Celestial room

[_Blixa]

When we first moved to Salt Lake, I was disappointed that we fell into the Jordan River Temple district, as it is a rather unimpressive temple in my opinion. It doesn't have the history or the detail of the Salt Lake Temple. However, the Jordan temple has become a very special temple to me--not because of it's looks, but because of the spirit that I feel when I am there...even as we approach it, you can feel that it is a holy place. I hope we won't be moved into the Draper district when that temple is finished because I've become quite attached to Jordan River.

I have what is probably a pretty naïve question. Do you have to only go to the temple in your area, like your assigned ward? Couldn't you for instance do work at the Manti or St. George temple if you wanted to experience an older one? Do you have to make a special arrangement, or would you just show up? Do you have to have a special reason for wanting to access a temple other than your home one?

[_Dr. Shades]

Harmony, you’re a liar. I said earlier, “all you do is complain, compalin, complain”; and you countered with, “And I don't always complain”. Then I said, “All you do is complain, Harmony. My gosh, how can you stand it?”

Then you said, “It's a gift.” Like I said, you’re a liar.

Paul O

[MODERATOR NOTE: Paul O, DonBradley is right. Please do not call anyone a "liar" in the Celestial Forum. Instead, please use such phrases as "I disagree with your point of view" or other such highbrow ways of speaking. Thank you!]

[_Alter Idem]

Uh, maybe the flowers are fake because there is very little natural light in most temples.

This could be true, Alter Idem, but wouldn't account for why they wouldn't use fresh, cut flower arrangements. Those would need replacing daily and so be much more expensive than silk flowers, but if they're not cutting corners and worried about costs that wouldn't be a concern.

No matter how much things literally cost, there are different styles of "celestrial." LDS temple interior design seems to cling to a very pedestrian and middlebrow version of the sumptuous, tied to material and wordly notions rather than providing a more otherworldly experience of the etherial (for a counter example see my blog post about the Quaker meeting house designed by artist James Turrell and his installation at P.S. 1, "Meeting.").

I understand the symbolism of progression that the rooms are supposed to suggest or even literalize. I would think, however that in order to give a foretaste of exaltation, the passage from the earthly lower kingdoms to the celestial should enact a break with all that has come before, rather than being merely a more costly extension of it.

Of course, here I could be overlaying my own particular ideas of transcendence and not those of Mormon belief: perhaps the current temple interiors are closer to the Mormon idea of an afterlife, something that always struck me as itself too mired in terrestrial obsessions with management and organization.

Well, they might like nice things, but they aren't about to spend THAT MUCH money!!! I think whoever commented on allergies had a point. Also, I can tell from experience that fresh flowers drop leaves and petals and they would take a lot of work to keep nice and to care for. Very nice, expensive silk arrangments are just fine--especially since the workers are old and replacing fresh flowers every day would be hard on them and extremely cost prohibitive.

As for the interiors of temples, while I'd love to see the mainstream LDS have better taste, I just don't expect this to happen. People have to be educated in what is good taste. Most people, LDS or non-LDS have pretty mediocre expectations of what is nice. Just look at popular culture--you just can't have high expectations for the rank and file masses, it's an impossible dream.

I think before the temple films the patrons got more of a sense of moving from kingdom to kingdom. Now it is more subtle, but if you are alert, you can still feel the change.

As far as I'm concerned, LDS temple interiors are fine; they are clean, elegant, minimal(no knick knacks) and pleasant. I don't think they represent all LDS views of the afterlife--they are someone's particular taste and style. If you or I were the decorators, I'm sure they'd be different. However, they allow us to feel the spirit and do the work for the dead.

[_Alter Idem]

When we first moved to Salt Lake, I was disappointed that we fell into the Jordan River Temple district, as it is a rather unimpressive temple in my opinion. It doesn't have the history or the detail of the Salt Lake Temple. However, the Jordan temple has become a very special temple to me--not because of it's looks, but because of the spirit that I feel when I am there...even as we approach it, you can feel that it is a holy place. I hope we won't be moved into the Draper district when that temple is finished because I've become quite attached to Jordan River.

I have what is probably a pretty naïve question. Do you have to only go to the temple in your area, like your assigned ward? Couldn't you for instance do work at the Manti or St. George temple if you wanted to experience an older one? Do you have to make a special arrangement, or would you just show up? Do you have to have a special reason for wanting to access a temple other than your home one?

Not a naïve question at all--I gave you a wrong impression by my comments, I'm afraid. You do not have to go to only one temple. Each stake falls in a temple district and so stake or ward temple excursions are planned for that temple. Usually a ward will hold a monthly temple visit where the ward members are encouraged to attend a session together. Stakes will also have a special night or day planned for stake members to attend together.

Members are allowed to attend any temple they choose to and except for the smaller ones like Monticello or Newport Beach (which are sometimes open by appointment only), a person does not need to make reservations. The other exception is for temple baptisms--the baptistry at Jordan River is very busy and so they like patrons to make appointments so that they can spread people out and not have too long a wait. While on vacation, my husband took our older daughters to the St. George temple to do baptisms for the dead and that was a real treat--they called ahead to check on times but I don't believe they had to make an appointment.

The temples here in the Salt Lake valley close for vacation for two weeks in the summer and at christmas. During that time, many people will go to a different temple, as they stagger the vacation times of the temples. I think most people just get used to going to the temple that is most convenient for them and that is usually the one that is in their district.

[_Blixa]

Thanks for the clarification, alter idem.

[_moksha]

Paul, thank you for the posts. It is indeed a place of peace.

If you ever get to DC to see me Mok, we'll have to go up around the beltway to look at the DC temple at night, it looks like Oz...

That would be great. Do they have flying monkeys too?

[_Blixa]

Paul, thank you for the posts. It is indeed a place of peace.

If you ever get to DC to see me Mok, we'll have to go up around the beltway to look at the DC temple at night, it looks like Oz...

That would be great. Do they have flying monkeys too?

I can't speak to the flying monkeys but my father did some recordings for the DC visitor's center many years ago (as well as the SLC one). I doubt they are still used, though.

What did he record?

He was The Voice of God in some of the diorama exhibits.

[_moksha]

When we first moved to Salt Lake, I was disappointed that we fell into the Jordan River Temple district, as it is a rather unimpressive temple in my opinion. It doesn't have the history or the detail of the Salt Lake Temple. However, the Jordan temple has become a very special temple to me--not because of it's looks, but because of the spirit that I feel when I am there...even as we approach it, you can feel that it is a holy place. I hope we won't be moved into the Draper district when that temple is finished because I've become quite attached to Jordan River.

Yeah, I will be in the Draper District. That means no more dinners in the Temple, because they will be smaller and not have a cafeteria. I assume that a Temple located amongst million dollar homes does not need to feed their patrons and workers as much as in less affluent areas.

[_Alter Idem]

Yeah, I will be in the Draper District. That means no more dinners in the Temple, because they will be smaller and not have a cafeteria. I assume that a Temple located amongst million dollar homes does not need to feed their patrons and workers as much as in less affluent areas.

No cafeteria? I didn't know they were building a smaller temple in Draper--I haven't gone to see the site yet, I just assumed it would be normal sized. I enjoy eating in the cafeteria too--except that if I eat before a session, I have a tendency to be full and comfortable when the lights go off. It's hard to fight feeling drowsy after a full meal. I guess the new temples are going to less facitilities; I suppose it makes them more efficient.

[_moksha]

No cafeteria? I didn't know they were building a smaller temple in Draper--I haven't gone to see the site yet, I just assumed it would be normal sized. I enjoy eating in the cafeteria too--except that if I eat before a session, I have a tendency to be full and comfortable when the lights go off. It's hard to fight feeling drowsy after a full meal. I guess the new temples are going to less facitilities; I suppose it makes them more efficient.

It seems to me that maximized efficiency would occur with building an even larger Temple with a eye to the realization that the population density is bound to increase - of course that is assuming that the Church will retain active members at the same rate as today.