View of the Redlands Temple at Night
Why Temples?
The Latter-day Saints build temples because they have been instructed to do so, in order that holy ordinances may be performed in them for both the living and the dead. The performance of these ordinances is possible because genealogical work and temple work are inseparably connected. It is important to realize that the blessings of the temple are not limited to any special class, but are available to all worthy Church members properly accredited.
I would like to briefly refer to three areas having to do with temple attendance.
First, for the living: For the living, such ordinances as baptism, the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, and the ordination to the priesthood may be performed in any proper place outside of a temple. However, through modern revelation we are told that certain ordinances such as the endowment, eternal marriage, sealing ordinances for both the living and the dead, and baptisms for the dead must be performed in a temple.
The temple endowment embodies sacred covenants upon which blessings are predicated. It is also, in effect, a course of instruction whereby many of the answers are given to the question “What is the purpose of life?”
The endowment, of course, is an ordinance for the individual, whereas sealing ordinances pertain to a family relationship.
Second, for the dead: The ministry of Christ was not confined to the few who lived on the earth in the meridian of time, and it is not confined only to those living now. The apostle Peter made it clear that those who do not have the opportunity to hear the gospel on this earth will have such an opportunity in the spirit world (see 1 Pet. 3:18-20; 1 Pet. 4:6). And the apostle Paul in writing to the Corinthians asked, “Else 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?” (1 Cor. 15:29).
Temple worship provides an opportunity to do ordinance work for our kindred dead and for others, an opportunity for us to serve the dead. This service is the source of eternal satisfaction. However, it is well to remember that vicarious service for the dead by the living does not affect the right of the dead to accept or reject such vicarious service.
Third, as a retreat: A temple is a retreat from the vicissitudes of life, a place of prayer and meditation providing an opportunity to receive inner peace, inspiration, guidance, and, frequently, solutions to the problems that vex our daily lives. A temple is a place where the divine spark in man, or the infinite in man, can seek the infinite in God.
by Franklin D. Richards, "Happiness and Joy in Temple Work," Ensign, Nov. 1986, 70
