Category Temples
A Cloud and Smoke by Day, and the Shining of a Flaming Fire by Night: A History of the LDS Ogden Temple
“The Old Boss would never take wagons over such a d____d trail,” Orrin Porter Rockwell stated, looking at the narrow, rocky Weber Canyon.[1] A few days beforehand, on 10 July 1847, the Vanguard Pioneer Company of the Mormons was visited in the evening by a mountain man named Miles Goodyear. This man had established a […]
To a Wild Rose: The New Ogden Temple
Mormon residents of the Ogden, Utah region were recently excited by the announcement of the open house and dedication dates for the renovated Ogden Temple. Earlier this year, Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy and executive director of the Temple Committee announced that, “We are confident we can have the temple rededicated in the […]
Sextuplet Endowment Rooms: What Does it Mean?
“In the end, the character of a civilization is encased in its structures,” stated Frank Gehry—an important contemporary architect. One of the most interesting episodes in the treatment of historic Utah structures has been the decision to tear the Ogden temple down to its frame and rebuild it with a completely new façade. Preservationist Steve […]
The Angel Moroni Statues
The Angel Moroni With the dedication of the Brigham City Temple this weekend, Cyrus E. Dallin’s recent 150th birthday, and the anniversary of the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith being today as well, I thought I would talk about the Angel Moroni statues that appear on the temples. I will discuss the history of […]
The Tree of Life Part 6: The Tree and the Endowment
Part 6: The Quest for the Tree In Ancient Greece, “the victors of the Olympic games were crowned with branches and leaves from an olive tree growing near sacred altars at Olympia. The games represented the ritual process of obtaining the tree of life, a process described in many ancient cultures” (C. Wilfred Griggs, “The Tree […]
Tree of Life Part 5: the Tree and the Temple
Part 5: The Tree and the Temple In recent posts, I brought up some interesting things about the olive trees, the tree of life, and Christ. In lieu of that, let me make note of the olive tree’s use in ancient Jewish temples: “Beyond the… courts of the temple was a Holy of Holies. Two […]
Chad's Random Musings 