Third Hour Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 Talking about the temple and what goes on inside with your kids is an important conversation. However, we are hesitant to go in-depth on the temple because it's sacred stuff. We've thought of some guidelines to help direct that conversation. Study the Pearl of Great Price Many of the concepts explored in the temple are also explored in the Pearl of Great Price. Study it with your children and get them familiar with the doctrine. It will also be a great introduction for when they study the Pearl of Great Price in seminary. Watch a Temple Dedication Temple dedications can be a great introduction to the ceremonies and traditions associated with the temple. The temple is full of symbolic actions, like when you waving a handkerchief during the Hosanna Shout. Give your children as many chances to witness symbolic actions as possible, and talk about it afterward with them. Do Your Laundry with Your Children Introduce your children to garments early, and get the chores done at the same time. Help your kids understand the importance of your garments, and... View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MormonGator Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 Slightly off topic-another piece that might be handy is "How to talk about the temple with your non-LDS friends". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday21 Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 23 minutes ago, MormonGator said: Slightly off topic-another piece that might be handy is "How to talk about the temple with your non-LDS friends". I tell people that it is a bit like a catholic mass for the dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MormonGator Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 5 minutes ago, Sunday21 said: I tell people that it is a bit like a catholic mass for the dead. Thanks @Sunday21! I'll try that. Most of my close friends are agnostic/atheist/non-thiest, so I'm not sure that would help much. Granted, I haven't really been asked much about temples but the subject has come up here or there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday21 Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 @MormonGator I have been trying to think of how to persuade my surviving relatives to allow me to have work done for my aunts and uncles but...the chances of me ever finding these cousins is remote! Many are catholic so I thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
person0 Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 (edited) When my brother in law was going on his mission, and had returned from the temple somewhat perturbed. My wife and I met with him and had him bring his cap and gown from high school graduation. Our goal was to show him how everything in the temple is actually stuff we experience in every day life on a regular basis, but is put together in a way that is unique. Some (hopefully helpful) examples of things we see in everyday living: We use a funny looking cap and gown in graduation ceremonies and when the graduation is complete we have changed the side from which the tassel hangs. As @Sunday21 mentioned, we stand up and sit down at various points, recite specific phrases, and use meaningful sacred gestures just as in a Catholic mass. Cathedrals, and chapels of many denominations have a sacred purpose in the use of an altar. People every day shake each others hand and it means something that is unspoken, gestures in temples have a more sacred meaning. If you think about the actual gestures used in the temple, they are commonly visible in ordinary life, but in a different way: What do you do to cast out Satan, or to sustain membership callings, or to answer a question in a school classroom even? Imagine you are baptizing someone, but without that person standing there, and look at yourself in the mirror when you do it. Imagine you are the person being baptized, but without the other person standing there, look at yourself in the mirror when you do it. How do people of the Islamic faith pray? As has been suggested, read the Pearl of Great Price and familiarize yourself with the principles and concepts therein and seek to have an in depth understanding of the plan of salvation, its all in there I have been to countless homes of friends and others where the family holds hands as they pray and it is meaningful to them to do so. My daughters are 7, but since we are adopting them, they each get a special day in the temple to get sealed to us, and we have discussed the temple with them many days in preparation. They are not yet ready to have explained the stuff that I have presented above, but eventually they will be. Anyone of age who attends the temple endowment and comes out thinking it was weird, should take a more in depth look at life with their spiritual eyes and they can come to realize that it was really nothing new, just presented in a specific way for us to be instructed in the pattern the Lord has chosen, and to receive his blessings. Part of the reasons we can find these things in our every day life, even often among other faiths is because everyone has pieces of the truth, great or small. The Lord has blessed us with a specific compilation of true principles that will benefit our spiritual education and preparation for this life and the next. Edited May 1, 2017 by person0 Sunday21 and Vort 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday21 Posted May 1, 2017 Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 @person0. Well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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