"I am pleased to announce new temples in the following locations: Barranquilla, Colombia; Durban, South Africa; Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Star Valley, Wyoming... I think I’ll dedicate that one. It’s good fishing up there."
Well, President Monson was not able to take his fishing trip up to Wyoming this weekend to dedicate the now complete Star Valley Temple. Instead, Elder Bednar dedicated the Temple in all three sessions. Here is his photo outside the temple that was published in the Deseret News.
While most might not notice, it is now becoming commonplace to no longer have an East facing Angel Moroni on top of the Temple.. Last month, I wrote a blog post "Does the direction we face matter"about the new Meridian Temple where I pointed out that the iconic statue faces South. The decision was made to align Angel Moroni to those entering into the Temple instead of the symbolic facing east symbolically heralding in the Lord's Return. The Angel Moroni on this newly dedicated temple in Wyoming does not face East either. It actually faces directly West. With this new orientation, Angel Moroni will always have his back to the rising sun (see the photo below.) I am not sure why the departure from the symbolic East direction. Having Angel Moroni facing the complete opposite direction seems odd to me.
1 comment:
Perhaps it has something to do with Ezekiel's words:
Ezek. 8:16 "Behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east."
The sun rises in the east, but sets in the west. They worshipped "the sun" (not the Son) toward the east, focusing on the rising of an image, not the actual Christ Himself.
The angel Moroni now looks toward the west, the place of the setting sun. The imagery could not be more applicable and accurate to the condition of the church at this point in time. A setting sun, diminishing light. From the scripture above, it also implies that the temple of the Lord is there since the people turned their back to His real temple in order to face east.
In other words, Moroni now sees the diminishing light of the setting sun all while leaders still believe they are facing the rising sun. Notice, they worship the sun—not God.
But most telling is Ezekiel's charge against the twenty-five men. What perfect precision to leadership today: 3 in first presidency, 12 in the quorum, 3 in presiding bishopric, and seven presidents of the seventy. That makes twenty-five who have turned their backs on the Lord, and the temple of the Lord, but still worship the image itself. A true sign of idolatry.
—Jennifer Orten
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