Where would Jesus build His temples?

[yellowstone123]

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... osmos.html

Upscale. Is that really how Jesus would want to be perceived? Upmarket, exclusive, expensive? My view is that Jesus would want the focus point of His Church to be amongst the poor and the needy, the downtrodden etc. rather than mingling amongst the high property value areas where the impoverished daren't venture. Bragging about being upmarket seems to me to be contrary to the idea and example of Jesus.

In deserts.

On second thought please do not build a Mormon temple in the desert. Even Jesus would object to that plan.

[Abaddon]

Why would anyone discourage someone else from receiving these promised blessings by making a false representation of Jesus?

Regards,
MG

Because it's a waste of time and there are more productive avenues you could apply your religious fervor to.

Jesus conducted the atonement by proxy for all of us. I'm sure in his godly wisdom he could come up with some way to do all the Temple work for mankind also by proxy and then give his people something worthwhile to do other than "busy work."

[I Have Questions]

Peterson comments on this thread…

I came under attack for that comment on the Peterson Obsession Board. I was, you see, “bragging” about the temple’s upscale location. Jesus, if he wanted to build temples in the first place, wouldn’t put them in exclusive, expensive areas where impoverished people don’t dare to come. So I was being unchristlike in boasting of the temple’s posh neighborhood. Unlike me and my church, Jesus cares about the poor and the needy, the downtrodden and the oppressed.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... mples.html

I’m glad Dan acknowledges that his bragging about the upscale nature of the temple placement is unchristlike.

I wasn’t “bragging” about the temple’s location. I was simply saying that it was very nice and very visible.

Let’s revisit what he said…

I very much liked its unusually visible location in an attractive, upscale area of the city

Dan very much liked that it was in an upscale area. Invisible to the poor and the needy due to its location. Sorry Dan, but the upscale area aspect was important enough to you to specifically mention it as a highlight from your perspective. Words have meaning, and a persons choice of words gives insights into them. That you saw the upmarket location as a good thing, a positive thing, worthy of noting in relation to a temple, tells us quite a bit about your value hierarchy.

It’s also an important highlight to the Church, because they don’t place temples in low rent areas do they…you know, where the poorer members would have easier access to them. No, the poor members have to travel, but the wealthier members can live next door.

It explains why the Church shifted off all the poor and needy people from the area around the SLC temple and in their place plonked an upscale (your word) shopping mall for wealthy people. It’s as if Mormon Jesus says “suffer the little rich people to come unto me, those without money can do one…” Whatever the rationale, it looks likely that the location is driven by residual property value above any other consideration.

[MG 2.0]

Why would anyone discourage someone else from receiving these promised blessings by making a false representation of Jesus?

Regards,
MG

Because it's a waste of time and there are more productive avenues you could apply your religious fervor to.

Jesus conducted the atonement by proxy for all of us. I'm sure in his godly wisdom he could come up with some way to do all the Temple work for mankind also by proxy and then give his people something worthwhile to do other than "busy work."

I think you would do better to let others decide what they choose to do in “applying their religious fervor”.

Also, I’m not in the business of telling Jesus how to do his work.

Regards,
MG

[Rivendale]

Because it's a waste of time and there are more productive avenues you could apply your religious fervor to.

Jesus conducted the atonement by proxy for all of us. I'm sure in his godly wisdom he could come up with some way to do all the Temple work for mankind also by proxy and then give his people something worthwhile to do other than "busy work."

I think you would do better to let others decide what they choose to do in “applying their religious fervor”.

Also, I’m not in the business of telling Jesus how to do his work.

Regards,
MG

Why is it work? I would think a creator would love to hear from his creations. Or is this just one long chain gang where god knows everything his creation is going to do and he merely cracks the whip when people get out of line? But that seems redundant. He knows everything they are going to say or do. He must feel like he is watching an eternal rerun of Gilligan's Island occasionally flipping to Hogan's heros and in boring moments go over to The Price is Right to see unbridled human behavior. God's life has to be boring.

[Abaddon]

Also, I’m not in the business of telling Jesus how to do his work.

Regards,
MG

telling Jesus how to do his work = modern revelation.

Your leaders have the power of God at their doorstep: all they need to do is invoke it and complete all the Temple work for the history of mankind in one fell swoop. No different than shortening the endowment or shortening the temple garment.

God is waiting to be used.

[I Have Questions]

Your leaders have the power of God at their doorstep: all they need to do is invoke it and complete all the Temple work for the history of mankind in one fell swoop. No different than shortening the endowment or shortening the temple garment.

God is waiting to be used.

Heres the flaw in the narrative the Church gives about everyone who dies without being a member needing a proxy baptism etc by name in the temple. If you think about all the humans who have died over time but for whom no record exists, that’s a lot of people for whom temple ordinances simply cannot be done. If their ordinances cannot be done, are they to be denied entry into Mormonism simply because of a lack of administration? If they aren’t to be denied, and another way is provided, then the current “temple work” isn’t actually necessary for the purpose it’s portrayed as being needed for.

On that basis temples must serve some other ‘hidden agenda’ purpose, such as a way of driving revenue, or a way of conditioning members into staying members, marketing, window dressing, virtue signalling for tax exemption purposes etc. But they ain’t being built just anywhere, no, Mormon Jesus wants upmarket locations, regardless of how difficult it might be for poorer members to visit.

Modern Mormon temples are for show. They’re Nelson’s way of creating a legend for himself. Most sit idle or virtually idle most of the time. They’re an expensive vanity project for the leadership. If access to temple ordinances was the priority, Stake Centres would be enabled as temple ordinance centres. A very easy and low cost thing to do. But wouldn’t give Church Leaders much to brag about every April, and it wouldn’t enhance the upmarket property portfolio value.

[Abaddon]

Yes, agreed. And that's my point to MG: temple changes are spurred by the members. Do you think Jesus needed the endowment shortened for his benefit? Do you think Jesus needed the garment shortened to make it more comfortable for members? Of course not. Members complained or voiced concerns or made excuses and revelation was born to address it.

MG needs to agitate for change (even though he/she acts like that's not how Jesus does his business) and put into the minds of leaders that Jesus can be invoked to solve all the temple history work problems and then the Temples could be used for something more useful. Even just a place to meditate in different rooms for those that need it would be a far better use of time than busy work that accomplishes nothing and wastes the power of God.

Of course, I also get the inherent contradiction in all this: to agitate for change to get revelation is peeking behind the curtain and that's scary to do.

[I Have Questions]

Mormon Jesus now sends out surveys asking the members what revelations they would like to see next on specific topics.

[yellowstone123]

Because it's a waste of time and there are more productive avenues you could apply your religious fervor to.

Jesus conducted the atonement by proxy for all of us. I'm sure in his godly wisdom he could come up with some way to do all the Temple work for mankind also by proxy and then give his people something worthwhile to do other than "busy work."

I think you would do better to let others decide what they choose to do in “applying their religious fervor”.

Also, I’m not in the business of telling Jesus how to do his work.

Regards,
MG

Then I think you might agree that a soup kitchen is where you'll most likely find the Savior these days. The Gospels frequently depict Jesus sharing meals and providing food, often as a backdrop for his teachings and miracles.