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The temples are designed to create the atmosphere of "Heaven". I have been inside one temple when it was newly-opened. The public was invited to tour through it and I still remember the little "booties" we were given to cover our shoes. To honor purity everything inside is white. And, I believe, with some gold accent.
We saw the Sealing Room, which is for the bride and groom ONLY, and the awesome baptismal font. And, yes, not just anybody within the LDS can marry there. The temple is NOT a "church" (their churches are separate).
Personally, I like opulent churches. I love the old grand awesome Catholic churches, partly because I'm mad about certain architecture and love beautiful buildings. These magnificent churches create "the mood" whenever I set foot inside one. It just feels so . . . well. . . holy. And the artwork itself is something never created anymore.
If the Mormons can afford to build beautiful temples while participating in charities (and they do), more power to them. The LDS empire aces at managing their budgets.
Personally, I like opulent churches. I love the old grand awesome Catholic churches, partly because I'm mad about certain architecture and love beautiful buildings.
And the artwork itself is something never created anymore.
Agreed. There are different styles one finds for Christian/Catholic cathedrals (Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque) and my favorite is Baroque. Some Baroque cathedrals in Italy, Portugal and Bavaria are stunning and the cupola with a "lantern" is the icing on the cake...even St. Paul's (Episcopal) in London tends toward Baroque.
This discussion of "luxury" items in a world of need has been around for millennia, and it has no obviously universally "correct" answer.
Have any of the readers here purchased a book in the last year? a CD? a DVD? a second pair of shoes? Does anyone here pay for an internet connection or service? Does anyone here have cable or satellite TV? Wouldn't that money be better spent on helping the poor?
And we could go with some professions as well. Is there any reason we "need" to have professional athletes? professional musicians? professional filmmakers? Would our world be a better place if those people were producing "useful" things, such as food and clothing, to make the world a better place?
And of course, it isn't just professionals. Has anyone here watched TV lately? a movie? played a game? Wouldn't your time have been better spent out helping the poor in some way?
Once you allow for ANY kind of activity or production that isn't directly related to helping people poorer than you are, you have created a slippery slope that allows for any level of self-absorption all the way down to pure hedonistic, selfish, opulent pleasure-seeking. If you allow ANY "non-essential" parts of society or the economy, you will have to come up with some subjective standard to distinguish between valid "wastes" of time and money and invalid "wastes."
So if tens of thousands of people pool their money to build a "luxury" building that they use as a retreat of some kind, can it be justified? What if this building is heavily used by the people to bring them emotional peace? What if the building helps them to stay committed to being "good people" who help the poor and needy? What if the "luxury" building helps them focus on non-materialistic things? What if it brings these tens of thousands of people joy and happiness? What if the existence of the extravagant building makes these people better, more productive, more law-abiding citizens?
The problem here is that any and all discussions of what is right and wrong in terms of spending money have to start out with a complex framework and foundation of values, priorities, and world-views. If LDS Christians are found to contribute more per capita to help the poor and needy than others of their socio-economic peers, are they to be faulted if they give up some other things in their life to pool their money to build a religious building that they think will be of ultimate benefit to both society in general as well as the poor?
And don't get me started on the fact that we have public buildings that are painted, landscaped, or decorated in any way. All of that public money going to waste when it could be "helping the poor"...
LDS Temples are indeed opulent but LDS Churches tend to be very low key and far more "functional" and this is after all where most of the day to day activities of the LDS Church take place. Temples are no different than Cathedrals and these tend to be on the opulent side too...
I admit to being puzzled about the many criticisms levelled at the LDS Church when many, many other Christian Churches also exhibit a less than modest "lifestyle". As an Atheist I do not understand the antipathy generated by this Church which to me is as legitimate as others.
It is a fast growing Church and yes a very rich one due to presumably a strict obeisance of the Tithe rule and the fact that many LDS people are successful but it is no more bizarre , no more extreme than many other Christian factions. I do not understand their beliefs and in fact disagree with many of their views on certain issues such as homosexuality but at the end of the day they have as much right to exist as any other Religion and there does seem to be an inordinate amount of bad feelings towards them.
Have any of the readers here purchased a book in the last year? a CD? a DVD? a second pair of shoes? Does anyone here pay for an internet connection or service? Does anyone here have cable or satellite TV? Wouldn't that money be better spent on helping the poor?
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Are you kidding me???? People on WELFARE buy this stuff!
wouldn't God like it better if you donated more funds to help people in need rather than build such opulence in very pricey areas of the cities? that is a christian value, not sure if it is a mormon one.
That's what the church's relief and welfare departments are for
I don't care for mormons as you can tell from some of my other posts. It doesn't stop me from wanting to know more about them though. I've heard some of their positive propoganda, such as the katrina relief that they did. i am grateful to them for the genaeology sections that they make open to the general public, which i used quite a bit when i lived in calif. if the mormons tithe their income AND donate to Prop 8 AND donate to other causes, i am wondering how can they AFFORD to be mormons? it seems very expensive. are there any POOR mormons?
Have you met ALL Mormons? Are there any that you care for or is that just a blanket dislike?
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