Mormon Temple Open House

What is a Mormon Temple Open House?

A Mormon Temple Open House allows members of the Mormon Church as well as people who are not of the Mormon faith to see the inside of the temple and learn more about Mormon beliefs. Temples are important to Mormons because they are the place where you learn more about Heavenly Father’s plan for His children and where families can be linked together for eternity. For this reason a person must be spiritually clean and prepared to enter the temple, this is why the general public is not allowed to enter the temple after it has been dedicated.

Open houses are usually held for at least a week. Some of the open houses require tickets, such as the Nauvoo Mormon temple open house, but all tickets are free. Tours are never given on Sundays, and tours usually stop early on Mondays to allow the volunteers time for Family Home Evening. A tour guide takes groups of between 30 and 50 people through the temple.

Generally, those planning to tour the temple will see a brief video before entering the temple. The video gives information about the history of temple building and why temples are so important. After the film, a tour guide will guide visitors through the temple. Along the way people are encouraged to ask questions. It is important to remember that the guides are volunteers, and while they will answer questions as best as they can, they may not be able to answer all of them and may direct visitors with questions to other individuals who can. Visitors will be shown a baptismal font; it is here that members of the Church are baptized by proxy for deceased ancestors. This is done to give those who have died the opportunity for baptism. It does not force them; they have the choice to accept or reject it. The tour also shows an endowment room where members learn more about Heavenly Father’s plan. Guests will also see a sealing room where couples and families are linked to each other for eternity.

Other Links:

Mormon Temple Ordinances – ReligionFacts.com
Mormanity: Mormon Temples and “Secrecy”
History of Mormon Temples – Lightplanet.com