Are Temples Too Extravagant?

I served my mission in San Diego, California.  The temple there is one of the most beautiful and striking temples in the world.  Due to its beauty, and its location near a major freeway, the temple has become a well-known landmark in San Diego. In one part of one area in which I served people could see the temple from their front doorstep. It made for an interesting backdrop for tracting.

Accordingly, I must have had some variation of the following conversation at least a thousand times on my mission:  We would knock on a person’s door, and as soon as they found out that we were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they would tell us that they had visited the temple during the 1993 open house, and they would compliment us on the beauty of the building.  However, they would inevitably proceed to complain that they felt that such a beautiful building was unnecessary, and that we ought to be using that money to help the poor instead.  Some people would also complain that we ought to let everyone go inside the temple, and not just certain members.

What happens to us when we die? Part VII: What happens to people of other faiths after they die?

Click to go to a previous installment:

Part VI: What is Hell?

Part V: Degrees of Glory

Part IV: Judgment

Part III: Resurrection

Part II: The Spirit World

Part I: Death


Q: According to the LDS church, what happens to people from other religions after they die? How do they fit into this plan?

What happens to us when we die? Part V: Degrees of Glory

Click to go to a previous installment:

Part IV: Judgment

Part III: Resurrection

Part II: The Spirit World

Part I: Death

V. Degrees of Glory

Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15 that while all men will be resurrected, not everyone will be resurrected to the same state of glory. He compares these degrees of glory to that of the sun, the moon, and the stars respectively. In so doing he is merely using a comparison to illustrate the glorious nature of the resurrection of our bodies, and the difference in glory among the states to which a man may be resurrected.

What happens to us when we die? Part II: The Spirit World

Before you read this, it may interest you to know that I have added a section on the nature and characteristics of our spirit bodies to the previous entry in this series. You may find it of some value as you approach the subject of the spirit world. Click here to view the updated entry.

II. THE SPIRIT WORLD

The scriptures teach us that there is a time or a period between death and the resurrection (see Alma 40:6-7), and that this experience is not the same for everyone.