposition and Blessings from Temple Work

In view of this great temple activity, we may well prepare ourselves for opposition. There never yet has been a time in the history of the world when temple work has increased without a corresponding increase in the opposition to it. Some three or four years after the pioneers came to this valley, President Brigham Young said it was time to begin the building of a temple; and some of the old timers here will probably remember that thousands of the Saints dreaded the command, because they said, “Just as soon as we lay the cornerstone of a temple, all hell will be turned loose upon us and we will be driven out of the valleys.” President Young thought that was true, but that they also would have, if temple work were undertaken, a corresponding increase in power to overcome all evil. Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; women grow strong under it; the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before. The opposition to truth is relatively smaller if the people are engaged actively in the ordinances of the temple.

Temple Work for All the People

We need more workers to accomplish the wonderful work that was outlined last night at the reception given by the First Presidency. Even three companies a day in each temple will not be enough; we shall have to organize four, or five, and for all I know, the day may come, unless we build more temples, when we shall keep the temples open twenty-four hours a day. We need more converts to temple work, drawn from all ages, from the young, from the middle-aged, and from the rich and poor, from among the busy and those of leisure. The time has come, I verily believe, in this new temple movement, to bring into active service all the people, of all ages. From the children doing baptisms, to the aged grandparents doing endowments for the dead, all the members of the family, if we do our duty well, must be brought into the work. Temple work is quite of as much benefit to the young and the active, as it is to the aged, who have laid behind them many of the burdens of life. The young man needs his place in the temple even more than his father and his grandfather, who are steadied by a life of experience; and the young girl just entering life needs the spirit, influence and direction that comes from participation in the temple ordinances. If I say nothing else tonight that will linger, I hope you will remember that temple work is for the young and for the middle aged and for the aged for all and not for one specialized, separated class within the Church organization.

Historical Distribution of Temples

What is a temple? According to the ordinary definition, it is any place set apart for sacred purposes and dedicated to a sacred purpose a house of God.

All people of all ages have had temples in one form or another. When the history of human thought shall be written from the point of view of temple worship, it may well be found that temples and the work done in them have been the dominating influence in shaping human thought from the beginning of the race. Even today political controversies are as nothing in determining the temple of a people, as compared with religious sentiments and convictions, especially as practiced in the temples of the people.

In every land and in every age temples have been built and used. In China, age old with four thousand years of written history; in India; on the islands of the sea; in South America; in North America; in Africa and in Australia; everywhere there are evidences of the existence and use of temples.

Temples of the Priesthood

There is a fairly complete history of some of the temples of the priesthood, the temples built by the chosen people of God. There are evidences that even in patriarchal days, in the days of Adam, there was the equivalent of temples, for the priesthood was held in its fulness, as far as the people needed it; and there is every reason to believe that from Adam to Noah, temple worship was in operation. After the flood the Holy Priesthood was continued; and we have reason to believe, in sacred places, the ordinances of the temple were given to those entitled to receive them.

When Israel was in Egypt, the Priesthood was with them, and we may believe from certain sayings of the Scriptures that Israel had in Egypt a temple or its equivalent, the mysterious “testimony”. When Israel was in the wilderness temple worship was provided for, for the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph (D&C 124:38):

“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.”

In the tabernacle (or temple) of the wilderness, the ordinances of God’s house were given to a certain extent, as least, as we give them today.

I need not review with you the history of the temples of Israel, the temple of the wilderness of “tabernacle of the congregation,” later placed at Shiloh; the temple of Solomon; the temple of Zerubbabel after the captivity; the restoration of this temple by Herod, and so on. We need simply remember that the story of ancient Israel, the chosen people of God, centers upon their temples.

The Book of Mormon indicates that from about 600 years B. C. until about 35 or 40 years A. D., temples, under the authority of the holy priesthood, were found on this continent. Nephi says distinctly that he proceeded to gather up all the precious things of the people and to build a temple according to the pattern of the temple of Solomon.

Temple Worship Eternally a Part of the Gospel

When Joseph Smith was commissioned to restore the Gospel and to re-establish the Church of Jesus Christ, the building of temples and temple worship became almost the first and last issue of his life. The temple site in Independence, dedicated shortly after the organization of the Church; the building and completion of the Kirtland temple and the wonderful things that happened there; the building of the Nauvoo temple and the giving of endowments in the temple after the death of the Prophet; the dedication of other temple sites and many revelations concerning temples, indicate, altogether, that the main concern of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the restoration of the Gospel in these latter days was the founding, building, and completion of temples in which the ordinances “hid from before the foundation of the world” might be given. In fact, the Lord declared repeatedly to the Prophet that unless temple were built and used, the plan of salvation could neither be in full operation nor fully accomplished.

Let me suggest that the reason why temple building and temple worship have been found in every age, on every hand, and among every people, is because the gospel in its fullness was revealed to Adam, and that all religions and religious practices are therefore derived from the remnants of the truth given to Adam and transmitted by him to the patriarchs. The ordinances of the temple in so far as then necessary, were given, no doubt, in those early days, and very naturally corruptions of them have been handed down the ages. Those who understand the eternal nature of the gospel planned before the foundation of the earth understand clearly why all history seems to revolve about the building and use of temples.

Eternal Nature of Man

To understand the meaning of temple worship, it is necessary to understand the plan of salvation and its relation to temple worship. The human race were “in the beginning with God,” and were created spiritual beings in a day before the arrival upon this earth. Mankind is here because of its acceptance of the Plan of Salvation, and satisfactory pre-existent lives. We have won the right to be here; we have not been forced to come here; we have won our place upon the earth. We shall pass into another sphere of existence, and shall continue upward and onward forever and forever, if we obey the high laws of eternal existence.

The plan of salvation for eternal beings involves the principle that God’s work with respect to this earth will not be complete until every soul has been taught the Gospel and has been offered the privilege of accepting salvation and the accompanying great blessings which the Lord has in store for his children. Until that is done the work is unfinished.

Men frequently ask when the last day shall come and when the earth shall go through its great change. Men attempt uselessly to figure out the dates of the coming events from the sayings of Daniel and the other prophets. We know that the Lord will come when we are ready to receive him; that is when we have done the work he required of us; not before, not later; but when the labor of the day has been accomplished, the present day will end and a new stage of action will be set. When the work assigned to the earth children has been done in accordance with the Plan of Salvation, the Lord will remember his promises, and the end of the earth, which is the beginning of a new day of advancement, will occur.

We who travel the earth journey are working out an eternal problem. An endless journey is ours, the earth life is a fraction of it; the purpose is unending.

Conditions of Eternal Progress

It has been ordained that to follow the path God has laid out for us, we must have faith, we must repent, and we must show our obedience by going into the waters of baptism, and then as our great reward we shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some people, having obeyed these first principles, believe their work done. They have found entrance into the Church, they are members of God’s chosen people what more need they? In fact, however, the gift of the Holy Ghost, according to the Prophet Joseph Smith, is a promise of increasing intelligence, it is a beginning of things to be. It is a promise of larger, fuller knowledge, of something new, more wonderful, and vaster, in its intent and purpose than anything that we have known before. It is a promise of growth into a larger life and a larger condition of life. In my opinion, the gift of the Holy Ghost which implies a promise of added intelligence is realized in part at least in the worship and ordinances of the temples of the Lord. The request of the soul, which leads a man into obedience of the first principles, is answered by one method through the institution of the eternal ordinances which all the faithful may enjoy.

Salvation vs. Exaltation

Through obedience to the first principles of the Gospel, and a subsequent blameless life, a person may win salvation for himself. But in God’s kingdom are many gradations, which lead to exaltation upon exaltation. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and labor for the fulfillment of the promise involved in the gift of the Holy Ghost will advance farther than those who placidly sit by with no driving desire within them. Temple worship is an avenue to exaltation in God’s kingdom.

God’s Definition of a Temple

God’s definition of a temple is given over and over again in this good book, the Doctrine and Covenants. A temple is a place in which those whom he has chosen are endowed with power from on high. And what is power? Knowledge made alive and useful that is intelligence; and intelligence in action that is power. Our temples give us power a power based on enlarged knowledge and intelligence a power from on high of a quality with God’s own power.

Purposes of Temples

This is accomplished through the various purposes of temples. A temple is a place where God will come; a place where the pure in heart shall see God; a place where baptisms for the dead are performed; a place where the endowment of the priesthood is given; a place where the keys of the priesthood are committed in abundance; and a place where many other wonderful things may occur and should occur and in fact do occur.

Communion of God and man. It is a great promise that to the temples God will come, and that in them man shall see God. What does this promised communion mean? Does it mean that once in a while God may come into the temples, and that once in a while the pure in heart may see God there; or does it mean the larger thing, that the pure in heart who go into the temples, may, there by the Spirit of God, always have a wonderfully rich communion with God? I think that is what it means to me and to you and to most of us. We have gone into these holy houses, with our minds freed from the ordinary earthly cares, and have literally felt the presence of God. In this way, the temples are always places where God manifests himself to man and increases his intelligence. A Temple is a place of revelation.

Baptisms for the Dead. Baptism for the dead will be discussed in all probability tomorrow night by Elder Smith. The ordinance of baptism for the dead fits into the scheme of salvation. It is an acknowledgement of itself that the whole plan is eternal, and that the past, the present and the future are parts of one continuous whole. Were the life of man discontinuous there would be no need of labors for the dead.

Sealings. Sealings, for time and eternity, have the purpose of tying together father and son, mother and daughter, the living and the dead, from age to age. In addition it emphasizes the authority of the priesthood. No merely earthly power could accomplish a union of a condition of this earth with a condition beyond this earth; a person of this life with a person of the life hereafter, or of the life before. When man contemplates the full meaning of the sealing ordinance if I may call it an ordinance he is overwhelmed with the boundless power that it implies and the weight of authority that it represents. The mere words of sealing may be easily spoken at the altars of the holy temples, but they are so full of meaning that any man with even a particle of imagination who witnesses or participates in the sealing ordinance must be overcome with the feeling of responsibility and opportunity and enjoyment that it carries with it.

The endowment. In the wonderful section 124, of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord has described the work to be done in the temples, including the holy endowment:

“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. . . .

“For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory. . . .

“And again, verily I say unto you, how shall your washings be acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a house which you have built to my name?

“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 beginning 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.”

At first reading the full meaning may not be clear, yet in these few verses lie the germs of practically everything that belongs to and is done in the house of the Lord. Dr. James E. Talmadge, under authority of the Church, has also discussed the meaning of endowment, in the book called The House of the Lord. I will read a part of it.

“The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern temples, comprises instruction relating to the significance and sequence of past dispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and grandest era in human history. This course of instruction includes a recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the condition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and consequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression may be atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel with all its ancient powers and privileges, the absolute and indispensable condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict compliance with Gospel requirements.

“As will be shown, the temples erected by the Latter-day Saints provide for the giving of these instructions in separate rooms, each devoted to a particular part of the course; and by this provision it is possible to have several classes under instruction at one time.

“The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions.

“No jot, iota, or tittle of the temple rites is otherwise than uplifting and sanctifying. In every detail the endowment ceremony contributes to covenants of morality of life, consecration of person to high ideals, devotion to truth, patriotism to nation, and allegiance to God. The blessings of the House of the Lord are restricted to no privileged class; every members of the Church may have admission to the temple with the right to participate in the ordinances thereof, if he comes duly accredited as of worthy life and conduct.”

In no part of the temple service is the spirit of the purpose of temple worship so completely shown as in the endowment.

Internal Evidence of Veracity

I desire to leave with you as the next thought that the work done in temples brings to those of pure and sincere hearts the evidence of its veracity. This is said in view of the question so often asked, is there anything in the temple ordinances themselves that speaks for their truth.

The temple ordinances encompass the whole plan of salvation as taught from time to time by the leaders of the Church, and elucidate matters difficult of understanding. There is no warping or twisting in fitting the temple teachings into the great scheme of salvation. The philosophical completeness of the endowment is one of the great arguments for the veracity of the temple ordinances. Moreover, this completeness of survey and expounding of the Gospel plan, makes temple worship one of the most effective methods of refreshing the memory concerning the whole structure of the Gospel.

Another fact has always appealed to me as a strong internal evidence for the truth of temple work. The endowment and the temple work as revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith (see also Doctor Talmage’s The House of the Lord) fall clearly into four distinct parts: the preparatory ordinances, the giving of instructions by lectures and representations; covenants; and, finally, tests of knowledge. I doubt that the Prophet Joseph, unlearned and untrained in logic, could of himself have made the thing so logically complete. The candidate for the temple service is prepared, as in any earthly affair, for work to be done. Once prepared he is instructed in the things that he should know. When instructed, he covenants to use the imparted knowledge, and at once the new knowledge, which of itself is dead, leaps into living life. At last, tests are given him, whereby those who are entitled to know may determine whether the man has properly learned the lesson. The brethren and sisters who go through the temple should observe all these things and recognize the wonderful coherence and logical nature of the carefully worked out system, with a beginning and an end, fitting every known law of God and nature, which constitutes temple worship.

The wonderful pedagogy of the temple service, especially appealing to me as a professional teacher, carries with it evidence of the truth of temple work. We go to the temple to be informed and directed, to be built up and to be blessed. How is all this accomplished? First by the spoken word, through lectures and conversations, just as we do in the class room, except with more elaborate care, then by the appeal to the eye by representations by living, moving beings; and by pictorial representations in the wonderfully decorated rooms (as any one may see in Dr. Talmage’s book.) Meanwhile the recipients themselves, the candidates for blessings, engage actively in the temple service as they move from room to room, with the progress of the course of instruction. Altogether our temple worship follows a most excellent pedagogical system. I wish instruction were given so well in every school throughout the land, for we would then teach with more effect than we now do.

For these reasons, among many others, I have always felt that temple work is a direct evidence of the truth of the word reestablished by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It may be that the temple endowment and the other temple ordinances form the strongest available evidence of the divine inspiration of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Objections to Temple Worship

I said near the beginning of this address that with any increase in temple activity we must expect a new and vigorous opposition to temple work, from evil forces, which however will be wholly subdued if the work is continued. This opposition will not wholly come from without; some will come from within the Church. Unfortunately, that is also a natural law. Young people and sometimes older people, will question this or that thing about the temple service. “Is this or that necessary?” “Is this or that thing reasonable?” “Why should I do this or that?” Even though such questions should be needless, it is best to answer them, especially if they are asked by those who are untrained and inexperienced, and therefore unable to think clearly for themselves.

Why a House?

The objection is sometimes raised that a house is not needed for temple worship. “Why should a house be required, when God is everywhere, the God who made the trees and the mountains and the valleys?” “Why should God require the poor saints in Illinois and Ohio and Missouri, to build temples at tremendous expense?” Of course the Lord does not need a house, and temple work may be done elsewhere than in a house. The Lord has specifically stated that under certain conditions the temple endowment may be given on the tops of the mountains, but as men multiply upon the face of the earth, it will be increasingly difficult to conduct temple worship, except in especially dedicated places away from the multitude and the chaos and the rattle and the disturbance of ordinary life.

The holy endowment is deeply symbolic. “Going through the temple” is not a very good phrase; for temple worship implies a great effort of mind and concentration if we are to understand the mighty symbols that pass in review before us. Everything must be arranged to attune our hearts, our minds, and our souls to the work. Everything about us must contribute to the peace of mind that enables us to study and to understand the mysteries, if you choose, that are unfolded before us. We would not give our family dinners out of doors, in the crowd; why should anyone ask us to do our most sacred work in the face of the crowd.

Sacred vs. Secret

Some young persons do not like temple work “because the things done in it are secret, and we do not believe in secret things, we want to stand in the sunshine.” In fact, there is nothing secret about the temple. I have found nothing secret in or about our temples; I have found many things that are sacred. There is a vast difference between things secret and things sacred the thing hidden away from the light, and the thing sacred, which plays in the light and is protected from darkness and impurity and all unworthy conditions.

God has declared that he will not enter a defiled temple, whether that temple be the body of a man or a dedicated grove or a mountain top, or a house, like the temple on these grounds. The Holy Spirit will withdraw from a defiled place. People who have no faith in temple worship, who desire simply as tourists to inspect unsympathetically our holy house, in spite of themselves defile it. We desire to present our temple ordinances to those who are believers. Moreover, visitors in temples would interfere with the procedure of the work. Of itself there is no reason why at proper times the temple may not be inspected.

Covenants and Promises

Many young people object to temple work because, “We must make covenants and promises and we do not like to be tied; we want full freedom.” This objection arises from a misunderstanding of the meaning of covenants. Knowledge become serviceable only when it is used; the covenant made in the temple, or elsewhere, if of the right kind, is merely a promise to give life to knowledge, by making knowledge useful and helpful in man’s daily progress. Temple work, or any other work, would have no meaning unless accompanied with covenants. It would consist simply of bits of information for ornament; the covenant gives life to truth, and makes possible the blessings that reward all those who use knowledge properly; or the penalties that overtake those who misuse knowledge. That knowledge of itself is valueless, and that its use or misuse brings about inevitable results are the a b c of every scientific laboratory. The electric current properly used lights this building; improperly used, it may go through the body of the man and leave death behind. Unused, the electric current is to the man as if it were not. Penalties and rewards hang upon the use of knowledge.

Lack of Beauty

Others say that the temple ordinances are unbeautiful. Some young man ready for a mission, or some young lady just married says “It is unbeautiful, I did not enjoy it.” Again the misunderstanding. They have gone through the temple looking at the outward form and not the inner meaning of things. The form of the endowment is of earthly nature, but it symbolizes great spiritual truths. All that we do on this earth is earthly, but all is symbolic of great spiritual truths. To build this temple, earth had to be dug, wood had to be cut; stone was quarried and brought down the canyon. It was dusty and dirty work and made us sweat it was of this earth yet it was the necessary preparation for the mighty spiritual ordinances that are carried on daily in this magnificent temple. The endowment itself is symbolic; it is a series of symbols of vast realities, too vast for full understanding. Those who go through the temple and come out feeling the service is unbeautiful have been so occupied with the outward for, as to fail to understand the inner meaning. It is the meaning of things that counts in life.

Symbolism

This brings me to a few words concerning symbolism. We live in a world of symbols. We know nothing, except by symbols. We make a few marks on a sheet of paper, and we say that they form a word, which stands for love, or hate, or charity, or God or eternity. The marks may not be very beautiful to the eye. No one finds fault with the symbols on the pages of a book because they are not as mighty in their own beauty and the things which they represent. We do not quarrel with the symbol G-o-d because it is not very beautiful, yet represents the majesty of God. We are glad to have symbols, if only the meaning of the symbols is brought home to us. I speak to you tonight; you have not quarreled very much with my manner of delivery, or my choice of words; in following the meaning of the thoughts I have tried to bring home to you, you have forgotten words and manner. There are men who object to Santa Claus, because he does not exist! Such men need spectacles to see that Santa Claus is a symbol; a symbol of the love and joy of Christmas and the Christmas spirit. In the land of my birth there was no Santa Claus, but a little goat was shoved into the room, carrying with it a basket of Christmas toys and gifts. The goat of itself counted for nothing; but the Christmas spirit, which it symbolized, counted for a tremendous lot.

We live in a world of symbols. No man or woman can come out of the temple endowed as he should be, unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the mighty realities for which the symbols stand.

Corruptions of Temple Worship

Many apostates have tried to reveal the ordinances of the House of the Lord. Some of their accounts form a fairly complete and correct story of the outward form of the temple service; but they are pitiful failures in making clear the eternal meaning of temple worship and the exaltation of the spirit that is awakened by the understanding of that meaning. Such attempts are only words; symbols without meaning. Is anything more lifeless than a symbol of an unknown meaning?

Such attempted improper revelations of temple worship have led in all ages to corruptions of temple ordinances. The fact that such corruptions of ordinances and ceremonies have always existed is a strong evidence of the continuity of temple worship, under the priesthood, from the days of Adam. Sister Gates handed me this afternoon a quotation from a book that she had picked up, in which it is related that Moses adopted a holy garment from Jethro, which he wore, and in turn communicated it to his brother Aaron, who adopted it and who in turn communicated it to the priests of Israel; from whom in turn it was taken in some form by the priests of false gods. Such corruptions of temple worship are found everywhere; but they are poor lifeless imitations, symbols from which the meaning has been wrested.

The Revelation of the Temple

If we are correct in believing that the blessings obtained in the temples of the Lord are a partial fulfillment, at least, of the promise made when the Holy Ghost, who is a Revelator, is conferred upon man, it would be expected that temple ordinances would be in the nature of a revelation to those who participate. Certainly the temple is a place where revelations may be expected.

But whether in the temple or elsewhere, how do men receive revelations? How did the Prophet Joseph Smith obtain his first revelation, his first vision? He desired something. In the woods, away from human confusion, he summoned all the strength of his nature; there he fought the demon of evil, and, at length, because of the strength of his desire and the great effort that he made, the Father and the Son descended out of the heavens and spoke eternal truth to him. So revelation always comes; it is not imposed upon a person; it must be drawn to us by faith, seeking and working. Just so; to the man or woman who goes through the temple with open eyes, heeding the symbols and the covenants, and making a steady, continuous effort to understand the full meaning, God speaks his word and revelations come. The endowment is so richly symbolic that only a fool would attempt to describe it; it is so packed full of revelations to those who exercise their strength to seek and see, that no human words can explain or make clear the possibilities that reside in the temple service. The endowment which was given by revelation can best be understood by revelation; and to those who seek most vigorously, with pure hearts, will the revelation be greatest. I believe that the busy person on the farm, in the shop, in the office, or in the household, who has his worries and troubles, can solve his problems better and more quickly in the house of the Lord than anywhere else. If he will leave his problems behind and in the temple work for himself and for his dead, he will confer a mighty blessing upon those who have gone before, and quite as large a blessing will come to him, for at the most unexpected moments, in or out of the temple will come to him, as a revelation, the solution of the problems that vex his life. That is the gift that comes to those who enter the temple properly, because it is a place where revelations may be expected. I bear my personal testimony that this is so.

In temple worship, as in all else, we probably gain understanding according to our differing knowledge and capacity; but I believe that we can increase in knowledge and enlarge our capacity, and in that way receive greater gifts from God. I would therefore urge upon you that we teach those who go into the temples to do so with a strong desire to have God’s will revealed to them, for comfort, peace, and success in our daily lives, not for publication, or for conversation, but for our own good, for the satisfying of our hearts.

Preparation for Temple Worship

Colonel Willard Young said last night, in casual conversation, that we should give more attention to preparing our young people and some of the older people, for the work they are to do in the temple. He is undoubtedly right in his view. It is not quite fair to let the young girl or young man enter the temple unprepared, unwarned, if you choose, with no explanation of the glorious possibilities of the first fine day in the temple. Neither is it quite fair to pass opinion on temple worship after one day’s participation followed by an absence of many year. The work should be repeated several times in quick succession, so that the lessons of the temple may be fastened upon the mind.

Conclusion

The beginning and the end of the Gospel is written, from one point of view, in Section 2 of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. If I read this section correctly, the work which in part has been committed by the Church to this Society is the keystone of the wonderful Gospel arch. If this center stone is weakened, and falls out, the whole arch falls into a heap of unorganized doctrinal blocks. It is a high privilege for young or old to be allowed to enter the House of the Lord, there to serve God and to win power.

I hope that temple worship will increase in our midst, that we shall have a finer understanding of its meaning, and that more temple may be built to supply the demands of the living and the dead, and to hasten the coming of the great day of the Lord.

May the Lord bless us in this work, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(John A. Widtsoe, “Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Vol. XII, 1921, 49-64. Link.)

Temple Worship by Elder John A. Widtsoe

Anointing Rite in the Orthodox Church

Bryce Haymond — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:35:31 +0000

The Anointing of David

David Larsen at Heavenly Ascents continues to provide excellent notes from his attendance at the Temple Studies Group Symposium in London last weekend. Recently he posted his notes on Archimandrite Ephrem’s presentation about the Holy Oil in the Orthodox Church. Father Ephrem gave out a handout which included detailed notes on the anointing rite in the Orthodox Church, which includes this portion:

The one to be baptized is brought forward. The Priest takes some of the oil and makes the sign of the Cross on the forehead, breast and back of the candidate, saying: The servant of God, N., is anointed with the oil of gladness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As he signs their breast and back he says: For healing of soul and body. On the ears: For the hearing of faith. On the feet: For your feet to walk. On the hands: Your hands made me and fashioned me. And when the whole body has been anointed the Priest baptizes the person, holding them upright and facing East, as he says: The servant of God N. is baptized, in the name of the Father. Amen. And of the Son. Amen. And of the Holy Spirit. Amen. At each invocation the Priest immerses them and raises them again [three-fold immersion].¹

Check out David Larsen’s Heavenly Ascents blog for more details from Father Ephrem’s presentation.

Anointing Rite in the Orthodox Church

Handout from Archimandrite Ephrem in notes on Heavenly Ascents blog. Notes in brackets are mine.

Poll – Top Things that Interfere with Regular Temple Attendance?

Bryce Haymond — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:36:48 +0000

Elder Richard G. Scott

In the April General Conference earlier this year Elder Richard G. Scott spoke about the temple. He said:

I have seen that many times individuals have made great sacrifices to go to a distant temple. But when a temple is built close by, within a short time, many do not visit it regularly. I have a suggestion: When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple.¹

As Elder Scott suggested, one way to succeed in attending the temple regularly is to identity those things that interfere, and either eliminate them, work around them, or correct them.

So, we come to the poll below (only visible on the website). This poll is completely anonymous. Feel free to explain your choices, or “other” selection, in the comments, and how you plan to overcome your interferences.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Poll – Top Things that Interfere with Regular Temple Attendance?

Elder Scott, “Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need,” April 2009 General Conference.

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Temple Worship by Elder John A. Widtsoe

Temple Worship

Section Two

Present Increased Interest in Temple Work

Opposition and Blessings from Temple Work

Temple Work for All the People

Historical Distribution of Temples

Temples of the Priesthood

Temple Worship Eternally a Part of the Gospel

Eternal Nature of Man

Conditions of Eternal Progress

Salvation vs. Exaltation

God’s Definition of a Temple

Purposes of Temples

Internal Evidence of Veracity

Objections to Temple Worship

Why a House?

Sacred vs. Secret

Covenants and Promises

Lack of Beauty

Symbolism

Corruptions of Temple Worship

The Revelation of the Temple

Preparation for Temple Worship

Conclusion

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