The Peace of The Temple

As I hugged my good friend in the Celestial Room of the Salt Lake Temple after receiving his endowment, I was filled with the deepest sense of peace and gratitude. We were in--I firmly believe--the house of the Lord. Every corner, hallway, ritual, and room of that building draws a visitor closer to the true owner of the building.

Our temples are edifices that naturally cause our hearts and minds to transcend the temporary things of this world. I can go to the temple and be taught pure truth, feel nearer to my Heavenly Father, and receive guidance in my life. I love attending the temple.

The temples in our LDS culture stem from ancient traditions of God's people. We believe even Adam and Eve worshiped the Lord in similar ways as we do today: "And he [God] gave unto them [Adam and Eve] commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord" (Moses 5:5) Moses and the children of Israel, obviously practiced temple worship within the famous traveling tabernacle of the time. Later Solomon's temple provided the same temple worship. Though we do not perform sacrifices as did our predecessors, because Christ's sacrifice was the "great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled" (Alma 34:13).

We go to the temple to worship the Creator of All Things and to learn how to become more like our Savior and our Father in Heaven.