Monday, May 20, 2024

UNBELIEVABLE OF WHAT WE DESTROY AND WHAT WE PRESERVE

 Last week I drove by and took photos of the demolition of the Provo Temple. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. It looked like a bombed building in a warzone. What was once a sacred Temple dedicated and consecrated to the Lord is now being torn down and destroyed. Still sitting on a peaceful green hill, it looked like a dead corpse, abandoned and left in a heap of rubble. 

On the other hand, the Chapel for the LDS Church that was used for Sacrament Meetings at the Utah State Prison is being preserved. The entire prison surrounding the church was demolished recently and the small, brick building is going to remain standing. See below the lone church  on the barren acres and acres of land where the State Prison once stood.


 What is interesting to read online about the Provo Temple being torn down. On ChatCPT I asked the question: Why is the LDS Church tearing down the Provo Temple?


ChatGPT:
As of January 2022, there were no reports of the LDS Church tearing down the Provo Temple. The Provo Utah Temple is significant to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and its members, and any significant changes to it would likely be well-documented and communicated within the LDS community. It's possible that there might have been renovation or refurbishment work undertaken, but tearing down the entire temple seems highly unlikely without widespread attention and discussion. 

On the day I took these photos, I talked to a Provo Temple Ordinance worker who was also taking pictures. She was heartbroken to see "her" temple being torn down. She told me that a year ago they had a meeting with all of the Provo Temple workers.  Church authorities announce to them that the temple would only be closed for renovation. The purpose was to put in an additional baptistry where the cafeteria was located.  No mention of tearing the entire temple down. No mention of any need to earthquake proof the temple. However that is now the reason given to the public as to why they need to tear down the Temple.

I find it so odd that we even dedicate our buildings since we don't really believe that the Lord will protect our temples. We think we need to tear down and rebuild instead of having faith that the Lord will uphold His House. 


"We dedicate all the structural parts from its foundation to the tower. Protect it, we pray thee, from any devastating influence, holocausts, hurricanes, storms, or destruction of any kind."

I guess we forget to mention in the prayer to protect it from destroying it ourselves.

 Here are some more photos of the destruction of the Provo Temple.












9 comments:

Anonymous said...

My husband and I were married there almost 50 years ago (summer 1974). I’m relieved we live 1500 miles away and have no intention of ever returning to Utah.
The Church is becoming very heavy-handed in doing what it wants to do, regardless of the concerns of the members.

Aimee K said...

It looks like a war zone!

Toni said...

Wow! It really does look like a war zone!

Anonymous said...

The same thing can be said for the SL temple. If you read the original dedicatory prayer, God was asked to protect it from earthquakes. The actions there now reek of ‘trusting in the arm of flesh’ rather than trusting God.

Anonymous said...

Perspective: Several people in the community of victims of ritual abuse in Utah remember the Provo temple as a place where they were secretly taken and abused as children. Although the Glen Pace Memo (1991) mentions ritual abuse in church meetinghouses, and the Provo temple and Tabernacle were not specifically mentioned in his report to the first presidency, many adults now continue to work through horrendous childhood trauma related to that temple. These photos, to them, are cause for celebration.

Anonymous said...

Brought to mind, in that context, the movie Forrest Gump where in the final scene, Forrest stands by Jenny’s grave, recounting how he had her father’s house bulldozed to the ground, symbolically erasing the painful memories it held. The audience watches along with Forrest as the bulldozer demolishes the house.

Anonymous said...

Any evidence that might still be there will be gone.

Anonymous said...

Excellent documentation, as always. Always makes my heart hurt. Need to increase my prayers on behalf of my brethren that know not God.

Anonymous said...

Is it possible to consider elite church leaders may have relatives/friends in the construction industry and this is one way of ensuring those relatives/friends have plenty of work and lucrative contracts? Far fetched?