why are temples so huge?

[Guest Cneve]

all temples have those different rooms for different ceremonies right?

What other spaces are there, since some temples look so huge on the outside, there must be something more than those rooms? Are there any big cathedral-like spaces too?

[applepansy]

Most of the newer temples are not so huge anymore.

There is a model size, to scale, replica of the Salt Lake Temple at Temple Square. Or there was. I saw it on our local news last year. I think its still there. The Salt Lake Temple is one of the largest. It was built before modern technology so there are more rooms and I think it is the only temple which still does a live endowment session. The endowment is not live in most other temples but on video/film so not as many rooms are necessary.

The ordinances done in the temple are the endowment, sealings and baptisms for the dead.

There are locker rooms. Some temples have a cafeteria. There are offices for the temple presidency.

There is more the one sealing room. Can you imagine weddings in June with only one room? :)

The most important room in the temple is the Celestial Room.

[Blackmarch]

all temples have those different rooms for different ceremonies right?

What other spaces are there, since some temples look so huge on the outside, there must be something more than those rooms? Are there any big cathedral-like spaces too?

I understand that some have rooms that are made for a large group of people. The temples ive been in havent had the great central chamber like cathedrals have... But as far as i know theres nothing that states that they cant have such a room if it were seen to be used for some sort of symbolism or representation of God or the kingdom of God.

Whether they have such rooms or not, they are very beautiful buildings both inside and out. If youre near a temple open house id highly recommend going. ( the lds church will give tours through the temple before its dedicated and given to the Lord)

Edited November 27, 2011 by Blackmarch

[Guest Cneve]

Ok, but are there many floors? some temples seem so tall/high? no cathedral-like spaces?

These seem to have beautiful windows high up in the towers? what rooms are they to?

http://images.world66.com/sa/n_/di/san_diego_lds_temp_galleryfull

http://www.oxenrider.net/pix/weddings/temple_full_th.jpg

[Dravin]

Depends on the temple, the older ones tend to have more 'cathedral like' spaces in them. Note these don't apply to every temple, particularly the smaller ones, but you can find:

• Cafeterias in some of the large ones.
• Laundry facilities.
• Clothes rental (laundering fee) counters.
• A chapel to wait in between changing and before going into the endowment.
• The Celestial Room
• Various ordinance rooms such as for the endowment, a font, sealing rooms and the like.
• Some temples are designed in where you change rooms during the process of the endowment so it can require two rooms.
• Some temples have multiples of rooms, so it is set up so they can stagger things like endowment sessions (it takes a couple hours so with a couple rooms they can schedule them a half hour apart or what have you), or have multiple sealings happening at the same time.
• Restrooms and changing rooms. In my limited experience the font has it's own changing room and the rest of the ordinances have theirs, so you're looking at a minimum of four changing rooms.
• A foyer where people can wait (even non-members) without going into the temple proper.
• Offices to keep track of records to do scheduling of the volunteers and the like, and the Temple President and his wife have their own offices in the temple.
• A breakroom (kinda) for volunteers.

I'm probably missing some things and I'm sure someone will be along to point them out.

[Guest Cneve]

If youre near a tenple open house id highly recommend going. ( the lds church will give tours through the temple before its dedicated and given to the Lord)

are all rooms/areas open to visitors then? or are some rooms so sacred and secret that they are not open to non-lds folks even during open house?

[Dravin]

are all rooms/areas open to visitors then? or are some rooms so sacred and secret that they are not open to non-lds folks even during open house?

The open houses are kinda guided and they focus on the ordinance rooms, not so much the offices, laundry facilities, or behind the clothes rental counter so they probably won't be on display. Not because they are super sacred (actually until the temple is dedicated in a sense nothing in it is sacred) but because it's not what most people are interested in and open houses can be really, really busy.

[annewandering]

It is amazing the number of people who go through a temple each day. There has to be accommodation for all of them. I remember being amazed how big the changing room was in the Salt Lake temple. It is HUGE. Consider how many bathrooms, alone, there have to be to take care of the numbers of people attending. Even with the simplified temples there just has to be a lot of room to take care of all the needs of the attendees and that is not even including the main ordinance rooms.

[Guest Cneve]

It is amazing the number of people who go through a temple each day. There has to be accommodation for all of them.

Really? how many % of all members are very active and have temple recommends? i had the impression not many are so active, and that it was very hard demanding rules to get a recommend?

[Snow]

why are temples so huge?

Okay - I'll play along.

What is the average temple's square footage. Or, if you like, use the median temple's size.

[Snow]

Really? how many % of all members are very active and have temple recommends? i had the impression not many are so active

Okay,

Where or how did you get such an impression and how many active members do you thing there are?

[Dravin]

Really? how many % of all members are very active and have temple recommends?

Keep in mind that members go to the nearest temple. In places like Utah there are a lot of members so you get a lot of temples. In places like the Midwest you have smaller less numerous temples and if you are the only temple within a 150 mi radius then you are serving all the temple active members (which isn't just adults, youth can go to do baptisms) in that area. Also the time when people go isn't random, weekends and evenings tend to see more patrons due to people having to work and the like. Several hundred people in one day can be a lot for a small temple.

That said just how busy a temple is varies by location, and while they may get a lot of people going through them for a temple, compared to a lot of secular buildings they don't get all that many for their size.

i had the impression not many are so active, and that it was very hard demanding rules to get a recommend?

Not really, for the most part if you are keeping your baptismal covenants you are worthy to go the the temple. Now there are requirements to actually get recommends to participate in particular ordinances, for instance a 10 year old can't do baptisms but it's not because he's unworthy.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Dravin

[annewandering]

I am still curious why you think there are so many inactive members. Our little bitty town has three wards immediately close and two more a bit farther into the farming areas. Our town only has about 700 people in close and then outlying farms and ranches. If there are so many inactives then why are there 5 wards?

[Iggy]

Not really, for the most part if you are keeping your baptismal covenants you are worthy to go the the temple. Now there are requirements to actually get recommends to participate in particular ordinances, for instance a 10 year old can't do baptisms but it's not because he's unworthy.

The minimum age of 16, Priests, can perform baptisms- Aaronic Priesthood*

From:

Baptisms for the Dead: What to Know Before You Go - New Era Apr. 2004 - new-era

Who can be baptized for the dead?

Any member of the Church who is at least 12 years old may be baptized for the dead. Young men must hold the priesthood. Most importantly, everyone who enters the house of the Lord must be worthy. You and your bishop or one of his counselors will determine your worthiness in an interview.

[beefche]

Iggy, Dravin was referring to a 10 year old cannot be baptized for the dead in the temple. He/she is too young to do baptisms for the dead. Not that he is performing the baptism (as in baptizing someone), but that he is actually being baptized. Is that clearer?

[Dravin]

The minimum age of 16, Priests, can perform baptisms- Aaronic Priesthood*

From:

Baptisms for the Dead: What to Know Before You Go - New Era Apr. 2004 - new-era

Who can be baptized for the dead?

Any member of the Church who is at least 12 years old may be baptized for the dead. Young men must hold the priesthood. Most importantly, everyone who enters the house of the Lord must be worthy. You and your bishop or one of his counselors will determine your worthiness in an interview.

Iggy, I must confess I am guilty of using vernacular. Doing baptisms is, in my experience, in the Church, what someone who is planning on going to stand as proxy for baptisms in the temple 'does'. As such you'll hear how the young woman are planning on going to the temple to do baptisms. So good catch, the non-LDS among us probably aren't familiar with that use of the phrase and may have been thinking about the more literal sense of performing the ordinance in the temple.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Dravin

[annewandering]

Iggy, I must confess I am guilty of using vernacular. Doing baptisms is, in my experience, in the Church, what someone who is planning on going to stand as proxy for baptisms in the temple. As such you'll hear how the young woman are planning on going to the temple to do baptisms. Good catch, the non-LDS among us probably aren't familiar with that use of the phrase.

lol I could not even figure out for a sec what Iggy was talking about!

[Iggy]

lol I could not even figure out for a sec what Iggy was talking about!

What was so difficult? Who can perform the baptism: I.E.dunk the person- the priesthood holder must be at least 16 years old, AND hold the Aaronic Priesthood.

To be the dunkee- any gender must be at least 12 years of age.

Once when I went with the Youth to do baptisms for the dead, there were not enough Adult priesthood holders to do the dunking AND be witnesses. So they had the 16 &17 year old Priesthood holders do the dunking.

[skippy740]

A virtual tour of Salt Lake Temple:

Inside the LDS Salt Lake Temple - LDS Temple Tour on Moroni's Unofficial Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormon History Page

[Guest Cneve]

A virtual tour of Salt Lake Temple:

Inside the LDS Salt Lake Temple - LDS Temple Tour on Moroni's Unofficial Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormon History Page

Thanks a lot, hadn´t seen this before! Very interesting. The assembly hall is perhaps the closest it gets to a cathedral-like big space?

Is it only the salt lake temple that has a holy of holies, or do all temples have a room like that? is that room also open for the public on open house?

[ChooseTheSun]

A virtual tour of Salt Lake Temple:

Inside the LDS Salt Lake Temple - LDS Temple Tour on Moroni's Unofficial Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormon History Page

*bookmarked*

Thanks -- great site!

[Guest Cneve]

Here´s some stuff about tithing- http://mormonthink.com - about tithing

[skippy740]

Thanks a lot, hadn´t seen this before! Very interesting. The assembly hall is perhaps the closest it gets to a cathedral-like big space?

Is it only the salt lake temple that has a holy of holies, or do all temples have a room like that? is that room also open for the public on open house?

To my limited knowledge, there is no other temple that has a Holy of Holies. I *think* the LA temple had one, but it may have been converted to a sealing room. Same with other pioneer temples. There was probably a Holy of Holies in the Manti temple, but it would have also been converted to a sealing room.

I doubt the room would be available to tour during an open house, but I do remember seeing the back side of the stain glass window when I did an endowment session at the Salt Lake temple.

Edited November 27, 2011 by skippy740

[beefche]

I think that Manti Temple has a Holy of Holies. As far as I know, only SLC and Manti has the Holy of Holies.

[mrmarklin]

I think that Manti Temple has a Holy of Holies. As far as I know, only SLC and Manti has the Holy of Holies.

AFAIK all temples have a "Holy of Holies". The Oakland temple does, and its location was once pointed out to me.