Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Every mormon temple is found in an expensive part of town and on a big acreage. why is this? is it some sort of tenet of your religion? how come there appears to be no "modest" temples?
Every mormon temple is found in an expensive part of town and on a big acreage. why is this? is it some sort of tenet of your religion? how come there appears to be no "modest" temples?
Yeah, I notice that, too. And also, you will notice that they are in the most "Stepford" parts of town - Lake Oswego in Portland, Bellevue in Seattle, Folsom in Sacramento, Dunwoody/Sandy Springs in Atlanta, Bethesda in DC, etc. Plus, if you know that, as a quasi-militaristic organization, you will extract a predetermined $ amount as a percentage of income from your flock, you can plan on some good cash flow for a luxurious "no holds barred" place of worship.
I don't have a problem with the opulence, or even the acreage. It is a show of respect for and affirmation of what you believe. The heartburn I get is that, with the exception of their neighborhood churches, the "unwashed" (non-Mormons) can't come into their temples to view the architectural aspects of these buildings or partake in their ceremonies. I mean, even Ann Romney's parents could NOT come into the temple to see their daughter marry Mitt, the Ken doll.
There are modest temples. The vernal temple is acuatlly a converted church building and is nothing spectacular to look at. The point is that we believe the temple to be a house of God and it is a sign of respect and reverence to give our best to God. Before a temple is dedicated unto the Lord anyone is free to enter and see the insides. There are usually several different times for open houses.
There are modest temples. The vernal temple is acuatlly a converted church building and is nothing spectacular to look at. The point is that we believe the temple to be a house of God and it is a sign of respect and reverence to give our best to God. Before a temple is dedicated unto the Lord anyone is free to enter and see the insides. There are usually several different times for open houses.
wouldn't God like it better if you donated more funds to help people in need rather than build such opulence in very pricey areas of the cities? that is a christian value, not sure if it is a mormon one.
wouldn't God like it better if you donated more funds to help people in need rather than build such opulence in very pricey areas of the cities? that is a christian value, not sure if it is a mormon one.
When the LA Temple was built in the 1950s, the area was not nearly as expensive as it is today and old photographs show that this part of town was still pretty new at that time so its not like we bought it last year.
On the other hand, All Mormon Temples pale in comparison to the Vatican when it comes to opulence. I was just awstruck at how gorgeous that place is.
Anyway,
as far as helping others...here's just one example.
Every first sunday of the Month, we abstain from food and drink for 24 hrs and the money we would have spent eating we donate to the Church and that money is specifically spent on the poor in our communities and around the world.
When the LA Temple was built in the 1950s, the area was not nearly as expensive as it is today and old photographs show that this part of town was still pretty new at that time so its not like we bought it last year.
On the other hand, All Mormon Temples pale in comparison to the Vatican when it comes to opulence. I was just awstruck at how gorgeous that place is.
Anyway,
as far as helping others...here's just one example.
Every first sunday of the Month, we abstain from food and drink for 24 hrs and the money we would have spent eating we donate to the Church and that money is specifically spent on the poor in our communities and around the world.
that is impressive. do ALL mormons do that or just the most observant ones? in catholic church, there are certain rituals, but not everyone practices them tothe same degrees.
Yes the active and devout mormons do fast once each month and donate what they would have spent on meals and many donate a lot more than that. There is also a humanitarian donation which many donate to. The church has always been one of the first organizations to help when there is a national or worldwide tragedy.
The church is also very involved in helping those malnuritioned in Africa by providing a substance called atmeat (or something like that) which helps provide needed nutrients until the body is ready to eat solid foods.
Have any of you checked out the cathedrals in Europe that were built centuries before the Mormons even existed? Now that was opulence. Have any of you visited the Vatican and walked through St. Peter's Basilica? There is nothing in America that even comes close to the splendor of that building. I can see that this is another thread intended to take a jab at the Mormons but in America the megachurches, none of which are Mormon, are the largest and most expensive. Here's a link to an article regarding megachurches, most of them are Protestant.
Alot of this appears to just be a successful business model because attendence at smaller churches has fallen off in recent years and these new multimillion dollars buildings are constantly gaining new members. I don't care for the concept personally and I agree that spending the money helping people would be more worthy but they've become a part of American culture.
Have any of you checked out the cathedrals in Europe that were built centuries before the Mormons even existed? Now that was opulence. Have any of you visited the Vatican and walked through St. Peter's Basilica? There is nothing in America that even comes close to the splendor of that building. I can see that this is another thread intended to take a jab at the Mormons but in America the megachurches, none of which are Mormon, are the largest and most expensive. Here's a link to an article regarding megachurches, most of them are Protestant.
Alot of this appears to just be a successful business model because attendence at smaller churches has fallen off in recent years and these new multimillion dollars buildings are constantly gaining new members. I don't care for the concept personally and I agree that spending the money helping people would be more worthy but they've become a part of American culture.
I don't care for mormons as you can tell from some of my other posts. It doesn't stop me from wanting to know more about them though. I've heard some of their positive propoganda, such as the katrina relief that they did. i am grateful to them for the genaeology sections that they make open to the general public, which i used quite a bit when i lived in calif. if the mormons tithe their income AND donate to Prop 8 AND donate to other causes, i am wondering how can they AFFORD to be mormons? it seems very expensive. are there any POOR mormons?
Before a temple is dedicated unto the Lord anyone is free to enter and see the insides. There are usually several different times for open houses.
Why not all the time? My parents went to an "open house" at one of your new West Coast temples with some Mormons they knew. I don't understand why your main temple (not the garden variety brick LDS church in the 'burbs) is any less sacred if it has non-Mormon feet trampling through it once it has been dedicated. Religions are supposed to welcome people of every walk in life, from every imaginable circumstance and from every corner of the globe. So, please, explain to me why, when in Temple Square in SLC on a lay-over, I could NOT walk INTO the temple and absorb its craftsmanship.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
