The atlanta temple has been renovated, and they are doing tours in April prior to the dedication. My TBM mom knows that I am a not believer and that nothing is going to change that, but she wants me to go on a tour with her anyway. I have to admit I am curious, I never made it to the temple. Is it worth a 45 minute drive, just to take a look, are they really that beautiful on the inside? Am I going to get stalked by missionaries afterward?

The rooms are generally beautiful. It's the rituals that are creepy.

You'll see what you're not missing. You won't get stalked unless you or your mom puts your name down on some list.

Yes, they are beautiful, but look fast. They keep you moving.

It is undeniable that the buildings are very pretty. But all the people inside the temple feel so cultish and creepy. All dressed in white and trying to put on a happy facade. But everyone actually feels so cold and distant. And the rituals are creepy as balls.

But seeing as how they're having tours, I dunno how creepy itwill be. But if you wanna go check it out, go for it.

The Manti and Salt Lake temples are interesting. The new ones are basically like being in Donald Trump's penthouse or a nice hotel.

I have read about all the creepy temple things on here. I probably will go just to settle my curiousity, but the whole time I will be saying to myself "I wonder what creepy thing they do in this room"

If there's anything else to do in the area (beyond visiting mom) to make your 45 minute drive worth it, then maybe.

The celestial room can get some oohs and ahhhs.... but if you've ever been in the lobby of a fancy hotel, then you've been in a celestial room. The baptistry has that oxen thing going... but the rest of the rooms aren't much to get excited about.

It's one of those things that mormons are impressed with and want to share; outsiders are either, "wow, okay," or, "jeez, isn't there something better they can do with their money?"

The original temples had neat wall painting/murals, etc, but the newer ones tend to be regular-looking rooms expensively furnished.

Pretentious. Empty. A temple must have been a far more impressive place in the first half of the 20th century when it would be the most elegant, clean place ordinary mormons would ever get to be inside.

The rooms are perty. Soft carpet, lush plants, gossomer curtains, chandeliers, decor galor (in utter contradiction of the Book of Mormon which says not to over-adorn your churches), multi-million dollar craftsmanship. Rivals a cathedral.

But...they put away all the rituals.

The veil curtains are removed. The scripts are not spoken. The temple robes and garments and covenants are not discussed.

Instead, patronizing "eternal family" propaganda dominates the tour. They emphasize sealing rooms/altars. Otherwise, the tour itself would never give you a fair idea of the closed-to-the-public rituals (except for self-apparent ones like baptism for the dead, they'll spend extra time on the 12-oxen baptismal font).

They do freely admit that they're not telling you the rituals and that they're closed to the public.

Even so, it's a close enough inspection to dispell any myths of animal/virgin sacrifice or orgies.

But it's also a close enough inspection to confirm that they spent many MILLIONS of dollars on it.

amos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> they'll spend extra time on the 12-oxen baptismal
> font).


The Sacramento temple only has 6 oxen with a mirror, so it looks like 12.

She'll see it as an opportunity to manipulate your emotions and hopefully nudge you back to church. If that idea doesn't appeal to you, go with a non-believer or by yourself if you decide to go there.

The tour I took was VERY controlled. Participants were forced to see a silly faith promoting film to start. We were told not to ask questions or make comments as there was no time. This made no sense since we were forced to silently wait for the tour ahead of us to move on at every juncture. There were TBM guards listening in to the private whispered comments as we walked along.

Also, there was a guard who listened in when we were sitting and waiting for our turn to enter the tour. It was a silly lady wearing a breakfast robe/duster instead of a dress. LOL

Someone in my party whispered a comment to me about the heat that day (106 degrees) so the woman listening in used a little folder and started fanning it at us. LOL

We left the waiting area to go to the restroom and the greeter at the door accused us of "being offended" for temporarily leaving. LOL

They confiscated the women's purses and told a lady she'd have to carry her tampons in her hand or leave them behind with her purse. They also made everyone take off their shoes and wear booties inside the temple.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2011 08:53AM by Cheryl.

CIA/FBI looking guys lurking in various rooms, listening devices in their ears, staring at the tourists. Definitely gave me a good feeling about being there! (And I forgot about the prelim film we had to watch. It was pretty off relative what temples are really about.)

I struggle to get my TBM family to believe that the church has enemies because it angers people -- not that some mystical bad guy makes them.....

God should manage his own security. Nothing about mormonism appears divine to me.

Reallt they listen in? thats just crazy, I wonder if I start making specualtions of what they do in the rooms out loud if they will throw me out!!

A few days ago, my 40 year old niece & I were have a gab fest about family times and her childhood.

She said that she felt absolutely mortified when as a little girl her family tribe was touring "The Temple" in SLC.

Her dear old dad, when the guide said, in a sort of teary eyed reverence "Yes, and then the angel took back the gold plates". (sniff, sniff)

At that moment..wide-eyed dad blurts out real corny like and loudly obnoxious- "What, you mean the angel took them back! Nobody has ever seen them!...GEEEZZZ.."

Yup, dear niece was having a pretty good laugh about that one the other day. My brother calls 'em as he sees 'em.

Go, but you won't get to see everything on the tour, ask to see the Holy of Holies, the Veil, where the second annointing takes place, where the naked touching (now just touching) happens...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2011 09:23AM by jon.

I've been wondering if I should attend the Brigham City tour when the time comes. If I went I'd be going with my mom, who is not LDS but would like to see the inside, so there's no pressure there. But I absolutely will not go if I have to give them my name or contact information. Is this necessary to get a ticket or to enter the tour?

I loved the whiskey tasting at the end.

Like someone said I had simular experience looking back at the 12 oxen I suddenly saw from a distance 12 PIG DOGS..

Its about as sacred as a witches occult.
The bible says the dead are concious of nothing until
the resurrection.. The only dead are demons getting baptised

The bible scripture about the dead rise not, meant those
dead in relegious bondage and occult, need to flee from
those occult relegions and be re-baptised, and discover
the real jesus.

Larry.

secret handshakes. Can be a good time if you want to be blasphemous.

Back when I was married to my TBM ex and his family was still attempting to convert me, I went to the Vernal, UT temple open house. They were so sure that if I were to just walk through one of their beautiful temples, I'd "feel the Spirit" and join.

Wrong.

I don't even remember going through. I remember standing in line forever, pregnant. I remember putting the bootie things over my shoes. That's it, though. Obviously wasn't that impressive.

My in-law family asked husband and I if we were going to tour the temple. They made it all hush-hush since I'm not a mormon. C'mon people, it's just a building! If I'm not a mormon then "endowment" "sealing" and all those other temple words have no meaning to me!

I think that if any of us on this board do go that we should plan to go tour at the same time. Ask some tough questions of the guides (my MIL and her new husband are going to be guides!!) that we wouldn't do solo. Make it a nice big exmormon party...

I've always enjoyed looking at the fine furniture during open houses.

Cause if I remember correctly, the older people that are helping wear their white clothes. Say you saw Big Love and read about it on the Internet. When I helped at the Portland open house I was a teen. We wore Sunday best.

Also ask a bunch of "innocent" questions. Maybe something more about the clothes. Then ask if clothes are provided? Make some sort of mention after they bring up renting clothing, about money changers in the temple.

Any old European cathedral is more impressive IMHO.

Decent food, but the upstairs bar usually has bartenders that really know what they are doing. Try the 'swirl', it's a frozen drinks, *frozen* sangria swirled with frozen margarita. a few will even get me pretty buzzed....

My Hubby thinks he know the place you are talking about, he says that alone would be worth the trip

When a temple opened in my city I went just out of curiosity. Thoroughly enjoyed it, as I'd never been in one before. All the hush-hush routine is because the temple is such a HOLY place. They're trying to be sure everyone feels the spirit.

Their temples are important to the Mormon faith. The more we know, the better we understand our friends and loved ones.

I would say no. Not because it wouldn't be worth it, but because your mom might get her hopes up, and open up a whole 'nother can of worms. I turned down my mom when she offered to get tickets to go to a new temple.

if visits are seriously unwanted. Someone in my exmo group got the tickets for everyone so I did not give out my information. But we didn't need tickets as one asked for them. Is that typical?

I didn't sign anything when I was there, no guest book, no little cards, didn't tell the guards/tour spokspeople my name or address.

Of course some people might welcome visits and this is an opportunity to ask for mishies to come, call, and send free books and tapes.

I went to a tour of the Newport Beach temple and it was very anti-climatic. I thought it looked like a glorified church building - not interesting at all. I'm sure some are nicer than others and there was a big fight in Newport about making the temple 'fit in' with the local architecture and not look out of place. I guess they were trying to avoid the gawd awful San Diego temple look.