What proportion of Members get as far as the Temple?

[Jamie123]

This is something I've been wondering about for some time:

According to some anti-Mormons, only a very small number of Mormon members actually manage to go to the Temple. One well-known film (*) showed thousands of people lining up in the rain for a Temple open-house; the voiceover said words to the effect that "this is the only time many of these Mormons will ever go inside a Temple".

If I didn't know better, I would think that the average ward could have no more than 2 or 3 Temple-worthy members at most. Yet people posting on this site, as well as those I've spoken to in chat, quite often talk about their visits to the Temple (though obviously not about what goes on inside).

Now I know what you're going to tell me: Any member who obeys the commandments, keeps his covenants...etc...etc....will get to the Temple. I know this and it's not what I'm asking. What I'm interested to know is how many of the people admitted to the Church actually reach these Temple-worthy standards, and hence how accurate are the comments in Mr. D****r's movie.

(I suspect not very: Like many other antis, he presents the the "Joe-became-God" idea as though it were generally accepted by all Mormons, and I've learned quite recently from this board that it's not.)

(*) I shan't anger the mods by naming the movie, but the producer's surname rhymes with that of the German tennis player who won Wimbledon in 1985.

[prisonchaplain]

I get the impression that an active member of the church would likely garner a Temple Recommend with reasonable diligence. When I visited Temple Square the sister missionaries thought it rather humorous to say to me (non-LDS), "If you really want to go into the Temple, we can help you get started with that process...:::wink wink:::

[beefche]

I get the impression that an active member of the church would likely garner a Temple Recommend with reasonable diligence. When I visited Temple Square the sister missionaries thought it rather humorous to say to me (non-LDS), "If you really want to go into the Temple, we can help you get started with that process...:::wink wink:::

And you laughed and said there were plenty of people you knew anonymously who are trying to do that anyway...:::wink wink:::

[beefche]

I don't have any stats (I'm sure MOE or some other brainiac will have that for you), but I think my bishop once said that about 35% of the ward had been endowed, but less than that had current recommends.

[FunkyTown]

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that many members will be temple worthy at least some point in their lives.

Temple marriage, endowments. In fact, every missionary you've ever seen has been through the temple.

Continuing temple worthiness is another matter. People stumble from time to time. That's okay, as long as we struggle to get back to temple worthiness. I would hesitate to say that a decent percentage are temple worthy.

[Jamie123]

I don't have any stats (I'm sure MOE or some other brainiac will have that for you), but I think my bishop once said that about 35% of the ward had been endowed, but less than that had current recommends.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that many members will be temple worthy at least some point in their lives. Temple marriage, endowments. In fact, every missionary you've ever seen has been through the temple.

Thanks - that's very much the sort of impression I've got from talking to Mormons themselves. It's a lot different from the picture presented by many anti-Mormons, that the Temples are for the benefit of a tiny minority of "super saints", and that the average Joe Schmo won't get anywhere near one.

[havejoy]

For the last 4 or 5 years we've been having 'Ward Temple Week' twice each year. Of all the members that regularly attend our Sunday meetings, I can say I've seen about 80% of them at the Temple during those weeks.

[hordak]

When was the film made? In 1995 there were only 47 temples and only a small number were able to go. President Hinkley kicked it up to 124, where now you see wards with group temple trips. Plus your going to have more attendance in a place like Utah where you can see 5 temples in a day.

What was said is a half truth, plenty of members never make it to the temple, or only once (back when the video was made it was more true) plus you account for kids, new members who may fall away i'd say he is right.

but it's more a problem of logistics, not of exclusion.

[Wingnut]

Like Hordak said, at the time that film was made, it's likely that a lot of members (even worthy ones) never made it to the temple because a trip to the nearest temple often meant crossing continents and/or oceans, and was extremely prohibitive. Additionally, a lot of non-members go to the temple open houses, so it's more than a little deceptive to show people waiting in line for one, and then comment that these members will never see the inside of a temple again, when half of them aren't members anyway.

I am of the opinion that if anyone isn't temple-worthy, it's their own fault and they can change that. Personally, I don't find it hard to live my life to be temple-worthy. Pay tithing, live the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, be honest, and have and constantly strengthen a testimony of the Savior and prophets. That's about the gist of it. It's ridiculous to make an argument that most LDS adults won't attend the temple because "the Church" won't let them.

[pam]

According to some anti-Mormons, only a very small number of Mormon members actually manage to go to the Temple. One well-known film (*) showed thousands of people lining up in the rain for a Temple open-house; the voiceover said words to the effect that "this is the only time many of these Mormons will ever go inside a Temple".

You also have to keep in mind, not all those people standing in line are even LDS. Thousands and thousands who go through a temple open house are not LDS. It's people in the community and surrounding communities who are curious to go inside a temple that they would have no opportunity to see the inside otherwise.

[NeuroTypical]

According to some anti-Mormons, only a very small number of Mormon members actually manage to go to the Temple.

Yeah, well. I respond like this:

I would be just tickled pink if everybody on the planet earth chose to enter the temple. "Perfecting the saints" is one of the threefold missions of the church. It's doing everything it can to not only to invite all of humanity to enter the waters of baptism and become a disciple of Christ and a member in His church, but also to aid those members in ridding themselves of sin and becoming worthy to enter the Lord's house.

LM

[Tarnished]

I would say the majority of church members either have a temple recommend or have had one at one time or another. Considering that the ordinances that are performed in the temple are essential to a person's eternal progression there is a huge push at getting members to a point where they can enter the temple. In fact the construction of all these temples is so that they can serve the growing population of the members of the church. They have to build more so that the sessions are not overflowing. There is a temple (I think somewhere in South America) that is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, because there are so many people visiting it to do ordinances that they have to keep it open to serve the amount of people that come to it.

Yes there are certain standards that you must follow to obtain a temple recommend, but they are not something the average member would be unable to attain. You don't have to be a "super saint" to get your temple recommend.

As Hordak mentioned, the main thing that keeps members from the temple is location. Some people live great distances from their closest temple and it can be difficult for them to arrange a trip to the temple. However the church is building more temples everyday so that these people will have temples close by them. Last conference they mentioned that a percentage of the LDS membership lived within 200 miles of a temple, I can't remember the percent but I do remember that it was surprisingly high.

[WmLee]

There are a few factors you have to consider when asking this question. Not all members are even close to a temple. Some people can only afford to go perhaps once in their life. We’ve read about and heard about these members. When my son was in Russia he met many members who saved for years and received financial help just so they could go to the temple one time, to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity.

We also have members of record who are not old enough to go to the temple so when looking at a membership/temple attendance you have to take into consideration what you are asking. Each Ward could give the statistics of Adult members/endowed members/current recommends holders but I don’t think the church publishes that information.

Interesting that you listen to a plumber talk about an electrical problem and how wrong the electrician is for fixing it the way he did. (I gotta stop, those who attack the church . . . .)

[Just_A_Guy]

(*) I shan't anger the mods by naming the movie, but the producer's surname rhymes with that of the German tennis player who won Wimbledon in 1985.

No offense taken. I will point out, though, that even many professional anti-Mormons have major problems with the whoppers that crop up in The Godmakers.

[john doe]

Temples are for the benefit of a tiny minority of "super saints", and that the average Joe Schmo won't get anywhere near one.

Super saints? Nah, just normal members who keep their baptismal covenants.

[Wingnut]

I would say the majority of church members either have a temple recommend or have had one at one time or another.

Unfortunately, I doubt this is true. Worldwide Church membership is very different from worldwide Church activity. There may be over 13 million members of the Church, but consider that only half or so of them are even active.

[Jamie123]

When was the film made? In 1995 there were only 47 temples and only a small number were able to go. President Hinkley kicked it up to 124, where now you see wards with group temple trips. Plus your going to have more attendance in a place like Utah where you can see 5 temples in a day.

What was said is a half truth, plenty of members never make it to the temple, or only once (back when the video was made it was more true) plus you account for kids, new members who may fall away i'd say he is right.

but it's more a problem of logistics, not of exclusion.

I just looked it up - it was made in 1982. (I'd got the impression it was more recent than that. I also have the book that accompanies the movie, which was published in 1994.) If its true that a lack of accessible temples was to blame, it would certainly be disingenuous to suggest any kind of elitist or exclusionist policy within the Church - but of course I'm preaching to the choir.

[Guest Alana]

My area has a very high inactivity percentage. If we were to go by only the members who go to church, then yes, a high percentage of them have been to the temple. In our area only about 1/5th of members are active, so I'm not sure how that compares to other areas. Maybe that's normal for coastal cities in California. There's too many things one can do on a sunny Sunday.

[Wingnut]

I just looked it up - it was made in 1982. (I'd got the impression it was more recent than that. I also have the book that accompanies the movie, which was published in 1994.) If its true that a lack of accessible temples was to blame, it would certainly be disingenuous to suggest any kind of elitist or exclusionist policy within the Church - but of course I'm preaching to the choir.

In 1982 there were only 20 temples, seven of which were in Utah:

1 St George Utah

2 Logan Utah

3 Manti Utah

4 Salt Lake

5 Laie Hawaii

6 Cardston Alberta

7 Mesa Arizona

8 Idaho Falls Idaho

9 Bern Switzerland

10 Los Angeles California

11 Hamilton New Zealand

12 London England

13 Oakland California

14 Ogden Utah

15 Provo Utah

16 Washington D.C.

17 São Paulo Brazil

18 Tokyo Japan

19 Seattle Washington

20 Jordan River Utah

(Source)

[Misshalfway]

Unfortunately, I doubt this is true. Worldwide Church membership is very different from worldwide Church activity. There may be over 13 million members of the Church, but consider that only half or so of them are even active.

Well, and if you compare our numbers with the activity of other faiths, my guess is that LDS people would prolly be considered more "active" than most.

It always amazes me how our enemies can take reality and twist it out to look like something so warped. But Jamie, you seem like a very level headed bloke. :) I hope you are seeing more of what reality really looks like.

[lydlou]

I've heard a lot about members who get baptised when they are young, and then grow up and forget about the church (usualy falling away sometime between jr high and collage) these would be the inactive members who never went to the temple(unless they went as a child to be sealed to their parents) the thing is most of those people dont even consider themselves members at all, the church dose, but they temselves personly don't.(or so I've heard) Including or excluding those people would be a good way to play with numbers to make the statistic say what you want. I've also heard of people in other countrys who while they never do make it to a temple(distance and money) always maintain a current recomend. (meaning they are not being exculded by the church, but rather by curcumstances.) so counting recomands rather than attendance would be a nother way to play with numbers. I never trust statistics, one makes an assumption, and finds the #'s to prove it.

Edited January 22, 2010 by lydlou
spelling

[john doe]

I just looked it up - it was made in 1982. (I'd got the impression it was more recent than that. I also have the book that accompanies the movie, which was published in 1994.) If its true that a lack of accessible temples was to blame, it would certainly be disingenuous to suggest any kind of elitist or exclusionist policy within the Church - but of course I'm preaching to the choir.

I don't know why you bother with that movie, or its accompanying books. It was crap when it came out, it's still crap 30 years later.

[BenRaines]

The numbers I have heard in meetings are 1/2 or total rolls regularly active and one half of those temple recommend holders or attenders.

I believe the number now is something like 90% of church membership live within one hour of a temple.

Ben Raines

[pam]

I believe the number now is something like 90% of church membership live within one hour of a temple.

I recall hearing that as well.

[FlaviusHambonius]

Over the last couple of years I have heard between 4.7 and 5 million members of the church were active tithe payers when the church reached the 13 million membership mark.

Of course these numbers would have changed. But this should give you a ballpark figure of the members that would even be eligible to go to the Temple if these figures are close-- which I don't know for sure if they are--I have not done any personal research on the matter.