For Latter-day Saints, the temple is the most sacred place on earth—the gateway to eternal life and the setting for the ordinances required for exaltation. Many LDS families display pictures of temples as reminders of their ultimate goal of reaching the celestial kingdom.
Temples are distinct from regular meetinghouses. They are considered the House of the Lord, where saving ordinances such as the endowment and celestial marriage (sealing) are performed. These rites are viewed as essential for reaching the highest level of heaven: “The principal purpose of temples is to provide the ordinances necessary for our exaltation in the celestial kingdom” (True to the Faith, p. 170).
Temple work also includes ordinances performed on behalf of the dead: baptisms, endowments, and sealings by proxy. Latter-day Saints believe this work allows the deceased to receive the ordinances they missed in life and continue progressing toward exaltation in the spirit world.
Because of the sacred nature of the ordinances, entry into the temple is restricted. Only members who hold a current temple recommend may enter. Worthiness interviews—renewed every two years—evaluate obedience to Church teachings, financial faithfulness, moral conduct, and commitment to LDS beliefs.
Biblical Christianity teaches that the Old Testament temple pointed to humanity’s separation from God and the need for a perfect sacrifice. When Jesus died, the temple veil was torn in two (Matthew 27:51), showing that his once-for-all sacrifice opened direct access to God. Through Christ, believers themselves are now called God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).
