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How LDS Temples and Rituals Make Mormons Who They Are

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's Bountiful, Utah temple.
Brian Albers
/
KUER
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's Bountiful, Utah temple.

The historian Jonathan Stapley says it's hard for Latter-day Saints to talk about what happens inside their temples. But his new book explains how those rituals create the Mormon identity.

LDS temple ceremonies are sacred to practicing members — non-members aren’t allowed to see or participate in them, which has led to a great deal of scrutiny.

These days, much of what occurs in the temple is known, and the Church itself has been behind some of those revelations, in an effort to head off those who’ve threatened to reveal private liturgy.

Jonathan Stapley’s new book is about LDS temple worship, but it’s not a tell-all. Rather, it’s about how temple worship creates and informs the Mormon experience, and what, he says, the “temple has done in the lives and minds of its patrons.”

Join us for a conversation about how LDS temples work and how they’ve changed to keep up with culture.

GUEST –
Jonathan Stapley | He’s an historian and scientist. His book is called “Holiness to the Lord: Latter-day Saint Temple Worship” [Amazon|Bookhsop]

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