Religious - Symbology - Part 2

The LDS temple is often one of the most misunderstood complex symbols of the LDS faith, by both believer and non-believer. Often non-believers will balk at the complex symbolism contained therein and find what goes on there strange. Believers will often take things more literally then they probably should be taken.

Temple service and ritual is nothing new. It is a representation of returning to the presence of God connecting with the unseen spiritual world to which we want to return. In truth the modern temple is no different. It is built palatial, representing the kingdom of God. Every aspect of temple worship and preparation to enter the temple and even the temple itself, symbolize our journey back to God. it is meant to teach and uplift, to be a place apart from the world and close to God.

This post nor future posts will deal with the specifics of what goes on there. It is meant only to demystify some of the symbolism. When you realize that everything connected with the temple is symbolic then it really doesn't feel so strange. The mechanics of the temple are most likely a more modern construct, designed to teach a people through ceremony and repetition. While based upon ancient principles, the ceremonies themselves were designed to teach the people in the early church in ways they could understand. It is much like the parables of Jesus. He taught the people through stories containing symbols in their everyday life.

Many connections have been drawn between the Masonic rights and the temple ceremony. While I am no expert on the subject, I have read enough to postulate a couple of ideas related to this. First, Masonry was widely practiced at the time. It is symbols that the early members of the church could understand and relate to. Second, it was widely believed, though later proven wrong, that the masonic rights were started at Solomons temple. Their origins cannot be traced back that far and they are thought to only be a few hundred years old rather than thousands. It makes perfect sense to me that they might form part of the framework for the modern temple ceremonies.

Some people, however, are rather uncomfortable with this idea that the modern temple ceremony has not always been around. Well, in truth, it probably has taken many forms over the millenia. The principles are eternal, and this is simply one very beautiful way to teach them. The third and final part of this series will deal with some of the principles and symbolism surrounding temple worship.