New Mormon Temple In the News

As the Mormon Church gears up for the opening of its new temple in Carmel, Indiana, local news sources are letting residents know what to expect once they have a Mormon temple in their region. I’m guessing that the Church put out a new press release because last Wednesday (January 14, 2015) two of these news reports showed up in my inbox. One was from Fox59 News and the other from Current in Carmel.

MoroniIndianaBoth news reports included the same basic information, mostly focusing on the benefits a Mormon temple will bring to Indiana. That is, economic growth and population growth for the area; greater understanding of Mormonism among non-Mormons; and “geographic convenience” for local Mormons wishing to attend a temple.

What I found most interesting about these reports is not what they said, but what they didn’t say. Both explained that Mormon temples are used for endowment ceremonies, weddings, and “some” or “certain” baptisms. But neither mentioned the fact that most of the activities done in Mormon temples are done on behalf of the dead.

Readers would have no way of knowing this, but none of the “certain baptisms” mentioned in the news reports are for living people. The living are baptized in Mormon meetinghouses or chapels; the dead are baptized by proxy in Mormon temples.

Endowment ceremonies, weddings and sealings (not specifically mentioned in the news reports) are performed in Mormon temples for both the living and the dead. Temple-worthy Mormons will typically participate in these ceremonies one time for themselves, and then return often to do temple work as proxies for the deceased.

the_mormonsIn 2007 PBS aired a two-part documentary titled “The Mormons.” According to the program, at that time two billion names of deceased people had been recorded and were being stored in Mormon vaults outside of Salt Lake City. Of those, Mormons had “baptized well over 100 million deceased people.” According to an article found on the Mormon Newsroom website, 400 million new historic records are being added to that database each year. And the goal of the Mormon Church is to complete the temple work (washings, anointings, baptisms, sealings, endowments and marriages) for each deceased person identified through these records. In fact, the ultimate goal is to do this temple work for every person who has ever lived. Past Mormon prophet Joseph Fielding Smith taught,

“…the work must be done in behalf of the dead of the previous 6,000 years, for all who need it. Temples will be built for this purpose, and the labor in them will occupy most of the time of the saints.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 2:166)

That’s a lot of temple work for the dead.

So isn’t it interesting that the news reports on the new Indiana temple didn’t even mention that Mormons do work in their temples to benefit the dead?

The fact that proxy work for the dead is done in Mormon temples can be found on the MormonTemples website if one takes the time to look for it. The fact that work on behalf of the dead is the majority of what goes on in Mormon temples is nowhere stated, as far as I can see.

One leg of the three-fold mission of the LDS Church is “redeeming the dead.” A significant purpose for Mormon temples is “redeeming the dead.” The main activity engaged in within those temples is “redeeming the dead.” I find it odd that something so prominent and important — to Mormonism in general and Mormon temples in particular — would be neglected in these news reports. But I suppose it makes for better public relations as the temple open house approaches.

As one of the news reports said, “one of the exciting effects of the new building will be an open house for people outside the faith, which will provide an opportunity for local Mormons to talk about their beliefs in an impressive setting.” Perhaps an impressive setting will be enough of a distraction to keep visitors from thinking too much about *what really goes on inside Mormon temples (link below).

* Not everyone may want to watch this linked video produced by “New Name Noah.” While MRM has no official affiliation with this person, the material was produced by someone who apparently possessed a valid temple recommend and secretly filmed the ordinances inside the temple. This material is readily available on the Internet. Please view at your own discretion.

About Sharon Lindbloom

Sharon surrendered her life to the Lord Jesus Christ in 1979. Deeply passionate about Truth, Sharon loves serving as a full-time volunteer research associate with Mormonism Research Ministry. Sharon and her husband live in Minnesota.
This entry was posted in Baptism for the Dead, LDS Church, Mormon Temple and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

30 Responses to New Mormon Temple In the News

  1. MistakenTestimony says:

    Whoever lives by truth comes into light so others see that what they do is done through God. But everyone who does evil hates the light and does not want to come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. Light has come into the world but men loved darkness more than light. There’s no fear when you are right.

    The only things that should be secret are when you’re in prayer and when you’re giving to the poor. When Jesus taught salvation He said nothing in secret, but He spoke openly to the world so every ear could hear. “When you light a lamp you do not hide it where no one can see, but you hold it up to shine.” And Jesus said “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim for all to hear … For there’s nothing concealed that will not ever be disclosed
    Or hidden that will not be known.”

    In the temples you keep secret all the things you see and hear. When you say you hold them sacred, it still means that you won’t share. But whatever you keep hidden by the light will be exposed, and the things that you hold sacred will be shown. So why the secrecy? Are you ashamed of what you teach? If it brings salvation why would you not speak? Please just remember there’s no secret when it comes to sacred things. There’s no secret sacred things.

  2. Mike R says:

    Let’s hope and pray that non Mormons will be able to see past the eye appeal of this temple and the smiling faces of the Mormons on hand at it’s public opening , and look into what the Bible says these temple and what Mormons do in them . Mormon leaders have claimed their their church is the very same church that Jesus established through His apostles we read of in the N.T. , Mormon leaders also claim to preach the very same gospel that Jesus’ apostles preached . To convince the public that these claims are true the use of half truths are to often used .

    Mormon temples have nothing to do with Jesus or His gospel of salvation . They are buildings constructed by men who feel they have heard from God to build them and practice the rituals which take place in them , but that is a common theme among many who have come claiming to be latter days prophets . Mormon temples may be some of the biggest or most impressive looking buildings built by religious men in these latter days , however they are simply man made structures with man made rituals . This is similar to how some Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day had drifted from God’s will by adding their own man made teachings to His truth — Mk 7:7-8 .
    . For those men and women who desire a right relationship with God , that is available without ever entering a Mormon temple . The New Testament contains that wonderful news .

  3. falcon says:

    I’m wondering, do the prospects know all about the temple before they join the LDS church? I would think that these prospects ought to know a few fundamental principles of this sect.
    1. That the end goal is too do enough to become a god.
    2. That temple rituals are mandatory for deification and this includes involvement in baptisms for the dead.
    3. That tithing, the Word of Wisdom behavior code, fulfilling callings are all expectations in order to receive a temple recommend.
    4. That the temple recommend can be revoked and entrance into the temple to do the work necessary to become a god is always a possibility.

    Joseph Smith created this religion with its temple and rituals. It has no foundation in the Bible, the writings of the Church Fathers, the heretics and wasn’t apart of the traditions of the Christian Church. What it is, is an elaborate system much like Free Masonry which Smith borrowed from liberally.

  4. Rhythm Of The Tides says:

    I asked my friend ( although they are becoming ever distant as the days roll by ) who it is that decides who is worthy and who isn’t to enter one of these places. I was informed it was members who were ” Judges of Israel ” and they alone were the ones who decided who was worthy.

    I didn’t bother to ask about the Judges as I am simply losing interest but I didn’t notice the quickness of their tongue. They sure don’t like being asked questions with an edge. Very defensive…a far cry from the happy go lucky persona I’ve been used to from the beginning.

    I then asked,

    So if I failed a worthiness test then I’d have no more right to enter a temple than a homeless man ?

    The question went unanswered.

    These temples just strike me as history repeating itself. I am no expert on the Bible and as you guys know I am finding my way back to my shepherd but, these buildings give me the jeebies. Are the expenses ever disclosed ?

  5. falcon says:

    Tides,
    Expenses disclosed? This is the LDS money machine. What do you think?
    These folks know how to maximize their “investment”.
    From a blogger:
    But the worst thing, ever, happened years ago in a branch we belonged to. We were very young and dh switched jobs, we had two small kids and the pay cycle for the new job meant that we wouldn’t get a paycheck for a month. Young as we were, we failed to notice this little wrinkle in our plans and had to get a food order, a single, solitary food order to make it that month.

    Several months later we were summoned into a meeting with three other families and a member of the Branch Presidency. We all looked at each other wondering what we were doing there. Well, we were informed that since we had received help, it was now up to us to clean the building on rotating weeks.

    So the others in the room now knew we had gone to the church for help, as we now knew they had done. I felt beyond humiliated and degraded. I can’t even say how low that made me feel.

    So we did it, like the good little followers we were. And my little children helped. We did it about once every three or four weeks for months and months. I can’t even remember how long we did it. It wasn’t real hard for the rest of the ward to figure out why we were doing it either.

    That little bit of groceries cost me more than any other in my entire life. What’s worse? I actually beat myself up for the hard feelings I had from that. I felt so unworthy and ungrateful for having hard feelings over that.
    http://mormoncurtain.com/topic_wardcleaning.html

  6. Mike R says:

    Rhythm ,

    the Mormon Bishop is referred to as ” a judge in Israel ” , it is he ( and the Stake President ) who give a Mormon the ok to receive a temple recommend — the permission slip to enter God’s house , the Mormon temple . None of this arrangement is authentic Christianity . It’s simply a man made system created by prophets who claim they have been appointed by God . The claim is sincere but those making it fail the main test that true apostles have advised all followers of Jesus to use in detecting counterfeit gospels — 1 Jn 4:1 ( Gal 1:8 also ) .

    You said , ” …. as you guys know I am finding my way back to my Shepard ….”

    I hope you don’t fall into a trap of thinking that you have to amass a large amount of knowledge of the scriptures before the great Shepard will accept you and you can gain a personal relationship with
    Him . See Jn 5: 39-40 . Notice it says in vr 40 Jesus says to ” come to me for eternal life ” . This is Jesus’ invitation to all who desire to know God ( Jn 17:3 ) , and this invitation is also seen in Matt 11:28 . Have you considered that invitation ? Finding your way to Jesus the great Shepard is to hear the Shepard’s call . Do you hear His call / invitation ? Learning the spiritual truths that the scriptures teach is a real blessing that we all have a hunger for , but there is a big difference between knowing about Jesus , and knowing Him in a personal way . You can have a direct intimate relationship with the risen Savior by bowing before Him and asking Him to forgive you and come into your life and be your personal Lord . He will then pardon and become very real to you , and introduce you ,as it were , to the Father — Jn 14: 6 . You then begin a daily fellowship with the Father and the Son that is the essence of the christian life — 1 Cor 1:9 — this is facilitated by the Holy Spirit — 2Cor 13:14 ; Rom 8:26-27 .

    It is the Father’s will that you come personally to His Son and receive Him into your heart by voicing that desire of yours to Him — Rom 10:9-13 .
    Please do not put this off thinking you need to be clean enough or have amassed enough knowledge in Bible study before you can somehow qualify to answer Jesus’ invitation to you . You come to Jesus first , you’ll receive the gift of eternal life and then He’ll make your paths straight as you follow Him down life’s road .

    No temple rituals , no prophet at the top , no ladder of works to climb to earn Godhood — all those are the errors which Mormon prophets have made .

  7. Mike R says:

    MT said, ” When Jesus taught salvation He said nothing in secret….”

    Good point . Jesus came to seek and save the lost ( Lk 19:10 ) and a lost person becomes saved by hearing the information that Jesus and His apostles taught ( Rom 1:16 ) , so that information , that good news , can’t be a secret . Yet Mormon leaders have made some of information , allegedly from Jesus , that is necessary for gaining eternal life a secret for a long time . It’s largely because of the Internet that the rituals done in Mormon temples has been exposed . Even some popular Mormons ( Richard Bushman , as one example ) have admitted publically that yes Mormon temple ritual are not just sacred but in fact they are secret . Why have Mormon leaders been so sneaky about how they publically represented this issue through the years ? I guess if LDS have secret rituals they must do in order to gain eternal life then it follows that they can’t be totally transparent about them to non Mormons . Now if someone wants to create a religion and have secret rituals that’s up to them , but Mormon leaders have claimed that their church is the exact same church Jesus established through His apostles 2000 years ago , with the very same gospel of salvation that Paul preached , they have actually said that . So by testing that claim of theirs we find Mormon temples to be a man made addition to Jesus’ gospel . In short Mormonism is only a imitation , not the one true church of Jesus Christ , and the Mormon people sincere as they are have been fooled by well dressed religious leaders into accepting their imitation gospel . It breaks our hearts to see decent people detoured by latter days false prophets , which Jesus said would come .

  8. MistakenTestimony says:

    Mike R,

    I can’t take credit for what I wrote. I wrote the lyrics to the Adam’s Road song “Secret Sacred Things” verbatim. It’s a good song.

  9. falcon says:

    When you think of something being “restored”, you assume it’s been around before. If it hasn’t been around before it can’t, by definition, be restored. So whatever Mormonism is, one thing that it isn’t, is a restoration of something that existed previously.
    There were no first century Christian temples, priesthood, temple rituals, temple garments, polygamy or any of the other distinctives Mormons like to claim have been restored.
    If the Mormon temples are suppose to be a knock-off of the Jewish temples, that’s as ridiculous as first century Christian temples.
    My point is obvious. Mormonism showed-up with Joseph Smith. He declared himself a latter day prophet chosen by God to restore all things. Sorry Mormons. You’ve been taken for a ride even though many of you enjoy the ride.

  10. RikkiJ says:

    @Rhythm

    Questions I suggest you ask yourself egarding the rites of temple as part of the requirements to get to Celestial Kingdom:

    1. How can a human be reconciled to heavenly father in the Celestial Kingdom?

    We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

    (AF 1:3)

    2. What requirements must you and I fulfill to get there?

    “Exaltation is available only to righteous members of the Church of Jesus Christ; only to those who accept the gospel; only to those who have their endowments in holy temples of God and have been sealed for eternity and who then continue to live righteously throughout their lives. Numerous members of the Church will be disappointed. All will fail of these blessing who fail to live worthy lives, even though the temple ordinances have been done for them.”

    3. Do these requirements include obeying all the commandments and repenting of all sin?

    … All those who … witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.

    (D&C 20:37)

    4. What is evidence of repentance?

    42 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. 43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

    5. Does a cycle of repeating sin describe a path of repentance or a path of non-repentance?

    When we speak of the continual need of repentance, let it not be understood that we refer to a cycle of sinning and repenting and sinning again. That is not complete repentance.

    Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, chp. 14, p.39

    6. Does true repentance permit repetition?

    … The discontinuance must be a permanent one. True repentance does not permit repetition. … Forgiveness is not assured if one reverts to early sins. The Lord said: . . . go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return. . . . (D&C 82:7.)

    Miracle of Forgiveness, Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, 1972, p.181

    — End of understanding LDS requirements —

    Aren’t you glad Jesus paid the price and did all the work for your salvation? The LDS Church is not the answer, neither are it’s temples. Jesus is the way. See MRM’s articles here and here.

  11. falcon says:

    It does amaze me that smart people, who are prospects for the LDS net, don’t check into things more. Perhaps that has changed now that information is so readily available. This whole idea of the restoration is so bogus as to be laughable, especially when it comes to the “temple”. There were no temples, temple garments or temple rituals in the first century Church. There was no idea of people going through the temple shenanigans in order to become gods. Paul encountered the Greek temples to various deities and used the experience to preach Christ and Him crucified.
    I am rejoicing that God chose me to be a temple of His Holy Spirit based on the faith I’ve put in His Son Jesus Christ and not some meaningless man-made rituals.

  12. Mike R says:

    falcon , you’re right about the word ” restoration” , and you were spot on when you said :
    ” So whatever Mormonism is , one thing that it is’nt is a restoration of something that existed previously .”

    It’s more accurate to describe the Mormon church as ” the substituted church of Jesus Christ” rather than the ” restored church of Jesus Christ ” . Mormon leaders felt that they were hearing from God and so they went with their feelings and created a religious organization . But it is only a imitation of the true church that Jesus established through His apostles . The Mormon people have been detoured into joining a man made organization that’s been substituted in place of the truth .
    When investigators get beyond the public image , the professional media productions , utilized by Mormons to sell Mormonism another picture will emerge , and it’s where one finds out ” the rest of the story” as the saying goes .
    Hopefully the people in the vacinity of where this new temple is being built will take the extra time needed to look into what Mormon leaders have said about them as well as what Mormon leaders have taught about God etc . Ministries like MRM are valuable for this .

  13. falcon says:

    To Mormons, understand this.
    Christ is enough!
    Temples, garments, rituals and/or moral codes of behavior coupled with sincerity won’t get anyone saved or garner them a reward. Whatever God grants us, He does so through Christ Jesus Our Lord. The apostle Paul says that maybe a person might be willing to die for someone who is good, moral and up-standing, but few if any would die for someone who wasn’t “good”.
    The thing about the Gospel is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It’s not necessary for us to get morally cleaned-up and then think that God would grant us eternal life based on our efforts. We are saved by faith and that faith causes us to be transformed. The process is one of sanctification as we walk in the Spirit, however the requirement is faith.
    Temple work may keep you busy but it has no power to save you from your sins. Only Christ can do that. But in order for that to happen, we need to know who Jesus is.
    It’s worth checking into.

  14. Mike R says:

    We are familiar with the Mormon temple ordinance of baptism for the dead , but what about other temple ordinances ? Mormon leaders created the doctrine of endowments for the dead , and what about marriage for the dead ?

    I’m interested in endowments for the dead , does that still take place in Mormon temples? In the endowment ceremony various parts of a person’s body is washed and anointed , there is also the reception of a secret name , handshake , and also swearing of oaths not to divulge these to non LDS .
    For many years these oaths / covenants had penalties for violation of them . Temple participants would be shown gestures of mimicking having their throats slit as the penalty for violating their covenants . I believe these gruesome gestures of penalties were quietly discarded in 1990 .

    Baptism for the dead , endowments for the dead : all part of Jesus’ gospel of salvation — according to Mormonism , right ?

    Mormon leaders claimed to be supervised by Jesus Himself in their preaching / practices , yet they have swerved from the gospel of salvation which Jesus had sent His apostles out to teach . Mormon temple rituals are a good example of the apostasy Mormon leaders succumbed to . It’s sad that many sincere people follow these latter days prophets who have not been sent by Jesus . Matt 24:11 .

    The Mormon people deserve our prayers that their eyes would be opened to the simple gospel of salvation available to them in the New Testament .

  15. falcon says:

    Mike,
    The concept is “doing the work” for someone who is dead. So the person didn’t do the work when they had the opportunity during their life time, someone else steps up and does it for them. Andy Watson use to tell me about all of these Mormons he would run into, that would tell him that they’d “do the work” in the next life.
    If an LDS women is married to an LDS man but he has absolutely no interest in the temple program she’s stuck. However I think there’s a clause in the program that allows the woman to be given to another man in the after life. This is what happens to single women. They get assigned to a worthy man in the Celestial Kingdom and it helps build up his organization.
    In some ways it’s sort of like multi-level marketing programs.

  16. falcon says:

    So we have another doctrine that was “revealed” to Joseph Smith. Catch the part that says that if the LDS member doesn’t get involved in this program, their own salvation is in peril. If an LDS person can’t see that this is “another gospel” as warned about by the Apostle Paul, that is the real peril for their salvation and eternal destiny.

    “This glorious doctrine is another witness of the all-encompassing nature of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He made salvation available to every repentant soul. His Atonement conquered death, and He permits the worthy deceased to receive all ordinances of salvation vicariously.”

    “In an epistle written over 150 years ago, Joseph Smith stated: “The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for … their relatives who are dead … who have received the Gospel in the spirit, through … those who have been commissioned to preach to them.”2 Later he added, “Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation.”3

    The LDS folks are encouraged to get organized and get going to get their ancestors through the process.

    “We encourage those of you who have a large reservation of names to share them so that members of your extended family or ward and stake can help you in completing that work. You can do this by distributing temple cards to ward and stake members willing to help or by using the FamilySearch computer system to submit the names directly to the temple. This latter option is something Cindy Blevins of Casper, Wyoming, has been doing for years.”

    “Sister Blevins was baptized as a teenager and has been the only member of her family to join the Church. She has completed a vast amount of genealogical work. But there are far too many names for her and her immediate family to complete. Consequently, Sister Blevins has submitted the names to the temple, which, she reports, are often completed in a matter of weeks, usually at one of the two temples closest to her home. She says she likes to think that friends and neighbors in her own ward and stake may be among those helping to complete the work for her ancestors. She appreciates their doing so.”
    https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-joy-of-redeeming-the-dead?lang=eng

    What a hook, isn’t it? Stay in the LDS church and do all of this work and you can bring this glorious gospel to thoes dearly departed relatives of yours.

  17. falcon says:

    There’s a reason why the LDS folks are conditioned to react negatively to the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If people can be convinced that it is by their own efforts that they will receive their eternal reward, anything less will look like a fraud.
    Mormonism is a real slippery slope. It all sounds innocent enough until we get into the details. If Christ’s sacrifice is not enough to provide for our salvation, what does that tell us about its effectiveness. It’s only as good as the person doing the work. It’s not sufficient for salvation in and of itself.
    God has extended a gift to mankind. We can either accept or reject that gift. There is no middle ground. In essence Jesus is the purveyor of the gift.
    The sick thing is that Joseph Smith changed everything about the gospel and then said he had restored the original. There was no “restoration”. What there is in Mormonism is a “replacement” gospel that has no power to save those lost in their sins. It is fools gold.

  18. Rhythm Of The Tides says:

    Hello people, listen I have a favor to ask. This is in regards to temples but of the solomon variety. I was talking to the people around me about 2Nephi:5 15/16 as I am not sure I believe in the construction of such a building in such a location With the tools,workforce at hand and to the exceedingly high standard stated.

    I brought this up and was simply pointed to 1Kings 5:17 when I asked for the difference between precious ore from 2nephi 15 and precious things 2nephi 16.

    Then ( and this is becoming common ) When I don’t accept their answer I get this weird reminder that when I was Baptized I made a covenant with Christ.

    Again I realize this is a little different from the op but I’d appreciate any help on this. I’d like to reply to earlier post but for now my hands are tied.

    Hope you’re all doing well.

  19. Mike R says:

    Rhythm,

    Can you do me a favor ? Read what I posted to you on 1-26 @ 11:52 pm . Thanks .

    The Book of Mormon does mention temples . However the doctrine of temple marriage and baptism for the dead is not taught . That’s interesting considering that Mormon leaders have called celestial marriage :
    ” The crowning gospel ordinance requisite for Godhood is celestial marriage . The doctrine of celestial marriage as taught and practiced in the Church of Jesus Christ today means temple
    marriage . ” [ Gospel Through the Ages, p, 118 ] .

    and baptism for the dead is referred to as the ” most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel ” [ D&C 128 : 17 ].

    If Jesus came to America ,picked men to build His church and preach the gospel of salvation , then these two doctrines should have been preached far and wide , they are that vital . Yet the Book of Mormon does not teach them . But Mormon leaders introduced them and proceeded to claim they are Jesus’ gospel of salvation . Such claims are not unique and latter days false prophets readily use this type of claim to misled sincere people . Mormon leaders are latter days false prophets .

  20. falcon says:

    Rhythm
    The LDS folks are telling you that your covenant was made with Christ. I can assure you that it wasn’t. You made a commitment of sorts with the LDS church and the system it promotes.
    Here’s the problem as I see it. Prospects are told to read the BoM with a humble and sincere heart and pray to “god” for a sign that it is true. That sign is suppose to be a burning in the bosom sort of sensation that confirms the truth of the BoM. OK so why then, does this emotional response extend outside the boundaries of the BoM? BTW, the burning in the bosom is an emotional manipulation that has nothing to do with communication with God.
    Your LDS acquaintances are manipulating you as they have from the beginning in order to extract a commitment from you. You have no obligation to this religion because it was presented to you under false pretenses.
    As an intellectual exercise, we could go through the questions you asked regarding the temple. Fact of the matter is that at this point in time the primary concern I have for you is that you come to an understanding of who Jesus is and the ramifications of putting your trust/faith in Him for your salvation. After that, Mormonism fades away into oblivion. It just becomes a speed bump on your way to knowing, understanding and accepting Jesus as your Savior and in so doing receive eternal life.

  21. Rhythm Of The Tides says:

    @ Rikki thanks for taking the time to type that it is appreciated and provides a lot of food for thought.

    @ Mike, I apologize I didn’t see what you had typed, I was using my silly little phone at the time which has the lamest screen size imaginable. Although thanks for the information.

    @ Falcon.

    It’s gotten to the point where every time I ask a question I get their testimony. Whenever I mention a past deed from an apostle or Prophet which makes them look like anything other than holy men. all I get is ” well we know they are prophets of god ” that doesn’t really explain to me about the elitism and exclusive nature of Temple worship. I said that I am getting the feeling that if myself, a homeless man and Christ sat for our temple recommendations we’d all probably fail by the lds standards which just seems weird to me. even if we did fail however, I know I won’t be leaving the side of christ or the homeless guy.

    I think above all else falcon I am trying to keep a friendship alive, but it appears I am just another brick in the wall.

    we can take this conversation wherever you like I am open for discussion. I’ve nowt to hide.

  22. MistakenTestimony says:

    RotT,

    You said, “I am not sure I believe in the construction of such a building in such a location With the tools,workforce at hand and to the exceedingly high standard stated.”

    Just for my own curiosity, what location did they have in mind? Serious question, not rhetorical.

  23. Rhythm Of The Tides says:

    Hi MT,

    I mention both north and south but they wouldn’t be drawn into a location and said that ” the location of the temple Nephi built is of no importance today ”

    I couldn’t settle on any location being ideal in the end.

  24. MistakenTestimony says:

    If I were a historian and wrote a history on the city of Atlantis while arguing that the location of Atlantis is of no importance today I would be laughed out of academia and stripped of credibility. The History Channel would still let me make a 3-part series on the Aliens who built Atlantis, however.

  25. falcon says:

    Rhythm,
    Here’s the deal on friendships in the LDS sect. Once you start to show that you aren’t 100% on board, you lose those friends. If you leave, they won’t have anything to do with you because you are an apostate. However, the missionaries will come tapping at your door on a semi-regular basis to try and rope you back into the sect.

  26. RikkiJ says:

    @Rhythm

    No problem, once again – I believe the chief of major differences between Christianity and Mormonism lie not in where the temple was built, but who our temple is[Jesus in true Christianity] and how all the work for salvation is done by Christ.

    This truth will save you and a false truth will mislead you. (Gal. 1:6-8, NASB)

    Feel free to contact me by email if you want a more detailed discussion.

  27. RikkiJ says:

    The LDS faith is full of well-meaning, generally good-hearted folk who have been soundly deceived. They have not examined their scriptures as the Bereans did to see if what the LDS prophets teach is accurate. (Acts 17:11, NASB)

  28. Mike R says:

    RikkiJ ,

    Well said .

  29. Rhythm Of The Tides says:

    @ Rikki

    Thanks, can I ask you for your email again I can’t find it. I’d like to take you up on your offer as things my end have taken an interesting turn and I could do with a little advice.

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