BELIEFS AND STORIES FROM MEMBERS OF
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The temple includes the pinnacle of all of the ordinances that are performed in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of these ordinances is temple marriage. Temple marriage is an ordinance, or a ceremony, that is performed by qualified officiators in the Mormon temple. It is similar to a wedding ceremony that is performed in a church, a synagogue, or even a Japanese shrine, with some notable exceptions. In the above ceremonies, the couple exchanges vows with one another, in the presence of witnesses and an officiator. In the temple, the couple also exchanges vows in the presence of an officiator, also known as a sealer, and two witnesses. However, Mormons also believe that God is party to these vows. These vows are known as covenants because of their sacred nature, and because they are a symbol of a relationship of commitment between God and the marriage partners. When performed by a sealer who possesses the authority, acting for and behalf of God, the marriage is perpetuated beyond the grave. This has reference to the sealing power that was given to Peter in the New Testament (Matt. 16: 19). (more…)

Personal Response by Karim

I’ve always enjoyed romantic movies. Both in film and in real life, there are those married in big cathedrals decorated with gorgeous flowers; others exchanging vows at sunset by the beach. But regardless of the glamour or setting, there is something these versions of a wedding all lack: a union for eternity. Civil marriages claim that the couple will be together until death. A temple marriage guarantees that if you honor each other and the promises you made in the temple, you will be together forever- even past death–to enjoy a fulness of life and joy, and an increasing posterity. (more…)

Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Latter-day Saints, like many other religious people, wear special clothing with religious meaning. Often Christian ministers and priests wear special robes or collars to identify themselves. In secular society, police officers, basketball players, or nurses wears special clothing to identify themselves with a particular group. Such clothing provides a sense of belonging and a personal reminder of what membership in that group entails.

When we see Protestant clergy or Buddhist priests, we automatically recognize a deep sense of religious commitment on their part. When we see a Catholic nun wearing the traditional black and white habit, we may identify her with people like Mother Teresa, who helped the poor and needy. (more…)

A temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a building dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ as His house. It’s a place where sacred ordinances or required rites for salvation and eternal life take place. It is a holy edifice, a place of peace and a refuge from the world, where the Lord’s Spirit dwells and where His people are armed with power as they serve, receive instruction, and make and keep sacred covenants, for themselves and their departed ancestors.

Personal Response by Andrew C. Skinner

Latter-day Saint or Mormon temples are holy edifices or buildings wherein the most sacred ordinances, rites, and ceremonies are performed that pertain to full and complete salvation in the Kingdom of God, usually referred to as exaltation. Because Latter-day Saints believe that life continues after this mortal existence, and that all men and women deserve and need to participate in these saving ordinances instituted by God, members of the Church who have participated in these ordinances for their own salvation are encouraged to return to the temple often to act as proxies for ancestors who have passed on.

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