July 2023

A Spiritual Experience 

27.1.5

Clothing to Wear to a Temple

When going to a temple, members should wear the type of clothing they typically wear to sacrament meeting. They should avoid wearing clothing that is casual or that does not cover the temple garment. They should also avoid wearing clothing that is overly formal, like tuxedos. This instruction is best taught by parents, ministering brothers and sisters, and ward and stake leaders as members prepare to worship in the temple.

See 27.3.2.6 for information about clothing to wear to a temple marriage or sealing.

See 38.5 for information about:

Clothing to wear during the endowment and sealing ordinances.

Obtaining, wearing, and caring for ceremonial temple clothing and garments.

27.1.6

Child Care

Children must have adult supervision if they are on temple grounds. Temple workers are available to supervise children only in the following circumstances:

If they are being sealed to parents

If they are observing the sealing of their living siblings, stepsiblings, or half siblings to their parents

27.1.7

Meeting with Members after They Receive Temple Ordinances

Members often have questions after receiving temple ordinances. Endowed family members, the bishop, other ward leaders, and ministering brothers and sisters may meet with members to discuss their temple experience.

Leaders also encourage members to seek answers to their questions through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. In the temple, the Spirit can provide answers to many of the questions that members may have about their temple experience.

Resources to help answer questions are available at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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Elder Christofferson - Moral Agency

On April 27, at the spring Commencement exercises at BYU, Elder Christofferson spoke of moral agency and the accountability that goes with it. He reminded us of the establishment of the principle of agency by the Lord, as we learn in the temple, and put particular emphasis on that principle as represented in the laws and constitution of the people (D&C 101:77-78), he expresses "particular concern" for "(1) trends and philosophies that deny the reality of individual moral agency and (2) societal conditions that disable the effective exercise of individual agency." 

He pleaded with the graduates to exercise moral agency and to work to "preserve and provide that same blessing of moral agency to others. Let us be agents rather than objects." To do that, he said, you must "continually study the gospel of Jesus Christ, wherein are found those essential truths that enable the intelligent use of moral agency."

Finally, Elder Christofferson invoked words of the proclamation on the family in support of his advice to do at home what matters most - in addition to being those honest, good, and wise men and women who will provide leadership in the future:

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. . . .

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

In his remarks, Elder Christofferson referenced Elder Oaks' talk "Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution" from the April 2021 General Conference. That talk is here: Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution. [It’s also a menu item on the newsletter menu!]

This instructional part of Elder Christofferson's commencement address is less than 10 minutes. It is preceded by congratulatory remarks, but once it gets going, it is a quick and powerful read packed with doctrine that helps to make sense of the tumult we see in the world today. It's archived at the speeches.byu.edu site, with both audio/video and printed text, here: Preserving and Promoting Agency | BYU Speeches

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Elder Oaks - The Constitution

Elder Oaks Conference Talk - The Constitution

At this time of year, when we celebrate the birth of our nation, I am always prompted to consider how carefully the Lord has constructed a framework of events on which HIs church could grow and prosper. The winning of the war of independence I think was a miracle. In the same vein, the establishment of a government that enshrined sacred principles of freedom and responsibility was a miracle, especially considering the novelty of the idea at the time. 

 One of my favorite talks about the Constitution, which codifies those principles, was given by Elder Oaks in 2021. I love how he distills his years of study of the Constitution with such plainness and clarity in gems like this: "The United States Constitution is unique because God revealed that He 'established' it 'for the rights and protection of all flesh"...That is why this constitution is of special concern for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world." He says that God's purpose is apparent in moral agency, "The most desirable condition for the exercise of that agency is maximum freedom for men and women to act according to their individual choices. Then, the revelation explains, 'every man my be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.'"

 He outlines divinely inspired principles in the Constitution: 1) sovereign power resides with the people who are governed; 2) governing power is divided between national and state governments; 3) independent governing powers are delegated to executive, legislative, and judicial branches; 4) individual rights are guaranteed and government authority is limited; and 5) people are best governed by law and not by individuals.

Elder Oaks then suggests that we, as Latter-day Saints, have "a unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution...We should trust in the Lord." And, "we must pray for the Lord to guide and bless all nations and their leaders...On contested issues, we should seek to moderate and unify." He encourages all citizens to be knowledgeable and "active in making our influence felt in civic affairs."

 Finally, each citizen must "decide which issues are most imp[ortant to him or her at any particular time. Then members should seek inspiration on how to exercise their influence according to their individual priorities...That is one reason we encourage our members to refrain from judging one another in political matters." Then he closes by reminding leaders that "political choices and affiliations [should] not be the subject of teachings or advocacy in any of our Church meetings."

 When I read Elder Oaks' wonderful talk, I think of the great sermons by King Benjamin and King Mosiah on the hardships of governance and the benefits to the general welfare of having righteous leaders. Those sermons were given in the light of temple instruction, likely in full view of a physical temple. Surely it will be important in days to come to be in view of a temple, literally and figuratively, so that we may more fully understand through inspiration and revelation our sacred duty to uphold these divine principles and to teach them to our families.

 The conference talk is archived here: Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution

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 How important it is to have good records! Currently the church is taking a path that leads away from a reliance on paper documents for day-to-day operation of the temples. At this juncture, you have probably noticed that family name cards are now held only overnight at our temple, thereby encouraging more general usage of FamilySearch. A pilot program is underway at three temples (but not ours) which will allow the use of a smartphone to display a temple recommend code that can be scanned for admission to the temple. Development work is underway for intelligent interfaces that will be used in temple recommend interviews. These interfaces will have error checking, similar to FamilySearch, so that the information on a temple recommend will comport with information in other data tables. 

 We note these developments because the apparent ease with which anyone today is able to modify records is threatening the authenticity of historical presentations. When this ability is added to a modern sense of a fluid identity, the threat is increased! How fortunate we are to have the Joseph Smith Papers initiatives and others like it. 

 In his 1993 article "Joseph Smith, a True Martyr," Danel Bachman explores critical roots of the word, opposition to its use in any connection with Joseph and Hyrum, and original source support for acceptance of its proper use and designation in connection with the prophet and his brother.  These are the section headings: 

 Denials that Joseph Smith Was a Martyr

The Definition of a Martyr

Can a Martyr Resist Death?

The Milieu of Martyrdom

At the time of its writing, Brother Bachman was an Institute instructor. There are no footnotes or endnotes, though sources are attributed parenthetically in the text. I enjoyed reading it very much! Here is the URL that you can use to view the full article: Joseph Smith, a True Martyr | Religious Studies Center

There is also a great quote at the end of the article that I think would be super in a talk:

A young Hungarian Jewish woman who gave her life during World War II as a martyr in the cause of her people once wrote:

There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind. (Atkinson 206).

Joseph Smith is such a light.

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What Does It Mean to Bless the Lord?

“I Will Bless the Lord at All Times”: Blessing God in the Old Testament, Dana M. Pike, “I Will Bless the Lord at All Times”: Blessing God in the Old Testament | Religious Studies Center

Have you ever found something in the scriptures that seems a bit confusing or out of place? I have! A few weeks ago I ran across a phrase that is used in the Psalms extensively, and elsewhere in the Old Testament, namely, "bless the Lord."  The usage is clearly an imperative. So, I wondered, how is it possible for me to give a blessing to the Lord, when I am so completely dependent on Him for blessings? 

 I am so grateful to those who study the Gospel of Jesus Christ intently, and especially to those who have resources especially in terms of intellectual talent guided by revelation! This article by Dana M. Pike shed some light on my question (URL above), and gave me yet more things to think about. I thought it might be of some benefit to some of you as you teach about reverence for the Lord. The following quotes are drawn from the latter end of the article.

 I agree with Jacob Milgrom’s assessment that “to bless God is more than to praise . . . Him; it implies that one must demonstrate to Him reverence and loyalty in deeds as well as words.” [33] Thus, biblical expressions of blessing God include but can be said to go beyond expressing praise. Blessing God seems to me to convey a whole-souled worship of and commitment to him from whom all true blessings flow. Just as many divine blessings are primarily covenant-relationship dependent, so, I believe, the act of “blessing God” demonstrates a vital dimension of such a relationship. This attitude is demonstrated by a person’s faith, love, obedience, and consecration

 Based on my own experience, the practice of using this language of “blessing God” is not evident in modern Latter-day Saint culture (although it still is in orthodox Jewish culture). [35] Furthermore, it seems to me that, other than verbalizing expressions of praise while singing hymns, many Latter-day Saints are less likely than ancient Israelite worshippers to verbally express praise to God, whatever the verb employed. Something is lost, in my opinion, when both spontaneous and more formal expressions of praising and blessing are absent from the vocabulary we employ in our relationship with God our Father and his Son. I hope this presentation encourages us all to think about reasons for and expressions of praise and worship in our own lives.

As a whole, Psalm 103 gives wonderful voice to the might and mercy of the Lord. In the spirit of offering praise and worship to the great God of Israel, YHWH or Jehovah, who Latter-day Saints understand is Jesus Christ, I conclude this presentation with a few verses from this psalm in which participants are exhorted to “bless” the Lord. Notice the prominent use of b-r-k in expressing praise to, but also adoration for, the Lord:

 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits...

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure

Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

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