Have you ever wondered what the inside of a Mormon temple looks like? Currently, there is an opportunity for people to take a tour inside one of our temples.

Temples are sacred structures to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Once dedicated, entrance is only available to those who are members of the Church living by certain standards. This isn’t out of a desire to be restrictive, however. Boyd K. Packer explains:

A careful reading of the scriptures reveals that the Lord did not tell all things to all people. There were some qualifications set that were prerequisite to receiving sacred information. Temple ceremonies fall within this category.

We do not discuss the temple ordinances outside the temples. It was never intended that knowledge of these temple ceremonies would be limited to a select few who would be obliged to ensure that others never learn of them. It is quite the opposite, in fact. With great effort we urge every soul to qualify and prepare for the temple experience.

It’s understandable that there is interest and curiosity about Mormon temple worship. Before temples are dedicated, the Church holds open houses to allow anyone (member or not) to take a tour and see the inside of the temple, and learn a little more about why temple worship is so important to Mormons.

The Draper, Utah temple will hold its open house for the public beginning on January 15, 2009 and ending on March 14, 2009.

For those who are interested in attending the open house, attendance is free, but tickets are needed to help manage crowds. Advance reservations (which are requested by open house organizers) can be made online at www.lds.org/reservations (there is a limit of ten reservations online) or by calling 1-800-537-6181 (toll free) or 801-240-7932 (local).

If you are unable to attend, and/or are interested in seeing some photos of the inside of a Mormon temple, see this article. You can also find more pictures here at the MormonWiki (the article contains other links as well.)

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Read what Mormon women have written about the temple here.

Or you can search on the topic at lds.org or watch a video about one woman’s joy at discovering that, through temple ordinances, her marriage could last forever.