I went to The Temple in Mesa, Az. yesterday.
For quite some time now I have not felt comfortable entering The Temple. I was not where I felt I should be spiritually. I could not enter a building dedicated as The House of The Lord until I KNEW my heart was in the right place.
I've labored diligently through prayer, study and meditation. I understand The Lord will not be mocked. I finally feel at peace and know my presence in a sacred place is welcome.
My daughter turned 12 a few weeks ago. In my church 12 is the age young men and women, who have been interviewed by a bishop and found worthy, may enter The Temple. They are allowed to perform the saving ordinance of Baptisms for The Dead.
Can I just tell you how FREAKING COOL I think this is?! Seriously! Baptisms for the Dead are all about Love and GHOST STORIES and faith in things felt but not seen.
I am ALL ABOUT tuning in to The Weird and The Spooky and The Unexplainable. Do you ever feel a presence and then turn around to find no one is there? That happens to me all the time! There are people all over this earth we can't see. I don't think it's scary. It is what it is, ya know? There is probably someone sitting next to you RIGHT NOW. BOO! ;)
I LOVE that my church focuses on the dead as much as they focus on the living.
Did you know this ordinance was performed in the times of The Old Testament? Yup. It's true.
I KNOW that people who die are REAL. They are still very much alive. Dead people are only dead in the flesh. They are the same folks they were when they walked the earth.
I have lost people I love dearly. As I have stood over their bodies lying in caskets I have been struck by the temporary nature of Life and these mortal bodies. I have also been struck by the powerful knowledge of Eternity. Life everlasting.
I have found myself holding the hand of the deceased person I love and thinking,
"He is not in there! He's not in there!"
The Bible tells us we cannot enter into The Kingdom of God unless we are baptised.
So what happens if someone dies and is never baptised?
Tough luck, pal. You had your shot. You snooze. You lose. ...Right?
Wrong.
Mormons believe we can act as PROXY for the dead. Dead people obviously don't have physical bodies anymore, so they can't get baptised for themselves. We can be baptised in their stead. HOW SPOOKY IS THAT?? Super cool.
If the deceased decide they don't wanna be a stinkin' Mormon, they don't have to. But if they, by any chance, have been convinced by one of our very convincing reps in The Spirit World that The Gospel is true then... TAAA DAAA! Congratulations! You're a Mormon! (And more importantly, you've been forgiven of your sins and can progress through the eternities.)
Modern-day temple fonts are patterned after the brazen sea in the Temple of Solomon. The sea sat in the outer court of the temple and was used by the priests to wash themselves before they performed sacrifices at the altar. It rested on the backs of twelve oxen, which represented the twelve tribes of Israel.
The inside of The Temple is GORGE! Absolutely beautiful. You should join me sometime. You'd like it.
As I sat in the baptismal room and watched these young people perform baptisms I was filled with peace, Love and clarity. I was filled with the knowledge God loves ALL his children. We are wanted Dead or Alive. :)
There is a lot of debate in The World as to what is considered "cool". Mormons are generally not included in that category. But I'll tell ya what. Being a Mormon is AMAZING. We are privy to a spiritual world only accessed through righteous living and a direct connection to Our Maker and The Savior of The World.
I have a great deal of faith in the temple and the symbolic ordinances performed there. (We do NOT sacrifice chickens...).
I strive to live my life in such a way as to be found worthy to walk in the House of the Lord with a pure heart and contrite spirit. I know I am blessed for doing so.
PS The dress I'm wearing is sorta shapeless. Not a fan. Hmph! (It looked better without the cardi.)
