Did Proxy Baptism Make Obama’s Mother Mormon?
Filed under: Mormon Temples: Purposes and Promises, News, Public Issues, Saving Ordinances, Temples, Work for the Dead
The stories are circulating the internet that President Obama’s mother is now a Mormon according to Mormon records, because a posthumus baptism was done on her behalf. It’s important to understand how names come to be submitted and what it means when the work is done. It does not mean she is a Mormon; nor does it mean her name has been added to church membership records.
Mormons are instructed they must only submit names of direct ancestors and their immediate family (parents, siblings, etc.) unless they have permission from the family. Not every Mormon knows the rule, however, although it is written in the places where submissions are made, and many feel they are helping people they consider special by submitting their names. Therefore, when a name is inappropriately submitted, it is due to a misunderstanding of the rules by the member who submitted it. Since they can be submitted online, there is generally not a worker who can ask them about the names they’ve submitted. The church itself does not submit these names and does not give permission for the practice. Of course, as you go further back into a famous person’s genealogy, there are LDS church members who can legitimately submit the names because they are also descendants of the ancestors. Read more
Importance of Temples
Filed under: Mormon Temples: Purposes and Promises, Purpose of Temples, Saving Ordinances, Temple Work, Temples
All through my life I’ve known the importance of temples. I’ve known they are necessary for us to know where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going after this life, because the temple ritual is a review of God’s Plan of Salvation. Temples are also important to help family relationships extend beyond this life and last for eternity. With temples we can also make these blessings possible for our departed ancestors. These truths are taught to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, from the time they are little and throughout the rest of their lives. I have a testimony of this but wondered why it was so difficult to attend the temple.
So often my good plans of temple attendance were derailed or sidetracked. Why was it that months passed between trips to the temple? Often at the end of the year I would look back and realize that I had only attended a handful of times. For awhile the nearest temple was in Dallas Texas, a five hour drive away. Then we received the wonderful announcement that we would have a temple in Oklahoma City in 2000. This cut our driving time to less than two hours but unfortunately my temple attendance did not improve.
This really started to bother me as I listened to lessons at church and heard talks in general conference reiterating the importance of temples. It was obvious that temples are important to the Lord and I wanted them to be important to me.
I came across the following words spoken at the funeral of Joseph Smith Sr., father of the prophet Joseph Smith Jr., the prophet of the restoration.
“To dwell in the house of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, was his daily delight; and in it he enjoyed many blessings, and spent many hours in sweet communion with his Heavenly Father. He has trod its sacred aisles, solitary and alone from mankind, long before the king of day has gilded the eastern horizon; and he has uttered his aspirations within its walls, when nature has been asleep. In its holy enclosures have the visions of heaven been opened to his mind, and his soul has feasted on the riches of eternity.” (History of the Church 4:194)
Why weren’t my visits to the temple a “delight” and why hasn’t my “soul feasted on the riches of eternity”? I decided to take my desires to my Heavenly Father. I knew He would answer my prayers, but as a wise man once said, “You can’t steer a parked car.” I knew I needed to get to work and “must study it out in [my] mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8). I needed to see what more I could learn about temples.
I decided to start learning about the temples of old. I read about the tabernacles that the Lord commanded the Israelites to build as they journeyed through the wilderness. I read about the Temple of Solomon in all of its glory. The Temple of Zerubbabel was next followed by the Temple of Herod visited by the Savior during his earthly ministry.
In the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, near the beginning of its history, a prophet named Nephi built a temple “after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things”. (2 Nephi 5:16) Then I read in Mosiah about the great speech King Benjamin made from the temple in the land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 2-6). Of course, who could forget the climax of the Book of Mormon where the resurrected Savior visited the people who were gathered at the temple in the land Bountiful (3 Nephi 11-26)?
Moving my focus to the latter-days I learned about the commandments of the Lord “to build a house to me” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:33) and the intense struggles the early members of the Church had to fulfill that commandment.
It was evident that temples were central to the people of God in all ages. It seemed to me that there had to be additional benefits of temple attendance for the living—more than I currently understood.
A large piece of the puzzle fit into place as I read the words of George Q. Cannon at the Logan Temple cornerstone dedication:
“Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence” (Millennial Star, 12 Nov. 1877, p. 743).
Our loving prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910 – 2008), obviously understood this principle. Looking back to the October 1997 General Conference when President Hinckley announced the plan to build smaller temples around the world, there were 50 temples in operation. According to www.lds.org, there are currently 146 temples announced, under construction, or operating across the world. What an amazing and miraculous accomplishment in 12 short years!
I was beginning to understand. We live in a time that is becoming exponentially more evil. Heavenly Father knew this and instructed President Hinckley to build more temples. He almost tripled the number of temples in fact! I realized this was to provide the power and protection for us spiritually as well as lessen the Adversary’s affects and power on the earth.
As I continued my studies, I noticed three blessings of the temple that I had not noticed before: power, protection, and spiritual refinement.
John A. Widstoe taught that temple service not only strengthens us personally but affects the entire community. He said, “Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; … the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before” (“Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Apr. 1921, pp. 51).
President Boyd K. Packer, the president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles for the Church, explained why attendance can be so difficult at times when he said, “Temple work brings so much resistance because it is the source of so much spiritual power to the Latter-day Saints, and to the entire Church” (The Holy Temple, p. 178).
Continuing to teach about power, protection, and spiritual refinement, Pres. Packer stated:
“No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness.
Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.
If we will accept the revelation concerning temple ordinance work, if we will enter into our covenants without reservation or apology, the Lord will protect us. We will receive inspiration sufficient for the challenges of life” (The Holy Temple, p. 265).
Also, President James E. Faust taught:
“We are bombarded on all sides by a vast number of messages we don’t want or need. More information is generated in a single day than we can absorb in a lifetime. To fully enjoy life, all of us must find our own breathing space and peace of mind. How can we do this? There is only one answer. We must rise above the evil that encroaches upon us. We must follow the counsel of the Lord, who said, “It is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places (Doctrine and Covenants 101:22)” (“Standing in Holy Places,” Ensign, May 2005, 62).
I know I am “bombarded on all sides” and I know I need a “shield and a protection”. I see the world around me and I know that we need to “lessen the power of Satan on the earth”. All that I hold dear depend on my ability to withstand the temptations of the world and endure to the end. I have often worried about how to best prepare my young children to succeed in this world. I know if they understand the power and protection the temple affords, they will be more apt to make temple worship a high priority.
I know a lifetime of study may not be enough to fully understand everything about the temple but now I understand enough to help me realize how important it is. We have many tools to help us on our journey and the temple is a very powerful one.
Now as I prepare myself to attend the temple I am filled with excitement. I eagerly mark our ward temple dates on my calendar. The temple has become a top priority for me and attendance has become regular. The old excuses and roadblocks melt away as my priorities shift and I can see Heavenly Father’s hand helping me accomplish my righteous desires. My time in the temple has become a “delight” and I am beginning to see the “riches of eternity”. I feel more help and guidance in all aspects of my life as I worthily and regularly attend the temple.
I know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I know He loves me and wants me to succeed. I know the things I learn and the covenants I make in the temple will provide the power, protection, and spiritual refinement essential to “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23).
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Why Can’t Everyone Go into the Temple?
When I was in high school, some placement tests gave the school the idea that I should be in classes for gifted students in every subject. While I was quite advanced in some areas, such as English or history, I had very little background information in science. The class syllabus was based on the presumption that you loved science and knew a lot about it, so the basics were never taught. The class started right out with advanced concepts, and I quickly found myself floundering. Possibly because of that traumatic experience, I ended up hating science and spent as little time in science classes as possible.
Temples, for Mormons (the nickname for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), are like the advanced class. While the information learned isn’t really new, it’s taught at a higher level, so you begin to understand the information better.
In addition, members are asked to make covenants. Covenants are two-way promises with God. If we do our part, God will always do His. These covenants involve caring for our families and keeping God’s commandments, the same commandments any church member or person learning about the church learns in church meetings or by studying the church’s websites. Similar covenants were made at baptism, but now they are much more serious, with greater consequences for not keeping the covenant we made. God holds those with greater knowledge to a higher level of commitment and obedience and will judge accordingly when we stand before Him.
These are two reasons the Mormon temples aren’t open to the general public or even to members who haven’t reached a certain level of knowledge, testimony, and commitment to their religion. God is always fair, and He does not want us to be accountable for things we’re not yet ready to be accountable for.
Throughout a person’s church membership, he progresses gradually, as he’s ready to make higher commitments and is able to understand more complex teachings. Before a person is baptized, he’s required to know a little about the religion and be living at a certain beginner’s level of religious life. This is a starting place.
Adults who join the church or who are visiting often attend a special Sunday School just for newcomers. They can, in this case, attend the other class, but this beginner’s class, called Gospel Principles, helps them learn the basics and be prepared to understand what is taught in the regular adult Sunday School. It’s a preparatory program for the regular Sunday School, which is called Gospel Doctrine.
In the same way the lessons taught by the missionaries prior to and just after baptism prepare a person to become a member of the church, the Gospel Principles class prepares a student to understand the Gospel Doctrine class. In the same way, all the programs of the church prepare someone to go to the temple, to learn more and to make a higher level of commitment to God.
Adults who became members of the church at a young age generally go to the temple for the first time before they go on a two-year mission, before they’re married, or at any point in adulthood when their church leaders feel they’re ready. Those who join as adults must be a member in good standing for one year, which gives them sufficient time to learn what they need to know and gain experience living the teachings of God.
Just prior to attending the temple the first time, they take a preparation class that helps them prepare for this new experience, and reviews with them the levels of obedience they must obtain in order to attend. This is yet another step in their progression.
The Mormons like to refer to the scriptures in the Book of Mormon that say we learn “line upon line, precept upon precept.” This means we gradually progress through life and through God’s kingdom, always improving, always learning, always progressing. Standing still is not the Mormon way.
For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon aprecept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn bwisdom; for unto him that creceiveth I will give dmore; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28:30)
This line upon line pattern helps strengthen testimonies so we don’t lose our way before we’re strong, and to be certain we understand what we’re promising before we take on these promises. Just as taking a science class I wasn’t ready for caused me to lose my way in science, leaping into a level of religious life we’re not prepared for can cause us to lose faith in God.
The temple is a step in the eternal progression God asks of us. We do the preparatory steps to get there and then the temple prepares us for future steps, including a time when we will be so comfortable with living all the commandments and teachings God has given us that we are comfortable in God’s presence.
The Blessings of a Temple Journal
On my 22nd Birthday I went through the Mount Timpanogos Temple to receive my Endowments in preparation for serving a Full-time mission for the Church. That morning before we left the house my mother gave me one of the best birthday presents I have ever received. She gave me a journal. However this wasn’t just any journal my mother explained. This was to be my temple journal.
For the next few weeks before leaving on my mission, I tried to go to the temple as often as I could. And every time I went to the temple, I would record in my journal, which temple I went to, what ordinance I did, who I went with, and whom I did work for. Along with these records I wrote any impressions, and feelings I had that went along with each visit.
I loved going to the temple. Each time I went I felt surrounded in Love, filled with the Spirit, and strengthened in my desire to live righteously. Later while on my mission, I missed being able to go to the temple, due to there being no temples within the boundaries of my mission. However, though I could not attend the temple, I brought a bit of the temple with me in the form of my temple journal.
I cannot tell you how often I would open that sacred journal and reread those entries I had made. I can tell you that each time I did so I felt an echo of that Love, Spirit, and Strength I had felt while in the House of the Lord. Each time I read the names of my dear ancestors, whom I had served by doing their work, it was as if they were right there with me, helping me to accomplish the work I was called to do.
I felt the spirit of Elijah working in me, and I know that it is in fulfillment of the prophesy found in the book of Malachi, in the Old Testament which says,
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6
Now I have been home from my mission for almost two years. I still carry that temple journal with me, and make entries in it often. Each time I do, I am reminded of the fact that as the Prophet Brigham Young put it,
“Our fathers cannot be made perfect without us; we cannot be made perfect without them. They have done their work and now sleep. We are now called upon to do ours; which is to be the greatest work man ever performed on the earth. Millions of our fellow creatures who have lived upon the earth and died without a knowledge of the Gospel must be officiated for in order that they may inherit eternal life (that is, all that would have received the Gospel). And we are called upon to enter into this work.” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, Temple Service
A Focused Perspective on the Temple
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in the eternal nature of the soul and the importance of the temple to provide eternal connections with Heavenly Father. We believe in the unchanging nature of God that provides all the same blessings for His children, no matter the age in which they live, as long as they will turn to Him. That means we can be recipients of God’s blessings through the power of the priesthood, which provides man with the keys to act in God’s name in righteousness. This priesthood power provides us with a living prophet and other worldwide and local leaders who can lead and guide us back to Heavenly Father’s presence. This priesthood power is also used within the temple to allow us to make covenants with Heavenly Father.
So, how does the Latter-day Saint view the temple? What is its place in his life and heart? It can and should be a place we go often to reconnect with heaven. It should represent our hopes and ideals for becoming more like the Savior. It is a symbol of His love for us.
Even at an early age, Christ showed us an example of the importance of the temple. He lingered there, learning and growing in the things of the Spirit. He returned often, honoring the temple’s place within the Jewish religion. He cleansed it when His Father’s spirit had been driven from it by those who would take it lightly and defile its sacred purposes. Christ valued the temple, and so should His people.
This is one of the sweet lessons I learned from my guide Helaman. Within the city of Tulum, the temple is the very eastern point, and the focal point of the entire village. It stands on a cliff, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It also marks the only safe passage way through that sea to the village. It took the Spaniards a long time to pass the barrier reef surrounding the area because they did not know the significance of the building on the hill. Those who lived there knew: if you want safe passage, look to the temple.
That message still holds true today. The disciple of Christ longs to become as close to him as our weaknesses will allow us. The best way to do this is to look to the temple. An LDS temple is not open to the general public. To many it is a place of beauty, and perhaps secrets, but it has little to do with them personally. They may be having a difficult time making it through the rocky patches of life because they are missing a valuable secret about what a temple can do for them. Even those who are members of the church do not have free access to these places, it is a privilege earned with worthiness through obedience to God’s commandments. Why? For the same reason Christ lingered and cleansed. It is God’s house on earth. It is where we, as His children, can touch His presence and understand our worth to Him. It is where we go to make promises with Him that we will live our lives as He would have us. It is where we bind ourselves together as families. It is the source of our salvation, our safe haven, and the center of our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If it isn’t right now, perhaps we should take a look around and reorient ourselves to what matters. The Mayan’s knew this. Even after they lost the memory of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, they still knew that the temple mattered.
Keeping the Temple Confidential
Those not of the Mormon faith (officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) may very well feel stymied by the fact that Mormons will not share in detail what goes on inside the temple. Regarding the confidential nature of temple ordinances, Boyd K. Packer wrote the following:
“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 of the temple experience” (The Holy Temple, booklet adaptation [1982], 2).
By way of comparison, I’d like to share a personal experience.
As a college student I had a summer job working at a nationally run research lab. My second summer at the lab I was granted a heightened security clearance, given a new badge, and trained on complicated procedures for closing specialized locking drawers and safes. I was excited about the new distinction and advertised to all my co-workers that I was now available to “work classified,” meaning I could now work on projects requiring this higher security clearance. As it turns out, most of my days working classified that summer were spent proofreading page after dreary page of safety documentation. After a few days at my new post, a co-worker who’d worked classified many years must have read my face because he jokingly commented, “You never knew the government’s secrets were so boring.”
It is easy to fantasize and perhaps sensationalize what goes on behind secured doors. In the case of my summer job, the classified work taking place was certainly important, but it lacked the prestige, romance, or drama that I looked for as a twenty-year-old. Entering the temple for the first time was, in many ways, a similar experience. It felt wonderful to be there, but for the most part the temple wasn’t anything shockingly new or different from what I’d learned in church all my life. It was like one step up in security clearance. I had reached a point in my life when I could accept more responsibility and was eager to do so, but the religious work that took place in the temple, important though it is, felt like a familiar extension to that which I’d already done in my life to that point. And while I’ve come to appreciate the temple more and more with time, at times it still proves to be less than earth shattering when I fail to have “ears to hear” (see Matthew 13:9).
Boyd K. Packer continues:
“The ordinances and ceremonies of the temple are simple. They are beautiful. They are sacred. They are kept confidential lest they be given to those who are unprepared. Curiosity is not a preparation. Deep interest itself is not a preparation. Preparation for the ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes invited as a guest into the house of the Lord.”
The temple is a place for members to further commit themselves to carrying out the work of God. It is worth every sacrifice to prepare oneself to enter. While it is true that those who take part in the temple agree not to divulge what takes place inside, those who have yet to attend may be assured, it isn’t to prevent hoards of twenty-something’s from lining up to be in on the excitement.
Saviors on Mount Zion
Just what does it mean to be “saviors on Mount Zion?” Thankfully, we have modern-day prophets and apostles to shed a little light on the subject.
Elder John A. Widtsoe highlights an agreement we made concerning the eternal welfare of all of the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father:
“In our preexistent state, in the day of the great council, we made a[n] … agreement with the Almighty. The Lord proposed a plan. … We accepted it. Since the plan is intended for all men, we became parties to the salvation of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves but … saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father’s work, and the Savior’s work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation.”
“That places us in a very responsible attitude towards the human race. By that doctrine, with the Lord at the head, we become saviors on Mount Zion, all committed to the great plan of offering salvation to the untold numbers of spirits. To do this is the Lord’s self-imposed duty, this great labor his highest glory. Likewise, it is man’s duty, self-imposed, his pleasure and joy, his labor, and ultimately his glory.” (“The Worth of Souls,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934, p. 189.)
We become saviors unto ourselves by living our lives in such a way that we are worthy, when the time comes, to enter a temple of the Lord and make further covenants with Him. In so doing, we are then able to perform proxy work for our ancestors. It is through that process, known as redeeming our dead, we become saviors on Mount Zion so that they are able to make covenants with the Lord on the other side of the veil between heaven and earth as we perform the ordinances on this side.
Many have wondered why Mormons are so enthusiastic about our family history and genealogy as a whole. We believe it is necessary to have one solid unbroken chain from Adam down to every last person on earth. This is a long, involved, indeed very painstaking, process. I myself, have two of my family lines back to Adam . . . I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I felt when I hit royal lines, because those people kept a record of every birth, marriage and death, thank goodness.
Because we understand that Jesus Christ would not penalize those who lived on the earth when His gospel was not in full force, it is a labor of great and lasting love for those who lived before us. Thus a way has been provided for all to return to the Father, and it is through the willingness of Mormons to attend the temples regularly to serve their ancestors by performing those ordinances on their behalf.
One of the greatest privileges of my life is the ability to be able to perform this work for my ancestors within the walls of the holy temples of the Lord. Every time one more name is checked off my list a small thrill goes through me. Because I have a deep and abiding testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I could not live with myself if I did not remain worthy and diligent in performing this labor of love for those lived so long ago.
I would like to close with the words of Elder Widtsoe:
“I believe that the busy person on the farm, in the shop, in the office, or in the household, who has his worries and troubles, can solve his problems better and more quickly in the house of the Lord than anywhere else. If he will … [do] the temple work for himself and for his dead, he will confer a mighty blessing upon those who have gone before, and … a blessing will come to him, for at the most unexpected moments, in or out of the temple will come to him, as a revelation, the solution of the problems that vex his life. That is the gift that comes to those who enter the temple properly.” (“Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Apr. 1921, pp. 63–64.)
One of the greatest blessings God has given us is the ability to serve our ancestors in this sacred and holy work. How could anyone walk away from that?
Temples of God
The temples of God dot the land from sea to shining sea and across the globe, 136 having been or in the process of being built. Much as the synagogues of ancient Israel, these temples hold sacred and
precious truths which are revealed to those worthy to receive them.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, the living prophet, seer and revelator of God, and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) said of temples:
“The work that goes on in these buildings sets forth God’s eternal purposes with reference to man — God’s child and creation. For the most part, temple work is concerned with the family, with each of us as members of God’s eternal family and with each of us as members of earthly families. It is concerned with the sanctity and eternal nature of the marriage covenant and family relationships.
“It affirms that each man and woman born into the world is a child of God, endowed with something of His divine nature. The repetition of these basic and fundamental teachings has a salutary effect upon those who receive them, for as the doctrine is enunciated in language both beautiful and impressive, the participant comes to realize that since every man and woman is a child of Heavenly Father, then each is a member of a divine family; hence, every person is his brother or sister.” (Why These Temples, Gordon B. Hinckley
My husband and I were sealed in one of these temples, the Bountiful Temple located in Bountiful, Utah in the United States of America.
Why did we choose to live our lives in such a fashion that we were worthy of entering into a temple of the Lord and be married? Simply because we knew that within the walls of that holy and sacred temple, one holding the sacred keys of the priesthood, would unite us for all time and eternity.
We are, my husband and I, as President Hinckley said, filled with a divine spark. In nurturing our testimonies, studying the gospel of Jesus Christ and learning of the eternal aspects of our natures, we loved each other so much that we wanted to be sealed through all eternity, not just for this brief moment we call mortality. And so we lived by the gospel principles, practices and precepts so that we would be worth to enter that temple.
President Hinckley continued:
“Was there ever a man who truly loved a woman, or a woman who truly loved a man, who did not pray that their relationship might continue beyond the grave? Has a child ever been buried by parents who did not long for the assurance that their loved one would again be theirs in a world to come? Can anyone believing in eternal life doubt that the God of heaven would grant His sons and daughters that most precious attribute of life, the love that finds its most meaningful expression in family relationships? No, reason demands that the family relationship shall continue after death. The human heart longs for it, and the God of heaven has revealed a way whereby it may be secured. The sacred ordinances of the house of the Lord provide for it.
“But all of this would appear to be unfair indeed if the blessings of these ordinances were available only to those who are now members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fact is that the opportunity to come into the temple and partake of its blessings is open to all who will accept the gospel and be baptized into the Church. For this reason, the Church carries forward an extensive missionary program in much of the world and will continue to expand this program as widely as possible, for it has the responsibility, under divine revelation, to teach the gospel to “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” (Why These Temples, Gordon B. Hinckley
And so this is the purpose of the holy temples of God which have been built across the world: To unite families, to redeem our dead (perform the saving ordinances for them that they were not able to do in life) and to build upon our own testimonies and knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.