mormon temple

A very architecturally beautiful building both inside and out, built using faithful mormon's money. The atmosphere is similar to a library's. The temple is considered the holiest place on earth for mormons, and as God's house on earth. It is here that they perform "the ordinances of salvation" for both the dead and the living. The ordinances performed are the following:

1. Baptisms for the dead

2. Ordaining to the priesthood for men who died without receiving it

3. Confirmations for the dead, where a proxy is "confirmed" a member of the mormon church, and given the gift of the holy ghost

4. Washing and anointings for both the living and the dead

5. The endowment for both the living and the dead. Basically a "christianized" version of masonic ceremonies, modified by mormonism's founder Joseph Smith, who himself was a free mason.

6. Sealings (aka Eternal Marriage) for both the dead and the living

7. The second anointing. Most mormons don't even know about this ceremony, and as far as I know it's only performed at a certain few of the larger temples. It consists of two parts - one performed in the temple, and one performed by the married couple in their own home. They are sealed up unto heaven for their righteousness.

So, to sum everything up, temples are beautiful buildings, wherein strange symbolic rituals are performed to guarantee your salvation.

Salt Lake Temple, Nauvoo Temple, mormon temple, temple

mormon temple by The light bringer December 13, 2010