If you are wondering what a temple dedication is like, this personal account about the Gila Valley Arizona Temple dedication is a moving summary of what temple dedications mean to Mormons, and what it’s like to attend a dedication.

You can also read this Mormon Women article for more information: What happens at a Mormon temple dedication?

Prior to the dedication, an open house was held, where the public was able to walk through the temple and learn more about what temples mean to Mormons. (For more information on this topic, see our index entry on Mormon temples.)

The following video was from a press tour of the temple in April and includes photos from the inside of the temple. It also includes a brief interview with Elder William R. Walker of the Church’s First Quorum of the Seventy.

The youth in the area also held a cultural celebration with dance and music.

For a series of photos of the event, see this LDS Church News article:

Youth celebration depicts cultural history of Eastern Arizona

More about the youth celebration:

Youths Celebrate Gila Valley Temple in Arizona

More photos of the temple can be found in the following video:

Read more about Mormon temples in the following Mormon Women articles:

Chapels and Temples: Glimpses inside each and how they differ

What does the inside of the Oquirrh Mountain temple look like?

What the temple means to Mormons?

What does the inside of a Mormon temple look like?

The connection between LDS temple worship and ancient (Old Testament) ordinances

What can you tell me about Mormon temples?

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As the article explains, our meetinghouses are both places of worship and centers of social activity. We hold service projects, such as blood drives and humanitarian projects; we have scripture study classes and congregational family and youth activities (including dances, sports, and many other activities). (For examples of stories on our website about ward [congregation] activities, see here, here and here.)

You can see some pictures of the inside of LDS meetinghouses here, or take an interactive virtual tour here.

Our meetinghouses are different from our temples. You can learn more about Mormon worship services and what makes chapels and temples different here. If you are interested in learning more about what the inside of temples looks like, or more about temple worship, please see the following Mormon Women articles that have numerous links and resources.

Ask a Mormon Woman: What does the inside of a temple look like? (v.2)

What does the inside of a Mormon temple look like?

Ask a Mormon woman: What can you tell me about Mormon temples? (includes links to articles that help explain more about the ordinances that take place inside LDS temples)

What the Temple Means to Mormons

The post Links We Like: Chapels and Temples — Glimpses inside each, and how they differ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Mahina

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As a member, I serve in my ward (congregation) in whatever capacity I am needed. Currently, I am a teacher in the Relief Society, and one Sunday I was preparing to give a lesson based on two excellent talks (“Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in a Time of Need“by Elder Richard G. Scott and “Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples” by Elder Stevenson).

The lesson topic was temple worship and how to make our homes a sacred place.

In preparation for my lesson I have made a greater effort to “attend” the temple. When I say “attend” I don’t necessarily mean within the walls of the temple, though I am doing that as well. That week I took the opportunity to visit the temple grounds with our girls. We went twice.

Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, once counseled, “as we touch the temple, the temple will touch us.” So, I decided to take the girls to the temple so they could “touch” the temple.

On both occasions, we had a great experience. On one of the visits we sat in the shade of a tree and talked about and sang the children’s hymn “I Love to See the Temple.” I asked the girls what we can learn from the lyrics of the song. Here are some of the things we came up with:

• We are children of God
• Families can be together forever when sealed in the temple
• We go to the temple to pray, to listen, to feel the spirit
• The temple is God’s house
• We make promises in the temple
• The temple is a place of beauty
• We must prepare to enter the temple

On another occasion we sat in front of the fountain and talked about the significance of the water and how it represents the “living water” of Christ of which we can partake of to never thirst again.

On both visits, we walked to the back of the temple and touched the walls of the temple just outside of the Celestial room. I told them about the quote from our prophet about touching the temple and asked them what it meant to have “the temple touch us”.

During both visits the thing that struck me was how quiet and reverent they were the whole time we were on the temple grounds.

If you live near a temple, I highly recommend walking the temple grounds. If you have children, take them with you. It is a great place to feel the Lord’s Spirit and let the peace of the temple touch you. Our girls, along with myself, look forward to our next visit.

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For more First Person posts, please click here.

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(For the first article we posted on what the inside of a Mormon temple looks like, see here.)

Another temple will soon be dedicated in Utah, USA: the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Perhaps you have not had a chance to see what the inside of a temple looks like. This link provides numerous pictures of the inside of the Oquirrh Mountain temple. The Church is currently holding an open house, giving people an opportunity to walk through the temple before it is dedicated in August of this year.

More photos of the inside of other LDS temples can be found in this article. You can also find pictures here at the MormonWiki.

Read more on Mormon Women about what temple worship means in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints below:

Articles on the topic of temples can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions: What can you tell me about Mormon temples?
What the temple means to Mormons

More information about Mormon temple worship can be found on the sites below:
http://www.mormontemples.com/
http://www.familiesforever.com/mormon_temple
http://www.understandingmormonism.org/mormon_temples
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Mormon_temples
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Temple_endowment (the endowment is one of the ordinances received in the temple — the ordinance room that is seen in the media tour pictures is one of the rooms used for this ordinance, which involves receiving teachings about the gospel and the plan of salvation, and participating in the process of making covenants)

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

The post Ask a Mormon Woman: What does the inside of a Mormon Temple look like? (v. 2) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Hear from Church leaders and from others about the purposes and significance of temple worship.

The post Why Mormons Build Temples appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Temples are symbols of our faith in the eternal plan of our Father in Heaven. They are symbols of our faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. They are reminders of our belief that families can be eternal through the ordinances of the temple. They are reminders that our hope is that someday, we can return to live with God, through the grace of the atonement of Jesus Christ and our efforts to follow and become more like Him.

Please share your thoughts about what the temple means to you in the comments section below.

The post <i>Review, Reflect, and Return:</i> LDS (Mormon) Temples Will Dot the Earth appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

An article on the simplicity of symbols explains:

Since the earliest days of the Church, critics have tried to uncover flaws in its teachings or history. Over the years, for example, they have tried to discredit the Prophet Joseph Smith by suggesting that he copied the ceremony and symbols used in the temple from other sources. Some have also found it strange that the Church uses such symbols and ceremonies at all.

But there are simple answers for those who are suspicious or uneasy about how we use symbols in the Church.

While we don’t talk specifically about the symbolic teaching that goes on within the temple, there is much about gospel symbolism that can help one understand more about temple worship and other symbolism in our faith. Whether you are someone not of our faith who is interested in understanding more about symbols in our worship, or you are someone preparing to receive, or wanting to ponder more about, the ordinances of the temple, we recommend the above articles, as well as the following resources to learn more about symbolism, and about the temple:

Why Symbols?

Understanding Scriptural Symbols, by Gerald Lund

Symbols from the Scriptures that Testify of Christ

All Things Testify of Him

The Holy Temple, by Boyd K. Packer

Prepare for Blessings of the Temple, by Russell M. Nelson

Learning from the Lord through Symbols

Small Temples, Large Blessings

Temple Blessings: On Earth and in Eternity

The Temple Garment: “An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment”

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If you are interested in knowing more about the purpose of temples, there are a variety of resources available. Click here for some articles and talks about temple worship and the purpose of temples. You can find browse information about temples on our site here, and read some people’s thoughts and feelings (or share your own!) about the temple here. As always, you can also search lds.org on the topic of temples.

The post New Temple Announced appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Find answers to some frequently asked questions here.

If you are interested in knowing more about the purpose of temples, you can go here and here for some articles and talks about temple worship and the purpose of temples. Find articles and talks about the endowment here. You can read more about the temple garment here.

You can browse content about temples on our site here, and read some people’s thoughts and feelings (or share your own!) about the temple here.

You can see a map of completed and dedicated temples around the world here.

The post Articles, Talks, and Other Resources on Temples appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.