Has anyone ever visited toured on of the temples in an open house as a non-member? What was your experience like? Were you impressed at all? Was it interesting? Boring? Did you get anything out of it? Did it help in your conversion process? Did you get singles out as a non-member for proseletizing?

I thought you had to be a member to go through any of that crud.

deb 49 Wrote:
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> I thought you had to be a member to go through any
> of that crud.


The LDS church occasionally has "open houses" for temples that just opened. Before they "dedicate" it they allow anyone (mormon or not) to tour it. However you don't get to see the veils with the symbols on it or obviously the ceremonies that are performed there. There is nothing going on in the temple other that the tours which are meant to inspire/impress non-members or in-actives. They'll explain what happens in the temple in general terms but not go into specifics.

No, but my dad and some of his pals snuck into the Oakland, CA temple when he was a kid, right after it was built. They thought it would be "mysterious" but were disappointed that it wasn't that impressive.

My husband has never been a mormon and one of those touring is a Unitarian with Jewish parentage. I had told her about the dead dunking and she was outraged because many of her relativew were killed in the Holocaust and would not want to be dunked. Her brother joined the morg and has been to the temple and does work for the dead. This seriously bothers my friend as this brother is her only living relative.

When we walked into the dead dunk room, she fell backward in shock. I had to catch her to keep her from stumbling. The temple tour experience stunned and repulsed her.

This reminded me of my mom. She was to take her endowments (pre-90's), but "thank God" left Mormonism with me and the kids after I showed them my research materials. It was a month before she was to go.
When she learned about the throat-slitting etc. she told me that they would proably have to carry her out. She told the SP how shen ow understands why not even participants in the temple prep classes were told whatto expect and howdishonest the church is in those regards as well as polygamy, as he had told us the 'taking care of widows' lies.

I went to the open house here in Sacramento with my wife and her parents who are all Mormon, I was not impressed, the video they made you watch first about "Famlies are Forever" was boring. My mother-in-law wanted my wife and I to stand across from each other in the sealing room to see the back to back mirrors, how it mimics eternity. But otherwise I was not all that impressed.

I have has no desire to tour a temple after I quit the cult. I did tour the Independence MO temple (RLDS).It is open to the public.

I went through one once years ago. Can't remember what one now. I was interested in the construction and design, Very inpressive building. However I wondered about the cost and how many other uses for thr money were better. How much of the construction was for free? I found it a cold and spooky place.

I toured the Seattle temple when they had the open house. I was raised in an inactive family and was curious to see it. Took my nevermo husband along. I don't remember a lot about it but my overall impression was that it was boring, a bit tacky and gaudy. Not impressed at all. Kind of like an overdone hotel lobby.

We also heard that they rip out everything from the rooms the heathens walked through (and contaminated) and redo it before they open it again for those who are 'worthy' of being there-- anyone know if this is true?

When I toured the Sacramento Temple I was 60+ with short black/gray hair and was wearing garments under a business executive suit (even though it was hot as outer darkness). Once many years ago when Steve Benson first saw me at an Exmo Conf. in Las Vegas he thought I might be a Stake Pres. or one of those dufus types so I can look the TBM part. lol

I receieved deference on the Temple tour because the garment lines showed through my white shirt. How a never-mo got garments is another whole story, but I digress.

I knew how the Temple room layouts worked and the building was about like I expected. I have toured the Masonic Temple in Salt Lake City and there are things in common.

I guess I thought all the paintings on the walls would be Missouri Garden of Eden Adam Andy's Almond scenes but there were local scenes from Northern California. The tour guides were serious Nazi-types keeping a very close control over our group.

All along the way they said you can ask questions at the end. But when we were dumped out into the Stake Center for cocktails (just kidding!) there didn't seem to be very many people around to ask. Maybe they thought I was TBM and my group (see Cheryl's post above) wouldn't have any questions.

There were cards on the tables where we sipped lemonade with a picture of a white Jesus with the words in English. There were also cards with a brown Jesus with the words in Spanish. I thought that was hilarious and saved those cards in case some day no one would believe me. There is a large Spanish-speaking population in Sacramento.

I had not planned ahead and didn't have a small flask of Vodka taped to my leg so we only had our lemonade neat.

Over at another table some bitter Exmo was asking very pointed questions about why blacks didn't get the voodoo until 1978 and other stuff like that.

I went over to evesdrop. It took no time at all for some higher-ups to come and whisk the poor tour guide out by saying, "Thank you for coming today." And all of the TBMs went into a side room.

It was a fun trip overall.

I don't know why we even build zoos in this country. Humans are so much more fun!

Pay Lay Alol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2011 12:52PM by Jerry the Aspousetate.

A nevermo here who once stopped at the DC temple with other non-mos. Of course, we couldn't get into the temple but got the usual welcome at the visitors' center...kinda funny story...

We were met and escorted by a very attractive young lady..id'ed herself as a BYU student who was very energetic about her 'missionary work', walked us around the grounds, showed us a short feature, and willingly answered questions. I asked about the wisdom of sending young ladies door-to-door in strange neighborhoods and inquired whether they did so with young men or other ladies. She replied, 'O NO! We would never be sent with a young man. For me, the temptation would just be too great!' My friend (not the sharpest knife in the draw) immediately replied, 'O yeah! What are you doing later this evening?'

I went with my family and my nomo Jewish friend to the open-house of the Chicago Temple.

First, on and out of the parking-lot we saw ppl handing out books and pamplets. My young son opened the car window and took a packet which I had asked him to as I thought they were from Mormons. (Little did I know they were what I deemed "anti" as I was a TBN at that time).
We than proceeded to the Temple.

I forgot whether it was the sealing or death dunking room, but my friend (a computer engineer) walked towards this altar (I guess) where the lace cover had slipped and a computer could be seen peeking out from underneath. He meant no disrespect, but was just interested in tech stuff.

All of a sudden, this guy in a white suit just launged at him and demanded to know who he was and what he as doing.

My friend freaked and tried to explain about he being curious at what kind of computer this might be and that the rope there wasn't closed, this he figured it's open to the public, but he had totally freaked out and told me he'll wait outside. I was SO embarrassed and left with him, also disappointed as being the 'good TBN', I had hoped it to be a way to convert him.
I had already taken him to a Singles Conference (I was divorced) for the same reason. (But that's another crazy story :)

Well,the crazy continued when I scanned over the books/pamplets my son took from what I thought were Mormons. Some were from the Tanners etc. and had some quotes from the DoC. I said "what blasphemy!" I didn't realize at the time that those speeches were actually made by BY et al. First I wanted to throw them out of the car window but that'd be littering, so I decided I do that later.

I forgot all about them as it was night when we got home and my son had taken all 'our' stuff out of my friends car. I threw them into the trash, than dug them outagain and was SO tempted on and off until I read more and got a condensed version of the D&C from the ward library and sure enough! All those quotations were in that book. I didn't mentioned it to anyone,but made notes and starte a troughout search at my campus' extensive library.

Like many, I researched continously every waking moment and went trough all of the symptoms so many here went trough. Still have moments at times when I read things here.

My friend, than BF with whom I'm still friends, but he moved to CA never knewI am exmo. Just a week or so ago, I sent him the thread about anti-semitism in the morg, and he emailed back "I thought you liked Mormonism?
He wrote he till wouldlike to know why they have acomputer under their altar. TOO weird!!

Well, that was my mo/nomo temple visit. I shall never forget it. Thanks Chicago Temple!! :)

I thought it rather odd to find out that not just anyone could attend but TBM hubby had to get tickets from his bishop; they were keeping fairly close tabs as to who got the tickets, etc. I went with my in-laws and TBM DH. They all thought this would be a very spiritual event for me and that I would be impressed enough to join. I can only describe the building as being weird and eery; it was like an over-decorated tacky hotel. At the time I was being highly pressured to become a Mormon and was havinga lot of difficulty. I recall that while we were rushed through most of the building, there was some time to mill about the solemn assembly room. My TBM MIL said it was a very special room that they didn't usually get to see. I recall silently calling out to God in there to show me if he wanted me to be a Mormon; to please let me know. The room was deadldy, deadly silent in a way that was not just audibly based if that makes any sense. It was sort of a dead nothing sensation in there for me. I found it rather ironic that years later in listening to the story of exmo Rauni Higley that she had had the same experience in the Salt Lake SA room.

Oh; I also recall they wouldn't let us go near the veil, and they made us wear paper slippers over our shoes.

yikes.

out

I toured the Detroit temple with friends - a couple of times. Kept bringing friends back to it because it was so weird. Reminds me of an overdecorated funeral home.