Mormon temples are places apart

Later this week yet another new temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint--this one in Kansas City, Missouri--will open its doors for public tours before being dedicated. After dedication, the building will no longer be open to the public, but only to members of the church “in good standing.”To some, it seems like a curious thing for a place of worship not to open its doors to all comers. It may be a good time to try to explain.

Mormon temples come in all shapes and sizes. They range from the iconic six-spired granite edifice on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, to the towering white marble structure familiar to Beltway commuters in Washington, D.C., to the smaller temples in unlikely places like Nuku’alofa in Tonga, or Hong Kong.

Share
Stay in the loop!
Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content