Modern Temples

[Urlaubulusprime]

Question from a non-member friend of mine

Temples were done away with Christ. Paul says our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Baptism for the Dead and Eternal Marriage are not in the Bible. So why do we still build Temples?

[pam]

This is a tough question to answer with someone that is a non member.

With the blessing of latter day revelation we've learned that Elijah was the last Prophet to hold the sealing power of the Melchezidek Priesthood before the time of Christ. He conferred these keys to Peter, James and John. After them, these keys were lost until he appeared with Christ and others in the Kirtland temple and once again conferred these keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. This once again provided the means to do sealings in the temple.

Unless someone can believe in continuing revelation it's hard to explain to them why we still build temples. It's because of these keys that we do. Therefore the turning of the hearts from the fathers to the children and hearts of the children to the fathers.

[Loudmouth_Mormon]

Answers for your non-member friend:

Originally Posted by Urlaubulusprime

Temples were done away with Christ.

No they weren't. Cite chapter and verse please?

Paul says our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.

Paul is correct. Paul is also not saying anything like "no more temples".

Baptism for the Dead and Eternal Marriage are not in the Bible.

Setting aside the vague and inconclusive 1 Cor 15:29, correct. Mormons believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. We do not believe it is the final or complete word of God. We're not innerentists, and we don't worship the Bible as part of the trinity like some Christians do. We believe the way God deals with his children over time and cultures can change, as his children are different over time and cultures. You already acknowledge the set of practices and ordinances changed once due to Christ's arrival - so who's to say God wouldn't change them again at some point in the future? We say they have - Christ has restored his true church to the earth - and yes indeed, it comes with inspired leaders who recieve direction from Christ. Temples and what goes on in them are some of that modern direction.

[mnn727]

Originally Posted by Urlaubulusprime

Temples were done away with Christ.

Make him prove that statement.
Hint: 'rending the veil' does not mean they were done away with.

Yes, our bodies are temples, but not the only Temple.
Lots of things the Bible doesn't mention, like: the trinity, election, pre-destination, popes, once saved always saved, trans-substantiation, etc that many Christians believe in. We have firther revelation, just like the Bible claims we would.

Besides, it was Christ Himself who commanded Mormons to build Temples.

[tubaloth]

There would have to be three things that LDS church understand, the I guess you would have to get from your non-member friend.

1. The sealing power.
Matt 16:19
19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

We believe that this power is still around today!

2. We believe that marriage does not end at death.
Mark 10:9
9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Mostly Adam and Eve were married when there wasn't death! They were married by the power of God. Marriage is for eternity.

3. The same thing holds true for Baptism for the dead.
1 Corin 15
29Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

The idea not to even think about Baptism for the dead is a complete rejection of the Atonement.

We know the Atonement reaches farther then just during Christ time, or none of us would have access to the power. We know one of the missions of the Atonement was break the bands of death. To say the Atonement doesn't reach beyond this life is probably the biggest way Satan has people limit the power of the Atonement!


I would try to figure out what your non member friend feels about these ideas. This is why temples are still used today. To have the power of the Atonement reach all. We can also go into spirit prison and how Christ taught those. Good luck.

[Wingnut]

Originally Posted by Loudmouth_Mormon

Answers for your non-member friend:

No they weren't. Cite chapter and verse please?

Yeah, I've never heard anything like that before.

[Maureen]

Originally Posted by Loudmouth_Mormon

...and we don't worship the Bible as part of the trinity like some Christians do...

Loudmouth, can you offer a source that says some Christians worship the Bible as part of the trinity?

M.

[Dravin]

Originally Posted by Maureen

Loudmouth, can you offer a source that says some Christians worship the Bible as part of the trinity?

M.

I'm fairly sure he's being snarky about Bible inerrantists and the like.

[rameumptom]

The Book of Revelation, Ezekiel, and other prophecy foresee the day when the Jerusalem temple will be rebuilt. Why rebuild it if there are no more temples? Also, archaeology and ancient writings show that there were also Jewish temples in Elephantium Egypt, and the Samarians had one, as well.

The only thing the Bible teaches is that the Jews had desecrated the temple of God by rejecting their Messiah, and so he took the temple and its blessings away from them until the last days.

1 Corinthians 15:29 mentions baptism for the dead. Some early Christians, including the Marcionites, did baptize for the dead. While the Bible does not mention eternal marriage, it is included in other ancient texts, such as the Gospel of Phillip.

I suggest you have your friend read the following online book by my friend Barry Bickmore regarding how the ancient beliefs of early Jews and Christians have been restored:

Restoring the Ancient Church, Table of Contents

[Loudmouth_Mormon]

Originally Posted by Maureen

Loudmouth, can you offer a source that says some Christians worship the Bible as part of the trinity?

I've long since forgotten the thread name, or even forum I was on. But various Christians were arguing against Mormonism, using their interpretation of John 1:1 to prove that the Bible was God, and therefore perfect and infallible and deserving of reverence and worship. Other discussions over the decades has led me to believe that the more extreme a Christian becomes in their inerrantist belief, the more likely they are to assign qualities of deity to the Holy Bible.

I don't know what percentage of Christianity holds to that particular understanding, but it sure the heck ain't zero. And, since whenever I've encountered one of them, they're usually asking a "question" like we heard in the OP (proceeded by a bunch of things stated as fact, that really are interpretations and guesses), I thought the OP might get lucky and identify one of their core beliefs and specifically call out that LDS don't share it.

No snark intended.