How do temple TBMs feel about the new barcoded recommends?

[_Polygamy Porter]

Barcodes can easily be cut apart and pasted together to form whatever barcode number is desired.

True, but the system could easily be built to look for suspicious number patterns such as number 314159 shows up at the SLC temple a second time while still in the middle of an endowment session. Also the system could easily be extended to verify stolen numbers or even numbers that were never assigned in the first place.

The only question I have is whatever happened to those old FPRs about discernment and catching unworthy people with fake recommends at the entrance? (my personal answer is that God expects us to do all we can).

True dat.

I know a fellow who has snuck into many SLC area temples on many occasions. I guess all of the discern-o-meters were out of calibration that day..

OR perhaps the guy that was at the desk was not worthy of discerning! That Elohim guy loves to mess with us doesn't he?

[_Mercury]

I find it more depressing that you're consorting with a thief who stole recommends and wanting to enter a non-public building fraudulently for kicks. That would be....oh yeah, criminal. What are you? 14?

So newhore (sorry, ill only use this pet name sparingly), whats your opinion of the kirtland temple experience of fasting followed by gutbusting intoxication?

I don't have a problem with it and don't see how it relates. I fully expect when Christ to bring wine down with him for some Sacrament Meetings when he returns. What's the issue?

Carrying over on the temple theme, if one were to attend a dedication today with the same situation present at the kirtland temple.

What do you think about fasting for a day or so and then playing the prophet revelatory drinking game with the moonshine cooked up from the county next door?

[_Mercury]

Barcodes can easily be cut apart and pasted together to form whatever barcode number is desired.

True, but the system could easily be built to look for suspicious number patterns such as number 314159 shows up at the SLC temple a second time while still in the middle of an endowment session. Also the system could easily be extended to verify stolen numbers or even numbers that were never assigned in the first place.

The only question I have is whatever happened to those old FPRs about discernment and catching unworthy people with fake recommends at the entrance? (my personal answer is that God expects us to do all we can).

Silly Mormon, technology is for geeks!

Simply get a barcode (they are probably using unicode or some silly open standard) that matches another barcode. The octogenarian at the desk does not know you from adam/god.

[_Loquacious Lurker]

Forgive the stupid/naïve question, but how is going into the temple without a recommend against the law? Is it considered tresspassing? How can that be enforced, exactly? Is there some kind of law statute that recognizes secret societies?

[_Yoda]

I heard that LDS Inc is finally putting barcodes on the temple recommends and that all of them will be scanned at the door.

I am sure they say it is to ensure that only worthy members with VALID recommends get in, but I am curious if members are now worried because the leadership will now have an EXACT count of the number of times that members attend.

Bishop: "Brother Jones, I noticed the last time you made it to the temple with your wife was Februrary 23 at 7:12 pm... is there anything I can do to help you and sister Jones get to the house of the lord?"

Where have you been, PP?

Barcodes have been on temple recommends for years.

Actually, the first time my recommend was "swiped" through, I found it odd. But, the Church and technology have always gone hand in hand, so it's really not surprising.

[_neworder]

I heard that LDS Inc is finally putting barcodes on the temple recommends and that all of them will be scanned at the door."

It seems that more and more that technology replaces miracles and other super natural events such as the spirit of discernment.

Back in the day when the medical world was not as advance as it is today, people had to pray a lot harder and fast a lot longer so people would be cured from illness and disease. Couples would be reduced to tears who could not bear children and would pray night and day hoping for a miracle that they would have a child. Now because of In Vitro and other means, couples have a lot higher chance of trying to have offspring.

Why waste extra priesthood power on trying to get Brother Jones to feel a little discernment when he might be a little tired or maybe doing something in his life so he does not have "The Spirit®"

God has invented the bar code so he does not have to rely on people like Brother Jones when something important needs to happen like not letting some crazy person such as Mike Norton into the temple.

Growing up in the Church I was also told that every invention was inspired by God and was given to us to help spread the Gospel. Things such as Airplanes to transport missionaries, Satellites to broadcast General Conference, etc.

Even though it took a while for God to let the brethren know how the bar code can be used on temple recommends. We should be grateful that this technology can now be used by the Church so people don't have to worry about the spirit of discernment and letting evil-doers into the temple..

Yes we live in wonderful times.

[_asbestosman]

If it were up to me to impliment security with bar codes, here's how I'd do it:

I'd make sure that the ratio of valid numbers is relatively small compared to the possible numbers: Say 1 / 1000
I'd make sure that the valid numbers are non-consecutive random numbers all entered into a giant database.
I'd ensure that no valid numbers are accepted until activated by the Stake President who signs the recommend.
I'd have the temple log which numbers are used and look for statistical aberrations such as the same number being used too soon together on one day.
I'd have a system in place for revoking stolen numbers.
I'd threaten to prosecute counterfeiters.


Oh and Merc, I've looked at the new barcode. The numbers are printed above the bar and appear to be nether ASCII, unicode, nor EBDIC. I suspect the number is used more like a product key for registering software and cutting down on piracy. The difference with this thing is that if the church impliments the system as I've outlined it will be a little more difficult to crack.

[_Sethbag]

Abman, you make it sound as if you're trying to protect Fort Knox or something.

It's the temple. People go in there and put on funny clothes and learn some secret, farcical handshakes while watching a simplistic, farcical and utterly false mini-history of the founding parents of homo sapiens on Earth. That's it. Going to the greatest lengths possible to prevent some evildoer like Mike Norton from seeing the funny clothes, secret handshakes, and watching the farcical Adam and Eve mythology movie is worth it how?

I guess the more security you heap on top of the whole process, the more "special" you can make people feel something like this is. Oh well. While I do recognize that TBMs will be offended by the idea of an exmo like PP sneaking into the temple, how much effort is it worth going to in order to make sure it never, ever happens?

And yeah, whatever happened to the spirit of discernment?

And now, for the $64 question once again:

How would this situation be any different if there really weren't any such thing as a power of Discernment?

[_asbestosman]

Abman, you make it sound as if you're trying to protect Fort Knox or something.

I was mostly just showing off my grasp of security and guessing as to what I think the numbers would be used for.

How would this situation be any different if there really weren't any such thing as a power of Discernment?

It wouldn't. So?

Again, I think God expects us to do all we can. Why would He care about security and temple worthiness? I think it has to do with our attitude towards sacred things. When we don't esteem them to be of much worth then how can we expect great blessings from it? I personally am not particularly worried about Mike Norton or PP sneaking into the temple. I'm more worried about whether or I not I take the temple seriously enough. The barcode thing doesn't seem like it'd be that hard to do especially with a computer system already in place for recording ordinances.

[_Dr. Shades]

Okay, how many here think this was instituted SPECIFICALLY because of Mike Norton?