Sunday, January 13, 2008

Temples

I lived in Utah until I was 10 years old and probably passed by the Salt Lake temple many times. To me it was just another church building until I was able to go inside the Los Angeles temple before it was dedicated in 1955. I found out that a temple is much more. When I went to BYU for college in 1960, I learned more about the history and purposes of temples. They are sacred places of instruction on how to return to our Heavenly Father, and where families can be sealed together and couples married for time and all eternity. That became my goal in life to be part of an eternal family unit.

For those who have been to civil marriage ceremonies, the words “till death do you part” seem very startling and sad. If you love someone enough to marry and live with them your whole life and have a family together, you can’t picture not being with that person in the next life. My father died when I was 5 years old and I certainly want to be with him and my mom in the next life but they weren’t married in a temple. When I found out that temple work could be done for my dad and he could be sealed to my mom so we could be a family forever, I was excited. The only problem was my mom didn’t believe in this doctrine. My mom died last year and it is now time to do her temple work, and she can accept or reject it.

Experiences of this past week have confirmed to me that my mom is now ready and willing to have her temple work done for her. So next Tues Jan 15th I will be making a trip to the Mt. Timpanogos temple with friends and family to become an eternal family, sixty-three years after my father’s death. I know my parents are together now and reunited in their love, only waiting for this temple ordinance so we can be an eternal family.

7 comments:

  1. How amazing Lin!!! I bet she's dying for you to do it now. What an amazing thing you are doing for your family.

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  2. For me to express opposition to ordaining, blessing, or initiating dead people would imply that I think that it matters to a dead person. I don't think that. I do think that the way a person lived their life should be respected. I think I made my position clear at the funeral. Grandma was patient with Mormons. That's all. I think she would have done all you're going to do for her when she was living if that had been her desire.

    Let me put forth an analogy for you. Let's say that my girlfriend dumped me and I secretly got married to her in a Wiccan handfasting ceremony. There's no legal repercussions because handfasting isn't recognized by civil authorities. What I'm doing is without her consent. It is wrong thereby and I'm really only hurting myself unless I get weird(er) ideas and start stalking my ex.

    I won't get into rebutting any of your beliefs. What you believe is your own business. You and I are both familiar with your mother's lack of religious aspirations.

    I loved her. I respect her memory. Please, leave her be.

    Chandi, your comment is spectacularly tasteless. She's not dying for anything any longer. She's dead. I know she's dead because I viewed her remains. No spark. Just gone.

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  3. Dear son,
    The doctrine of work for the dead in the church is we do the work and they the dead can reject or accept the work. it is called free agency and is an eternal principle. i did my mom's work and felt her there in the temple smiling and pondering what was going on, I didn't feel her accepting it but I did link myself to her, my dad and others of my ancestors some who believe as I do. I also agree grandma is dead and the spark/spirit was no longer there at her funeral because it continues elsewhere. Thanks for your comments and reading my blog. We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
    Love ya, Mom
    ps I did have a visit with my mom last week in a dream and she was sad that she and my dad weren't together-that motivated my doing her temple work so quickly.

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  4. Hello Brother,

    Weekly I went to her bed side, and visited her for many years. Emilee and I even feed her on her last conscious day. I was there that day for her last dying breaths. Emilee and I help put her body on the stretcher as she was taken away to the funeral home. I say this because I spent many hours with her these last few years. I think I may have spent more time with her then her daughter (mom). I feel that I knew her as well as any at the end of her life.

    We had spoke in the past of her fear of the end of her life and even discussed religion. She loved her family and you could see it in her eyes when we visited her. She always asked about you and inquired to your welfare.

    I loved her too, and I deeply believe that what we did for her was to allow her to have opportunity to be sealed to her family. I firmly believe there is a life after this one, and I don't believe she was offend by this. I don't see this as a holocaust jew scenario.

    As to her memory, she has been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints all of her life, there was no change in her status. She still remains a member of the church. She had a belief in God, but felt it was too difficult to live up to the standards that were required to go to the temple. When asked she would lump herself in with the members of the church.

    I respect her memory and I am sorry that you are offended by her sealing, but we have acted out of love for our Mother and Grandmother.

    Respectfully and with love your brother, Daniel.

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  5. Dan, I agree. On the scale of egregious human rights abuses, necromancy isn't even a blip on the radar. 1 != 5,933,900 (an estimated number of jews killed in The Final Solution). Also, murder and rites on the dead are only tenuously connected.

    As to stewardship, yes, you did your due diligence.

    I think you meant that grandma was a member all of your life. If I recall correctly, mom was the only Mormon in that nuclear family.

    Thank you for your clarifications.

    Peace.

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  6. One last word before departing for vacation. My son Brook uses very interesting words that I think I know the meaning of but looked up to be sure "nec·ro·man·cy NOUN:1. The practice of supposedly communicating with the spirits of the dead in order to predict the future. 2. Black magic; sorcery. 3. Magic qualities."

    I'm not sure that word applies to doing temple work but there are certainly many religions and groups of people who try to contact their dead and receive guidance or power from them including the native Americans. There is definitely a link between us and those that depart this life whether you believe in life after death or not. Mom

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