Some temples begin to reopen

[NeuroTypical]

Hot off the presses:

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/0507-Phased-Reopening-of-Temples.pdf

Starting May 11, 17 temples will open, only for sealing people previously endowed.

Dang - imagine being one of those people.  You've got a ring and a date, have received your endowments, and are all set to be sealed.  And then a 2 month hard stop because of the pandemic.  Glad they're starting back up for these people.

COVID baby boom in October, with hopefully a 2nd wave of LDS births 2-3 months later, because they were able to wait.

Edited May 7, 2020 by NeuroTypical

[Midwest LDS]

9 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Hot off the presses:

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/0507-Phased-Reopening-of-Temples.pdf

Starting May 11, 17 temples will open, only for sealing people previously endowed.

Dang - imagine being one of those people.  You've got a ring and a date, have received your endowments, and are all set to be sealed.  And then a 2 month hard stop because of the pandemic.  Glad they're starting back up for these people.

COVID baby boom in October, with hopefully a 2nd wave of LDS births 2-3 months later, because they were able to wait.

I was super happy to see this, and I agree I bet a lot of couples are excited and ready to get sealed. However, I bet a lot of people took advantage of the fact that you can get civilly married now and not have to wait on getting sealed, to tie the knot while they waited for the temples to start to reopen. I remember being engaged and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to wait to be married if I'd already planned on being married when everything closed down lol☺.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Midwest LDS

[Vort]

There seems to be a lot of wink-wink-nudge-nudging going on regarding LDS couples marrying civilly instead of waiting until the temples reopen. In addition to being perhaps a bit vulgar, I find this totally pointless. Why do any of us marry? We marry for love, for companionship, for potential parenthood, and a host of other reasons, romantic and otherwise. If temple sealings were not available to us at all, would we monk up and go the celibacy route? Of course not. We would do what people have done for millennia; we would get married by a local clergyman or justice o' the peace.

If I had a child planning to marry in the spring of this year, I would suggest to him/her that the couple go ahead and get married civilly. We'll be there, we'll celebrate, and when the temples reopen, we'll be there for the sealing as well. Privately, I might think it's a bit too bad that they couldn't just get sealed immediately like their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents etc. did. But I would also realize that that's a petty attitude that has little to do with God's perspective. Kinda cool, actually. Gives you a good story to tell your children.

[Jane_Doe]

31 minutes ago, Midwest LDS said:

I was super happy to see this, and I agree I bet a lot of couples are excited and ready to get sealed. However, I bet a lot of people took advantage of the fact that you can get civilly married now and not have to wait on getting sealed, to tie the knot while they waited for the temples to start to reopen. I remember being engaged and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to wait to be married if I'd already planned on being married when everything closed down lol☺.

Even before the pandemic, a couple could get married civilly and then get sealed whenever they want.  This has always been the policy outside of the USA, and for the USA as of 2-3(?) years ago.   

I do know several couples whom were scheduled for Apr/May weddings/sealings and we directly affected by these closures.  I will say that some of them did move up their wedding dates, but this was largely relating to fear that the courthouses would close and they wouldn't be able to get married at all.  They want to obey the Lord's commandments and come together in unity.  Even if they can't get sealed right away -- which historically was actually the most common thing to do (remember how up until recently temples would be hundreds if not thousands of miles away?).

These couples & families also been dealing with the reality that any family celebrations for their marriage will have to wait quite a while till after they've actually tied the knot. 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Jane_Doe

[Midwest LDS]

38 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said:

Even before the pandemic, a couple could get married civilly and then get sealed whenever they want.  This has always been the policy outside of the USA, and for the USA as of 2-3(?) years ago.   

I do know several couples whom were scheduled for Apr/May weddings/sealings and we directly affected by these closures.  I will say that some of them did move up their wedding dates, but this was largely relating to fear that the courthouses would close and they wouldn't be able to get married at all.  They want to obey the Lord's commandments and come together in unity.  Even if they can't get sealed right away -- which historically was actually the most common thing to do (remember how up until recently temples would be hundreds if not thousands of miles away?).

These couples & families also been dealing with the reality that any family celebrations for their marriage will have to wait quite a while till after they've actually tied the knot. 

Oh I know, I was speaking specifically about the United States (I should have specified that, we are an international church). Secondly, I should mention that I hated being single and my marriage day was one of the happiest days of my life. Meeting my wife was one of the best things that has ever happened to me, up there with finding the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or watching the birth of my child. I wouldn't have wanted to wait even one extra second to marry her, so I would've married her with my bishop presiding even if it was just the two of us rather than wait until the temple's opened up again. That's just me though, and I understand some people would have waited.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Midwest LDS

[JohnsonJones]

Have they released which 17 temples will be reopening at that date?

[Vort]

1 hour ago, Jane_Doe said:

Even before the pandemic, a couple could get married civilly and then get sealed whenever they want.  This has always been the policy outside of the USA, and for the USA as of 2-3(?) years ago. 

Pretty sure that's been the policy in the US for less than a year.

[Jane_Doe]

33 minutes ago, JohnsonJones said:

Have they released which 17 temples will be reopening at that date?

The following temples will begin Phase 1 of reopening on May 11, 2020*:

• Boise Idaho Temple
• Bountiful Utah Temple
• Brigham City Utah Temple
• Cedar City Utah Temple
• Frankfurt Germany Temple
• Freiberg Germany Temple
• Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
• Logan Utah Temple
• Manti Utah Temple
• Monticello Utah Temple
• Ogden Utah Temple
• Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
• Payson Utah Temple
• Provo City Center Temple
• Provo Utah Temple
• Stockholm Sweden Temple
• Twin Falls Idaho Temple

See a full list of temples and their current status.

*Some temples in Idaho and Utah are undergoing annual maintenance and will reopen as that work is completed.