Temple stories - good, bad, funny?

[MG 2.0]

Remember also that I started off talking about my experiences as a relatively new member, and what I was taught back then.

I had limited awareness that I should not expect to believe whatever the missionaries and other members (including leaders) told me, and little in the way of experience to distinguish between the "truth" and the "fanciful ideas".

I am curious as to whether the more ‘black and whitish’ teachings in regards to the way the Spirit works, etc., are still the norm. My guess is probably not. But I’ve been out of the missionary system for many years now.

I’m hoping that missionaries and mentor members are somewhat more broad thinking in their experience and views than many of us seemed to be back in the day.

Regards,
MG

[malkie]

I guess you could say that the temple connection in this story is peripheral, but it would likely not have happened, and I would likely have known nothing about it, if it were not for it happening on a stake temple trip.

Before there was a temple in eastern Canada, the closest temple for the saints from Ontario & Quebec was Washington, DC.

The organizers of temple trips from my stake had lots of experience in the logistics of getting a bunch of people to and from the Washington temple by bus. So we all knew in advance what the border protocol typically involved. A US Customs & Immigration official would step onto the bus and ask Canadians and Americans to have their ID ready for inspection, while others went into the office for their papers to be checked. Canadians and USians just stayed in their seats, and the C&I guy passed by and gave their passports or driver licences a quick check. Usually this resulted in a 20-30 minute delay.

We were also warned that C&I officials were not known for their sense of humour, and that we should stick to following their instructions.

On this specific journey, we arrived at the border, and the official came onto the bus and asked: “Are you all Canadian or US citizens, or is anyone traveling on a Visa?”

One bright spark replied: “I’m traveling on a Mastercard - does that count?”

The official was not amused. “OK folks, everybody off the bus, and line up at the counter with your documents!”

That little joke cost us an additional couple of hours.

[Advocate]

When I was a youth we met at the church for a youth temple trip. There were two entrances/exits to the church parking lot and most people used one exit. For whatever reason, when we were all leaving to head to the temple (an adult or two per vehicle with a bunch of youth) the adults took us out the lesser-used exit. We all drove by a pickup truck (in those days most pickups were single cab) that within had a man and a woman in a passionate embrace. We talked about it on the way to the temple, all of us figuring they were being unfaithful to their spouses because why else would two adults be making out in a pickup truck on a Tuesday evening in a church parking lot? We all got a kick from the mood that was set for the temple trip.

[malkie]

When I was a youth we met at the church for a youth temple trip. There were two entrances/exits to the church parking lot and most people used one exit. For whatever reason, when we were all leaving to head to the temple (an adult or two per vehicle with a bunch of youth) the adults took us out the lesser-used exit. We all drove by a pickup truck (in those days most pickups were single cab) that within had a man and a woman in a passionate embrace. We talked about it on the way to the temple, all of us figuring they were being unfaithful to their spouses because why else would two adults be making out in a pickup truck on a Tuesday evening in a church parking lot? We all got a kick from the mood that was set for the temple trip.

Not exactly the "mood" one is expected to enter the temple with! But thanks for your story.

[bill4long]

Even though I participated in the Los Angeles temple goings-on quite a bit in the early 80s, I never had what you would call a spiritual experience there. (I had a lot of spiritual experiences elsewhere, however.) I do remember thinking the small men's restroom in the area behind the endowment veils was a nice cozy spot for me to drain my bladder. (I volunteered for veil work. Any man with a recommend could volunteer for that.) And I liked the custard that the kitchen staff made for the cafeteria. Mmmm good. I mean it.

(Working the veil, I never engaged in the notorious Sixth Point of Fellowship. And I find it odd that not one person ever looked me in the eye as they were passing the veil when I was playing "Father" behind the veil. Not a thank you, or even a slight acknowedgement of my existence. When I passed the veil, I always looked the veil worker in the eyes and thanked him. Shrug. The whole thing was so "assembly line" devoid of feeling, from what I could tell.)

A good friend of mind (back then) set a record for the number of "baptisms for the dead" one evening. (He was one of those guys who had a full set of Journal of Discourses proudly displayed in his book case.) He told me that after it was all over, he literally heard a bunch of disembodied "spirits" say to him in unison, "thank you." Nobody else heard it that I could discover.

That same guy was lusting after my sister to be a plural wife. He was on the verge of joining an Arizona polygamy group who still tried to pretend they were regular Mormons in the local ward. (I knew of several such people.) His wife, whom I was very good friends with, always started to get misty eyed (in a bad way) when the subject of plural marriage was brought up. I believe she was having murderous thoughts.

Good times.

[malkie]

Even though I participated in the Los Angeles temple goings-on quite a bit in the early 80s, I never had what you would call a spiritual experience there. (I had a lot of spiritual experiences elsewhere, however.) I do remember thinking the small men's restroom in the area behind the endowment veils was a nice cozy spot for me to drain my bladder. (I volunteered for veil work. Any man with a recommend could volunteer for that.) And I liked the custard that the kitchen staff made for the cafeteria. Mmmm good. I mean it.

(Working the veil, I never engaged in the notorious Sixth Point of Fellowship. And I find it odd that not one person ever looked me in the eye as they were passing the veil when I was playing "Father" behind the veil. Not a thank you, or even a slight acknowedgement of my existence. When I passed the veil, I always looked the veil worker in the eyes and thanked him. Shrug. The whole thing was so "assembly line" devoid of feeling, from what I could tell.)

A good friend of mind (back then) set a record for the number of "baptisms for the dead" one evening. (He was one of those guys who had a full set of Journal of Discourses proudly displayed in his book case.) He told me that after it was all over, he literally heard a bunch of disembodied "spirits" say to him in unison, "thank you." Nobody else heard it that I could discover.

That same guy was lusting after my sister to be a plural wife. He was on the verge of joining an Arizona polygamy group who still tried to pretend they were regular Mormons in the local ward. (I knew of several such people.) His wife, whom I was very good friends with, always started to get misty eyed (in a bad way) when the subject of plural marriage was brought up. I believe she was having murderous thoughts.

Good times.

Thanks, bill4long, for sharing your memories.

[Canadiandude2]

It was almost a ritual that after a fellow young man got his endowment, for another newly endowed man to show the hieroglyphics from the book of Abraham and make connections with the symbolic gestures just performed.

In hindsight…

Cringe.

[Morley]

My mother and father, though born in the Church, had not been married in the temple. When I was seven, I was sealed to them in the Manti Temple. Since my some of my ancestors were large in the Church and others had helped design and build the temple, after the ceremony we were shown some of the things that weren't always available to others. I still remember the immense murals, the secret panel that led to the space that had hidden John Taylor from the polygamy catchers, and the spiral staircase that led to the spire where my seven-year-old self was certain that Jesus lived. If I ever believed in Jesus, I would know where to find him.

[Xenophon]

The church accepted the public civil marriage as legitimate for all purposes other than sealing in the temple less than a year after the marriage.

The accepted wisdom was that the couple was considered to be contaminated by the world if they had sexual intercourse between marriage and sealing, and that a one- year waiting time was needed to ensure that they were really dedicated to the church.

Or something like that.

You can add my own anecdotal experience to the pile on this one. It was explained to me that if you got married first but didn't opt for a temple marriage within a few days of that civil ceremony it was a tacit admission that you hadn't been temple worthy before the civil marriage and thus needed a year "cool-off" period. I've seen exactly zero confirmation of this, just relaying how it was explained to me when I joined.

There was a loophole to this (at least in the early 2000's) that SO and I took advantage of. If the husband was not yet a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood at the time of civil marriage the couple would be eligible for the temple sealing as soon as he was ordained. We were married in the spring, I was ordained in early fall, and we hit the temple quickly after that. I always thought the exception seemed sort of odd given the previously provided explanation as the "admission" technically didn't go away just because I wasn't an Elder yet but that's bureaucracy for you.

I don't know if I had any specific examples of good or bad that are worth sharing but as I've mentioned a few times I always really enjoyed my time there. Most of my time in the church was spent in very small branches with low activity rates that placed quite a lot of the workload on just us few active members. The week in, week out of membership felt like a slog to me. Constantly feeling the pressure to pour into the trough but never really getting to draw anything back. The temple was the one exception to that. I'm a highly meditative person by nature and my previous membership in the Episcopal church prepared me to really enjoy the rote nature of the endowment and sealings. Sure, some of the presentation and language wasn't my cup of tea but I'm pragmatic enough to take what works and leave the reset behind. I suspect if my experience with the church had been more of the temple and less of the other stuff, I might have been able to hang around a bit longer.

[Kishkumen]

The week in, week out of membership felt like a slog to me. Constantly feeling the pressure to pour into the trough but never really getting to draw anything back. The temple was the one exception to that. I'm a highly meditative person by nature and my previous membership in the Episcopal church prepared me to really enjoy the rote nature of the endowment and sealings. Sure, some of the presentation and language wasn't my cup of tea but I'm pragmatic enough to take what works and leave the reset behind. I suspect if my experience with the church had been more of the temple and less of the other stuff, I might have been able to hang around a bit longer.

Although I was not previously a member of the Episcopal Church as was our friend Xenophon, I really resonate with this post. I like to meditate and reflect, and I also appreciate ritual. The temple provided me a great place to enjoy both of those parts of my personality, and it was a wonderful contrast to the difficulties of attending Sunday ward meetings.

I will go much further than Xenophon and state that the temple is one of the handful of (important to me) reasons why I continue to identify with Mormonism and as a Mormon despite my disaffiliation with the LDS Church.

Unfortunately, the LDS Church has mishandled the temple in some important respects, and I am in agreement with the late Hugh Nibley in thinking that the endowment has been bowdlerized. Where I differ from Nibley is in the diagnosis of where the problem and responsibility for it reside. Nibley felt it was the apostasy of rank and file members that was to blame. I place the blame on leaders and members together, who are understandably responding to pressure and influence from the larger culture.