"Why are temples so expensive?"


Zaq33
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"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

 

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

 

What do you think?

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6 hours ago, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

What do you think?

John 12:4-6

Such people ought not to be taken seriously.

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8 hours ago, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

What do you think?

There is actually an entire article on this topic at the FAIR website.  Here is a quoted portion from the page:

Quote

Wouldn’t the money spent on these buildings be better used in feeding the hungry? One critic of the Church states, "Tithing is for the poor."
. . .
Thus, tithing is properly used for temples and other activities consistent with building the kingdom of God ("laying the foundation of Zion and for the priesthood"). Joseph Smith used tithing for such purposes throughout his administration.

"The poor" are nowhere mentioned in these commands, since the scriptures have a different mechanism for providing for them—the fast (Isaiah 58:6-7).

(FAIR article link)

In my experience, most non-members do not actually pay tithing by definition, they pay offerings (but they still call it tithing).  Most do not abide the law of tithing as 10%, but simply give as they see fit, and often consider donations to a non-church entity to count as tithing.  Possibly the most effective way to help someone who is seeking to understand would be to first help them understand the truth about the Law of Tithing as has been restored in these latter days.  That would likely provide the best foundation for them to understand.  But would the inquiring person pay attention long enough to understand or are they just trying to create a 'gotcha' moment?

There are poor members in nearly every religion, and all major religions have 'expensive' buildings used for worship.  Are the poor who have sincere faith in what they believe asking this same question?

With the same logic the person is using to make their point you could equally ask questions like, why is it okay for some people to drive an expensive car, or go out to eat at a restaurant, or live with any high quality products or services while there are still poor in the world?  People who support such a notion likely believe in forced socialistic wealth redistribution which is selfish thievery and are as Judas in John 12:4-6 which @Vort applicably noted.

Edited by person0
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Guest MormonGator

In fairness to the church, they give a HUGE amount to the poor and needy. The church can do both-build nice temples and give to the poor. 

Edited by MormonGator
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A buddy of mine related to me about the rebuilding of the Ogden temple, which his friend was part of the process. The concrete walls (and steel) are so thick, now, they're designed to withstand nuclear blasts. I'm not sure how true that is, but taking the construction materials and methods alone (of which I was witness to in Brigham City's temple), I'm not too surprised. The amount of concrete and steel that goes into the building alone may well exceed the costs of all the finery that goes into beautifying it. But if Romans could destroy Jerusalem's temple with not one stone standing upon another, there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord, if He wills, can do the same with any of the temples the church could design and build, or at least allow it to happen. After all, He did declare the following to the saints:

Quote

24 Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord.

25 And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord;

26 First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.

But I don't think people should be worried about how much good the "church" does for the poor. People should be worried whether or not each of "them" is doing anything for the poor. Just my opinion anyway, but I am just a foolish man.

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56 minutes ago, skalenfehl said:

A buddy of mine related to me about the rebuilding of the Ogden temple, which his friend was part of the process. The concrete walls (and steel) are so thick, now, they're designed to withstand nuclear blasts. I'm not sure how true that is, but taking the construction materials and methods alone (of which I was witness to in Brigham City's temple), I'm not too surprised. The amount of concrete and steel that goes into the building alone may well exceed the costs of all the finery that goes into beautifying it. But if Romans could destroy Jerusalem's temple with not one stone standing upon another, there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord, if He wills, can do the same with any of the temples the church could design and build, or at least allow it to happen. After all, He did declare the following to the saints: . . .

Anecdote:  when Franklin invented the lightning rod, a number of preachers flat-out refused to install it on their church steeples.  The rationale was that if God chose to smite a building with lightning, it was not man's place to try to stop Him.

Edited by Just_A_Guy
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10 hours ago, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

 

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

 

What do you think?

Temples have always been expensive, constructed of the best materials of the day.  Remember the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, then later the Temple in Jerusalem?  What about early Christian cathedrals?  Remember Nephi lamenting that his temple in the New World was not as nice as the one in Jerusalem because he did not have the proper materials?

I remember listening to a Jewish scholar discuss Mormon temples on the BYU channel or something.  He said that Mormon temples are unique because they are designed with the idea of helping you feel closer to God.  This is done through the physical beauty of the building, combined with symbolism.  Temples are designed to be a bit like heaven on Earth, to maximize the Spirit's presence.  Naturally, this costs money, but it is the Lord's way, and always has been the Lord's way.  You can't get the important ordinances that occur in the temple anywhere else, and that is how the Lord has it done.  Temples are for an even higher purpose than feeding the poor.

The Church gives millions and millions through fast offerings.  But, as Christ said, you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.  Temples are there to help people get closer to God.  When people get close to God, everything else seems to work itself out.  

Edited by DoctorLemon
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10 hours ago, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

What do you think?

They should join the Church, and help the Lord build temples and feed the poor. The two activities are intertwined, and neither can be done well without the other.

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1 minute ago, Colirio said:

 

???

 

I don't recall the Savior using a lot of Chinese proverbs in his teachings... 

 

:P

 

I looked, and you are absolutely right - Christ never said that!  

I guess I am like Iroh from Avatar: I take wisdom from many different sources.

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5 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

But, as Christ said, you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.

19 minutes ago, Colirio said:

???

I don't recall the Savior using a lot of Chinese proverbs in his teachings... 

:P

In Doctor Lemons defense:

Quote

"Giving a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime. As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help our children learn “to fish” and to become spiritually steadfast. . ."
David A. Bednar (April 2010 General Conference)

". . . whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)

Close enough right?   :)  :P

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OTOH it's really hard to hear an ignoramus ask such a question. They obviously don't get out much. 

 

Our temples pale in comparison to the Vatican and many Cathedrals of all faiths. There is some very serious $$$$$$$ in some of those places. Not to mention the investment in art, etc. 

 

By comparison I'd consider our temples to be relatively modest. 

Edited by mrmarklin
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48 minutes ago, mrmarklin said:

What the Church spends on temples it saves on modern chapels, which are marginal at best. :-)

 

Further, temples are open to all worthy. Even the poorest among us. 

Meetinghouses aren't particularly interesting, architecturally.  But the older I get, the more impressed I become with their sheer functionality and relative ease of maintenance.

And yeah; there does seem to be a lot of overlap between the folks who are concerned about the costs of temples, and the folks who are so publicly woebegone at our uniform, spartan (but insanely cost-effective) meetinghouses.

Edited by Just_A_Guy
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23 hours ago, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

 

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

 

What do you think?

I hate back seat drivers. Id probably ask him when was the last time he gave all his money to the poor.

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23 hours ago, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

 

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

 

What do you think?

I hate back seat drivers. Id probably ask him when was the last time he gave all his money to the poor.

as to the question, if you are bilding a throne for God, would you use anything less than the best?

We use money both for temples and for the poor.

Edited by Blackmarch
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On 4/7/2017 at 11:33 PM, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

 

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

 

What do you think?

To be fair... It does still go to the poor, the poor in spirit though :)

Also... the church give a LOT to those in need. I get worried when people suggest that ALL money should go to the poor. That is stupid :P saving money for investing and developing the organization will in the long run give the organization more money to give to the poor than if they had just given it all right out.

Ive also been pretty perplexed by the notion that just about everyone is obsessed with  that giving tons of money to the poor is always a good thing (don't get me wrong, I belief those donations are neccesary). At the end of the day, no matter how much free money you give to the poor, they will still be poor.

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There is physical food and spiritual food. Physical and spiritual hospitals. Secular and spiritual education centers. Secular and spiritual charitable services.

The former are temporal, and the later are eternal. Thus, the cost/benefit ratio for the later is infinitely higher than the former. In other words, the money used to build temples to feed the spiritually poor and hungry, heal the spiritually sick,  educate the spiritually unlearned, and charitably redeem the dead, gives inestimably greater bang for the buck.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

 

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On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 9:55 AM, DoctorLemon said:

But, as Christ said, you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.  

I always thought the true, complete saying was:  Build a fire for someone and you will warm them for an evening.  Light a person on fire and you will warm them for the rest of their life.

 

The Traveler

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On 4/8/2017 at 8:55 AM, DoctorLemon said:

 

I remember listening to a Jewish scholar discuss Mormon temples on the BYU channel or something.  He said that Mormon temples are unique because they are designed with the idea of helping you feel closer to God.  This is done through the physical beauty of the building, combined with symbolism.  Temples are designed to be a bit like heaven on Earth, to maximize the Spirit's presence.  Naturally, this costs money, but it is the Lord's way, and always has been the Lord's way.  You can't get the important ordinances that occur in the temple anywhere else, and that is how the Lord has it done.  Temples are for an even higher purpose than feeding the poor.

That's a great answer, designed to help you feel closer to God, thank you.

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On ‎4‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 11:33 PM, Zaq33 said:

"Why are temples so expensive?"

"The money should used to feed the poor"

 

A non-member asked me this question and said this. I didn't have an answer. I discussed it with other members and they didn't really have an answer either.

 

What do you think?

It has been my experience in life that those that ask such question: neither build temples to G-d nor do they feed the poor.  Those that do such things - rather than ask such questions - envite others to follow them.

 

The Traveler

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