sacramentals

[rameumptom]

The temple is open to everyone during the open house. After the open house it will be dedicated in prayer, and then only worthy members can enter therein. So go while you have a chance, as you will love the beauty and peace within.

[bodhigirlsmiles]

Anything that is bonded together by the action of light [of Christ]. Whether it be a atom, a rock, a bug, a fish, a flower, a tree, an animal, or even human? Some have greater awareness than others.

if you don't mind, i am going to answer this in the "ask a buddhist" thread in the general discussion section. please see my answer there! i am so glad you asked....

[bodhigirlsmiles]

Although not fully explained by Joseph Smith, we gather that "intelligence" equates to "light and truth" (see D&C 88, 93).

Prior to this life, we lived in God's presence as his spirit children. He created our spirits from intelligence. Some members believe that intelligences were beings of thought and understanding.

Many LDS scholars, however, believe that intelligence is pure matter from which all things are created. D&C 88 tells us that the "light of Christ" penetrates all space, and is the power by which the sun, moon and stars operate (remain in their orbits, burn, whatever).

Imagine if a basic intelligence were an atom. It has basic properties and characteristics. An oxygen atom can be used for breathing, for example. All atoms of a kind have the same properties, and so are a specific form of intelligence. Then, when combined with two hydrogen atoms, an oxygen atom becomes a water molecule. Suddenly the new intelligence has more capabilities. The sum of the parts is not equal to the whole. Water has new properties that neither oxygen nor hydrogen atoms have alone. These molecules can then be combined with others to form higher levels of intelligence.

We eventually get to a point where the intelligence obtains individuality in its organization: a spirit. Later, as we desired to develop more like God is, we gained physical bodies and became higher levels of intelligence still. The goal is to become like God, who is the highest form of intelligence of all.

In this way, all creation is God's creation and equally loved by him. A bug's creation is from the same or similar intelligence as I'm created. Both of us can obtain heaven.

please see my comments in the "ask a buddhist" thread....

[bodhigirlsmiles]

The temple is open to everyone during the open house. After the open house it will be dedicated in prayer, and then only worthy members can enter therein. So go while you have a chance, as you will love the beauty and peace within.

do you have to remove your shoes or wear special clothing to go to the temple (either for the open house or in general)? i mean, would i have to purchase some special temple clothes to go?

[Hemidakota]

if you don't mind, i am going to answer this in the "ask a buddhist" thread in the general discussion section. please see my answer there! i am so glad you asked....

This is why I brought this up, noting the some similarity of Buddhist meaning of life.

[Hemidakota]

Although not fully explained by Joseph Smith, we gather that "intelligence" equates to "light and truth" (see D&C 88, 93).

Prior to this life, we lived in God's presence as his spirit children. He created our spirits from intelligence. Some members believe that intelligences were beings of thought and understanding.

Many LDS scholars, however, believe that intelligence is pure matter from which all things are created. D&C 88 tells us that the "light of Christ" penetrates all space, and is the power by which the sun, moon and stars operate (remain in their orbits, burn, whatever).

Imagine if a basic intelligence were an atom. It has basic properties and characteristics. An oxygen atom can be used for breathing, for example. All atoms of a kind have the same properties, and so are a specific form of intelligence. Then, when combined with two hydrogen atoms, an oxygen atom becomes a water molecule. Suddenly the new intelligence has more capabilities. The sum of the parts is not equal to the whole. Water has new properties that neither oxygen nor hydrogen atoms have alone. These molecules can then be combined with others to form higher levels of intelligence.

We eventually get to a point where the intelligence obtains individuality in its organization: a spirit. Later, as we desired to develop more like God is, we gained physical bodies and became higher levels of intelligence still. The goal is to become like God, who is the highest form of intelligence of all.

In this way, all creation is God's creation and equally loved by him. A bug's creation is from the same or similar intelligence as I'm created. Both of us can obtain heaven.

Creation is ever evolving from lower to next higher state [see Genesis]. It has been my quest to learn and seek what the Adamic fathers knew. This happens to be one of the many subjects. What is frightening, is where we are at in the mixed of creation concerning our own sphere known as the Universe.

In this quest, my own observation, there is something above our FATHER.

[bodhigirlsmiles]

In this quest, my own observation, there is something above our FATHER.

OM, perhaps?

[HiJolly]

do you have to remove your shoes or wear special clothing to go to the temple (either for the open house or in general)? i mean, would i have to purchase some special temple clothes to go?

Yes, usually we put slippers on over our shoes so we don't soil the carpets. That's about it.

...and I'll pencil you in for the tour. Send me a PM if you can go, we can meet at the parking lot or at my house.

HiJolly

[john doe]

Yes, usually we put slippers on over our shoes so we don't soil the carpets. That's about it.

...and I'll pencil you in for the tour. Send me a PM if you can go, we can meet at the parking lot or at my house.

HiJolly

I haven't been yet, but my understanding is that in this instance, they will not be using shoe coverings. What I read said that they will be utilizing plastic carpet runners or other coverings to protect the floors.

[pam]

I'm going tomorrow morning so I can let you all know...Slippers or plastic carpet runners.

[MarginOfError]

I imagine that some of my comments when read at first might infuriate some people on here. Just hear me out before you rip me apart.

In the LDS faith, there aren't any true sacramentals as you describe them. There are objects or items we treat with a certain reverence, but we treat them this way not for what they are, but for what they represent.

Take for example, the Sacrament emblems. When we bless the bread and water, we "bless and sanctify" it to represent the body and blood of Christ that was shed on our behalf. After these emblems are sanctified, they are indeed treated with the reverence that would be expected for Christ's body. Yet, when the ordinance is completed, the remaining bread is tossed in the trash and the remaining water is poured down the drain rather unceremoniously. In the end, the emblems are still bread and water. But in that moment when they are used, we treat them as something so much more sacred in order to help ourselves focus on and remember the covenant that we are making through the ordinance.

Take consecrated oil as another example. In and of itself, it is simply oil, but after consecrating it, we set it aside as something of special importance because of the power and authority it represents in the blessing ordinances. Out of respect for that power and authority, we do not cook with it after it has been consecrated, nor do we prepare foods, or season cookware. We designate it for its stated purpose and treat it with the respect we treat godly authority so that when it is used, our minds are properly focused and we are better able to receive and understand the counsel God has for us. If left unused long enough, even consecrated oil will go rancid. When it has gone bad, it is disposed of without fanfare or notice; perhaps quietly slipped in the trash, or poured down a drain.

Even Temple Garments hold little value beyond what they represent--our covenants with God to follow in His paths. We are taught to treat the Garments with the reverence we treat our covenants. The way we treat our Garments is intended to be a representation of how we treat our covenants--do we carefully and dutifully fold them, or stuff them in a drawer hastily and without awareness? At the end of the day, however, they are little more than a certain cut of fabric. They are meaningless without the covenants they represent.

I do not say these things with any encouragement of not treating these things as if they were sacred. The way we treat these things--the "outward expressions," some have called it--are often the start to learning how to treat what they represent. As we gain experience giving due respect to our covenants by our behavior, we begin to see the significance and sacredness of the intangible through the tangible. Certainly, if we were to cease treating these objects with the respect to deserve, we would begin to lose our understanding of the significance of what they represent. At the same time, it does us no good at all to treat them as sacred if we do not seek to understand what it is they represent.

Have I befuddled everyone enough yet?

[abqfriend]

Sacramentals are distinctive to the Catholic Church and some other churches such as Orthodox. They are different than Sacraments. A Rosary blessed by a priestly prayer is considered a Sacramental. A special medallion-such as I have which has been blessed by a priest and has a piece of cloth in it that touched the remains of a specific saint-St. Anthony-in my case--is considered a sacramental.

"Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with bishops' pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism). "

Here is a detailed link on the meaning and purpose of sacramentals in the Catholic Church:

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

does the lds church have sacramentals? sacramentals such as the catholic church has. is there anything comparable in the lds faith?

[Moksha]

when these objects are blessed, does it sanctify them? in other words, does the act of pronouncing a blessing upon them render them sacred? they become, in essence, sacred objects. for example, do you have holy water that is, through blessing, sacred? or oil? or something of this nature?

I know that olive oil is blessed for annointing purposes. This renders it a virtual sacred object. Also buildings and homes have been blessed as well. A blessing to a Temple, after the open house, renders it fit for sacred usage. Margin of Error sounds correct about his assessment of Temple Garments.