For years and years I've driven by the Mormon temple off the Capital Beltway in Kensington, Maryland and it has been driven into my head by all who I have asked that only Mormons are allowed into the building. But how do they know if a visitor is a Mormon? I've joked that there must be a Mormon card.
Well, I was actually pretty much right. It turns out that there is a card required to get into the Mormon Temple. The following is an exerpt from an article by Richard Packham.
"Mormons who wish to participate in any of the temple rituals must first request an interview with the bishop of their local ward (that is, the pastor of their local Mormon congregation), who will examine them individually as to their religious beliefs, their loyalty to the church leaders, their abstinence from forbidden things (alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea), their sexual morality, and the extent of their financial contributions to the church. If the bishop determines from this examination that they are sufficiently worthy, he will issue them a 'recommend,' that is, a pass to the temple, valid for two years. (Until 2002 the recommend was valid for only one year.) The member must then take the recommend to the stake president (the church officer who oversees several local wards), who will conduct a similar interview before countersigning the recommend. Many Mormons always carry their recommend, which is the size of a credit card, in their purse or wallet."
(Interesting sidenote: The temple is closed on Sundays - normal Mormon worship only takes place at churches. Temples are used for "ordinances." See the article for more details.)
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Every now and again, I hear something and wonder, "Why is that so?" Well, I looked it up online. In this blog, I share the fruits of my research with the world. Lucky you!
2 comments:
Packham's version is a little off. While it's true that individuals have interviews with their bishop and stake president, it is the individual who makes the decision whether or not he or she is eligible. For example, they are asked if they are full tithe payers. That means do they pay 10% of their income to the church. The individual decides whether that means gross or net and answers. The bishop has no idea how much the individual earns and relies on the answer as honest. The questions have changed over the years depending on circumstances. While the LDS Church doesn't publish the current questions, I posted the questions from 1857 on my blog. See the entry from March 22nd. http://byteline.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html
Also, many temples have visitors centers where everyone is welcome to come and learn more about the important work that goes on inside the temple.
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