In 2018, President Russell Nelson told the members of the Church that we needed to "eat vitamin pills and get some rest" due to the all the changes that would be happening to the Church. When people don't take their vitamins and/or get good sleep.. most likely they get sick. I should have followed the prophet's counsel and taken my vitamins and good sleep... because that is exactly what has happened to me after seeing all the changes that have taken place within the Church... I am sick.
This week I went down to the Salt Lake Temple and Conference Center to see the latest developments before General Conference this weekend. I talked to several of the sister missionaries and Conference Guides about the renovations to the Salt Lake Temple. All of them confirmed that the original plans of renovating the Salt Lake Temple have changed. There will be multiple baptismal fonts and sealing rooms that will be underground and separated from the actual SL Temple Foundation. Makes you wonder what might be in store for the future.
In this week's
OFFICIAL CHURCH NEWS RELEASE , the Church states that most of the concrete for the North Side of the Temple has been poured and that three UNDERGROUND floors will accommodate two baptismal fonts and sealing rooms. The extremely important ordinance of sealings will now be performed underground and apart from the foundation of the Temple. The only way that I can see the Church justifying this is that maybe the Church feels that all of the ordinance for the dead need to be performed underground with the dead. Here is a screenshot of the news release.
The first building that is near completed is the restrooms that have been built on top of what was the North Visitors Center. I have no idea why this change was done, but it does really make me sick. One of my most favorite things to do on Temple Square was to enter into the North Visitors Center and ascend up the large spiraling walkway through the cosmos and come into the presence of the large Christus. That is all gone and all that is there in that place is mens and women's bathrooms.. and most likely gender neutral bathrooms as well.
Another thing that makes me sick is the removal of the living water and fountains that were on the Temple Plaza and the streams that flowed down from the East towards the Temple. Here is a photo of what the fountains looked like. It is now been removed and concrete has been poured over it.
I am truly saddened with all that has been lost and changed forever in and around Temple Square. Things will never be the same and I should have taken my vitamins so I would not be so sick.
A few other things worth pointing out about temple square symbolism…
ReplyDeleteThey eliminated the fountains and streams because they were a bit of a maintenance headache. Some years they were off almost as much as they were on. They wanted to move to something more reliable and easy. To me this is symbolic of revelation. Having a connection to heaven takes work and maintenance, but that is too hard, so they went the low maintenance and easy route of just saying that whatever we decide is the will of the Lord. It doesn’t end up as pretty or inspiring, but it gets the job done with minimal effort.
Sealing rooms in basements removed the symbolism of progression upward to God. No need to rise up after entering the gate of baptism if one only needs to walk down the hall.
This is just an asking question because I have no idea if any such thing I am asking is even being considered right now by the LDS church.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that same sex marriage in the LDS church would be more palatable for the membership if it is taking place underground and outside of the Salt Lake Temple foundations?
Is it possible to conceal, for now, same sex marriage in the LDS church if it is occurring secretly in underground sealing rooms outside of the LDS temple foundations?
Just curious.