If thou belie vest that the Bible suffices, thou art correct; it suffices to send thee to hell. For only the Book of Mormon will get thee to the gates of heaven.
The ones I've been in were very big. (I left the church before the small ones were built, so I don't know what those are like). They are beautiful on the inside and have a lot of chandeliers. I personally like the old temples best because they have murals painted on the walls in some of the ordinance rooms.
I was always cold in the temple too, but I'm cold natured, so that was probably me.
The thing I loved the most about the temple was how quiet it was. I could escape the chaos of the world by going into a quite building and just meditating for a while.
Not really sure any other way I could describe. They are very pretty on the inside and on the outside.
The easiest thing for you to do is to visit the LDS website for photos. They are all different, inside and out, architecturally. You can find photos of both inside and out in a number of LDS publications.
Unfortunately, unless you are a member, you will not be able to visit the inside of one unless it is in the process of being built or refurbished.
From experience I can tell you that they are very functional, and contain lots of rooms. There is a baptismal font in the basement area and a number of rooms in most. Their style of decoration is also different.
They are very peaceful and very quiet inside, but happy places.
They are building one near my house. Outside there is a very beautiful white tower. As soon as the construction is done I intend to take a look. Their missionaries are very nice and they do their best to pray their doctrine.
There are few lovely graceful buildings among the older temples, but the newer ones lack the design details. They are mostly dull and simple.
Inside, the design and furnishings are boringly transitional, plush and beige/white everywhere. Expensive, but without any focal points, balance or rhythm.
White. VERY white. Opulent, and basically an abomination before God. Every single one of them. Cathedral of the Pines is a thousand times more beautiful, and more worthy of God than all Mormon buildings put together. Actually my back "yard" is more worthy of God, built by God Himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-WFX6ZXMLg&feature=related
vs.
http://www.cathedralofthepines.org/video.htm
If I had to try to describe a Temple in one word, I would choose peace, or serenity.
When I see a temple I am reminded of the peace that I find within its walls. When I walk the halls of a temple I find the pressures and burdens of the world lifted from my shoulders. In that peaceful environment I find answers to many struggles that I am facing in life. I find the comfort and strength that I need to be able to endure through whatever challenge God may want me to face at the time. I find the hope that Jesus Christ promised his disciples.
If I were to try to write a paper for some professional organization what I would write would depend on the purpose of the organization but would most likely be focused around the experiences that I have briefly mentioned.
I hope that helps you. If you have any more questions please feel free to email me.
You do mean in the hypothetical sense of how to describe the interior and exterior of a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a research paper, right?
First off, here is a site not by the Church, but kind of supports the Church. http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/ It has all sorts of pictures and factoids on each temple that has been erected and will be erected (even would've been been erected).
If you were to enter a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Sunday worship, you feel peace. As for a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the peace is to the extreme that you cannot rate it. Not only you'll be able to feel Heavenly Father's, Jesus Christ's and the Holy Ghost's presence there, but you might even get to feel the presence of your ancestors and that of other peoples' ancestors. As for the exterior, I would call it beautiful, majestic, anything that is so... so... so positive beyond description!
Also feel free to watch this YouTube made by the Church's YouTube channel Mormon Messages about the Church's temples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-TQivCx8
Very, very quiet and comfortable as I remember it. Relaxing enough to fall asleep but I remember never feeling tired. That's about what it's good for, you can't really talk comfortably with your friends or anything in there.
Built by Freemasons, whose rituals are strikingly similar to that of the LDS temple endowment rituals.
It is a peaceful place that many go to escape the chaos of the world but it's decor is somewhat dull and boring.....similar to the church meeting houses. I will say thought that the Bountiful, Utah temple is gorgeous inside!!!
They're very pretty, a little over the top on luxury, but the Mormon Church does tend to cater more toward wealthy people when it comes to those who attend their temples. They're built in rich neighborhoods typically, and living it Utah for 7 years, it's been clear that the Mormon Church overall has an outlook on life where "wealth equals righteousness." Basically, the more money you have, the more righteous and blessed of a member you must be!
I went on a tour of the Draper, Utah temple. It was quite pretty. They all seem to have this old-rich-granny sort of furniture in them that I'm not too crazy about. Lot of neat wall murals. A very pretty veil that you walk through, and then a celestial room that usually contains a fabulous chandelier. It seems the Mormons are trying to get closer to God through material luxury. I'm no religion buff or anything, but I think the bible said that was bad he he.
If you're interested in knowing what goes on in the ceremony itself in the temple, here's a pretty accurate, neutral script of the temple ceremony, I'll leave the link below. It sounds rather boring and monotonous, yet many Mormons sit through several of these ceremonies multiple times in one day even! They do this at first for themselves, but then for dead people, as the dead can't go to the temple themselves apparently! It seems like a waste of time to me, but to each his own I guess!
HOw would you describe A Mormon Temple - inside and out?
he he.
