What is a Temple Recommend?

[evearael]

Just curious... What is a Temple Recommend and why is it important? Does it have anything to do with Sealing?

 

[Katzpur]

Just curious... What is a Temple Recommend and why is it important? Does it have anything to do with Sealing?

Not all members of our Church have proven themselves worthy of the blessings the Temple offers. The fact that a person is a baptized member of the Church doesn’t mean that that individual is committed to living up to the required standard of obedience that entrance to the temple requires. All Latter-day Saints are encouraged to strive for that commitment and worthiness, however. I hold a current, valid Temple Recommend that entitles me to attend any of the Church’s more than 100 temples worldwide. Every two years, I need to renew this recommend. I do so by requesting a meeting with either my Bishop or one of his counselors. (These three men are the leaders of an individual LDS Ward, or congregation – much like a parish.) The person I meet with will ask me a series of questions. I’ve been asked these many, many times, so I ought to be able to remember most of them. They run pretty much along these lines:

Do you believe in God, the Eternal Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost?

Do you have a firm testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do you sustain President Gordon B. Hinckley as Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and as the only individual holding the Keys of the Kingdom of God on the earth today?

Do you pay a full tithing? (This would be 10% of our income.)

Do you strive to attend your Church meetings?

Are you morally clean? (To us this means no pre-marital or extra-marital sexual relations of any kind.)

Do you live the Word of Wisdom? (This is our health code which prohibits alcohol, tobacco, stimulants and illegal drugs.)

Are you honest in your dealings with your fellow men?

Is there anything in your relationship with members of your family that is amiss? (This question concerns physical or emotional abuse within the home.)

Do you affiliate with members of any apostate group? (This is a reference to some of the splinter groups that have broken off from the LDS Church.)

After I have been interviewed by a member of my Bishopric, I must meet with a member of my Stake Presidency. The Stake President and his counselors preside over about six to eight wards, making it roughly equivalent to a diocese. He asks me the same questions. If I am able to honestly answer them to the satisfaction of both of these men, I am given a Temple Recommend. I have to carry it with me whenever I go into the Temple, since I won’t get beyond the front door without it.

When a Latter-day Saint couple is married in the temple, they are said to be "sealed for time and all eternity." Both the man and woman getting married must have a valid temple recommend in order to be sealed to one another.

 

[evearael]

Do you live the Word of Wisdom? (This is our health code which prohibits alcohol, tobacco, stimulants and illegal drugs.)

So... does this prohibit Sudafed or other medications that may either be stimulants or contain alcohol?

 

[Katzpur]

So... does this prohibit Sudafed or other medications that may either be stimulants or contain alcohol?

No. Medications containing alcohol or stimulants are allowed, as long as they are not abused.

 

[evearael]

No. Medications containing alcohol or stimulants are allowed, as long as they are not abused.

Cool. Thank you so much for your prompt and thorough responses!

 

[Bishka]

Cool. Thank you so much for your prompt and thorough responses!

Well, we are glad you asked Leonne instead of just assuming as some people do!

 

[SoyLeche]

Not all members of our Church have proven themselves worthy of the blessings the Temple offers. The fact that a person is a baptized member of the Church doesn’t mean that that individual is committed to living up to the required standard of obedience that entrance to the temple requires. All Latter-day Saints are encouraged to strive for that commitment and worthiness, however. I hold a current, valid Temple Recommend that entitles me to attend any of the Church’s more than 100 temples worldwide. Every two years, I need to renew this recommend. I do so by requesting a meeting with either my Bishop or one of his counselors. (These three men are the leaders of an individual LDS Ward, or congregation – much like a parish.) The person I meet with will ask me a series of questions. I’ve been asked these many, many times, so I ought to be able to remember most of them. They run pretty much along these lines:

Do you believe in God, the Eternal Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost?

Do you have a firm testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do you sustain President Gordon B. Hinckley as Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and as the only individual holding the Keys of the Kingdom of God on the earth today?

Do you pay a full tithing? (This would be 10% of our income.)

Do you strive to attend your Church meetings?

Are you morally clean? (To us this means no pre-marital or extra-marital sexual relations of any kind.)

Do you live the Word of Wisdom? (This is our health code which prohibits alcohol, tobacco, stimulants and illegal drugs.)

Are you honest in your dealings with your fellow men?

Is there anything in your relationship with members of your family that is amiss? (This question concerns physical or emotional abuse within the home.)

Do you affiliate with members of any apostate group? (This is a reference to some of the splinter groups that have broken off from the LDS Church.)

After I have been interviewed by a member of my Bishopric, I must meet with a member of my Stake Presidency. The Stake President and his counselors preside over about six to eight wards, making it roughly equivalent to a diocese. He asks me the same questions. If I am able to honestly answer them to the satisfaction of both of these men, I am given a Temple Recommend. I have to carry it with me whenever I go into the Temple, since I won’t get beyond the front door without it.

When a Latter-day Saint couple is married in the temple, they are said to be "sealed for time and all eternity." Both the man and woman getting married must have a valid temple recommend in order to be sealed to one another.

You forgot the most important question:

Do you feel that you are worthy to enter the temple?

Kind of a catchall for anything that may slip through the other questions.

 

[Katzpur]

You forgot the most important question:

Do you feel that you are worthy to enter the temple?

Kind of a catchall for anything that may slip through the other questions.

Duh! Yup, I forgot that one!

 

[jonny]

Just curious... What is a Temple Recommend and why is it important? Does it have anything to do with Sealing?

I just thought I'd add a little to the discussion.

A temple recommend is a piece of paper that is folded in half so it is about the size of a credit card. On the front is the name of the recommend holder. On the back is the month and year the recommend was issued, the gender of the holder, the membership number of the holder, the signature of the holder and his/her ward & stake and the signature of the Bishop and Stake President. There is also a serial number on the side and a note that it is the property of the church, valid for two years, and not transferable.

After a temple has been dedicated, in order to enter it you have to show your temple recommend to the people sitting at the front desk. They will quickly review it and make sure everything looks good and then they'll let you enter the temple.

 

[Snowbear]

Not all members of our Church have proven themselves worthy of the blessings the Temple offers. The fact that a person is a baptized member of the Church doesn’t mean that that individual is committed to living up to the required standard of obedience that entrance to the temple requires. All Latter-day Saints are encouraged to strive for that commitment and worthiness, however. ...

Mind if I ask a question about this?

 

[jonny]

Mind if I ask a question about this?

I can't speak for Kathryn, but I wouldn't mind answering your question if she can't.

 

[Snowbear]

OK - Thanks, jonny (While I quoted katz's post, the request was directed to any of you LDS types )

So here goes....if any of the questions asked by the interviewer are not answered satisfactorily or honestly enough(??) is forgiveness possible so the person who wants it can get the temple recommend later? Just as an example - one of the questions was about past and present sexual morality. Say someone had premarital sex. Say they are now married and are staying faithful to their spouse.

While I can see how someone can change their behavior and stop cheating on a spouse, they can never "take back" the fact that they had premarital sex. I guess I'm wondering - since none of us are perfect and ALL of us fall short and end up sinning in the eyes of God - how does your church deal with this?

Since you profess to be Christians, I am under the impression that you believe as I do about God's forgiveness - that because of Jesus' sacrifice, God will forgive us - as in we are washed clean of our sin and made perfect in His eyes - of anything if we confess to Him, repent, believe in Him, ask Him for forgiveness (?? not sure how to word this - correct me if I'm wrong about your belief, please??).... but what about the church? What does a person have to "do" to be forgiven in order to earn worthiness enough to be allowed to enter the temple... if that's possible of course? If it's not possible - why not?

 

[SoyLeche]

OK - Thanks, jonny (While I quoted katz's post, the request was directed to any of you LDS types )

So here goes....if any of the questions asked by the interviewer are not answered satisfactorily or honestly enough(??) is forgiveness possible so the person who wants it can get the temple recommend later? Just as an example - one of the questions was about past and present sexual morality. Say someone had premarital sex. Say they are now married and are staying faithful to their spouse.

While I can see how someone can change their behavior and stop cheating on a spouse, they can never "take back" the fact that they had premarital sex. I guess I'm wondering - since none of us are perfect and ALL of us fall short and end up sinning in the eyes of God - how does your church deal with this?

Since you profess to be Christians, I am under the impression that you believe as I do about God's forgiveness - that because of Jesus' sacrifice, God will forgive us - as in we are washed clean of our sin and made perfect in His eyes - of anything if we confess to Him, repent, believe in Him, ask Him for forgiveness (?? not sure how to word this - correct me if I'm wrong about your belief, please??).... but what about the church? What does a person have to "do" to be forgiven in order to earn worthiness enough to be allowed to enter the temple... if that's possible of course? If it's not possible - why not?

Repentance is pretty much always available - that's one of the basic tennants of Christianity. Forgiveness of sins by Christ is pretty much between you and Him. As far as a temple recommend goes, you also need to be "forgiven" by the church. This process would be between you and your bishop. He may ask that you wait a while, make sure that any habits have been broken - but forgiveness is definately available.

 

[jonny]

OK - Thanks, jonny (While I quoted katz's post, the request was directed to any of you LDS types )

So here goes....if any of the questions asked by the interviewer are not answered satisfactorily or honestly enough(??) is forgiveness possible so the person who wants it can get the temple recommend later? Just as an example - one of the questions was about past and present sexual morality. Say someone had premarital sex. Say they are now married and are staying faithful to their spouse.

While I can see how someone can change their behavior and stop cheating on a spouse, they can never "take back" the fact that they had premarital sex. I guess I'm wondering - since none of us are perfect and ALL of us fall short and end up sinning in the eyes of God - how does your church deal with this?

Since you profess to be Christians, I am under the impression that you believe as I do about God's forgiveness - that because of Jesus' sacrifice, God will forgive us - as in we are washed clean of our sin and made perfect in His eyes - of anything if we confess to Him, repent, believe in Him, ask Him for forgiveness (?? not sure how to word this - correct me if I'm wrong about your belief, please??).... but what about the church? What does a person have to "do" to be forgiven in order to earn worthiness enough to be allowed to enter the temple... if that's possible of course? If it's not possible - why not?

Of course repentence and forgiveness is possible. Perfection is not a prerequisite to entering the temple. The level of involvement of the church is dependant on the sin that was committed. For 99.99% of sins, the church doesn't need to be involved.

The LDS doctrine of repentance usually includes these steps: (1) recognize that a sin was committed; (2) feel remorse for the sin; (3) confess the sin (either to God, the person who was wronged, or for serious sins to a priesthood leader); (4) make restitution if possible; (5) forsake the sin. Prayer is usually involved in this process.

In serious cases (which are out of the ordinary), the church might take away a temple recommend from a member (in cases of adultary for example) until the person has repented of their sin. In cases where the member is interviewing to renew their temple recommend, they are probably aware of whether or not they are worthy and would likely not go in for the interviews until they felt that they felt worthy. The church doesn't demand perfection, but it requires committment to be willing to live up to the standards Christ set.

 

[Katzpur]

As far as a temple recommend goes, you also need to be "forgiven" by the church.

Since I have a strong hunch that somebody's going to call you on this, I'm going to jump in before they do and clarify what I think you meant to say. The Church doesn't have power to forgive anybody of anything. But one's bishop has been given the authority to help the person through the repentence process. He has also been blessed with the power of discernment, which will help him to know when that process is complete. I just wouldn't want anyone to think we believe that the Church, as an institution, has the power to forgive. If I wasn't pretty sure that you would agree that it is only God who forgives, I would have just let this stand.

 

[SoyLeche]

Since I have a strong hunch that somebody's going to call you on this, I'm going to jump in before they do and clarify what I think you meant to say. The Church doesn't have power to forgive anybody of anything. But one's bishop has been given the authority to help the person through the repentence process. He has also been blessed with the power of discernment, which will help him to know when that process is complete. I just wouldn't want anyone to think we believe that the Church, as an institution, has the power to forgive. If I wasn't pretty sure that you would agree that it is only God who forgives, I would have just let this stand.

That's why I had the word in quotes. It accomplished in one word what would have needed a paragraph

But, now you have provided the paragraph. Thanks

 

[Snowbear]

Thanks (and frubals) for the comprehensive answer, jonny

But I'm still wondering..... I sort of used this as an example in my first question, but now I'm wondering...

Are you morally clean? (To us this means no pre-marital or extra-marital sexual relations of any kind.)

How does one get around this one... at least the premarital sex part.... in the eyes of the church? I sort of used this as an example in my first question, but now I'm wondering... say someone has premarital sex, then eventually gets married (not necessarily to the same person). How can this person "become" "morally clean?" How can the person take back the premarital sex thing in the eyes of the church?

 

[Snowbear]

I just wouldn't want anyone to think we believe that the Church, as an institution, has the power to forgive.

The church, as an institution, is made up of people..... right? ALL people have the power to forgive each other..... in fact, Jesus told us to do just that.

I realize that once again you seem to think I'm on the attack. I'm not. I'm merely ASKING QUESTIONS about your religion rather than just assuming.

Not all members of our Church have proven themselves worthy of the blessings the Temple offers.

<snip>

If I am able to honestly answer them to the satisfaction of both of these men, I am given a Temple Recommend. I have to carry it with me whenever I go into the Temple, since I won’t get beyond the front door without it.

<snip>

In your first post in this thread, when you listed some of the questions and made these statements, I read it (and still do), as a person needing the approval of the church..... via the church leadership of course....

This led me to ask HOW someone who has messed up goes about earning the worthiness in the eyes of the church (via the men who represent it's leadership) to go into the temples.

 

[Katzpur]

Thanks (and frubals) for the comprehensive answer, jonny

But I'm still wondering..... I sort of used this as an example in my first question, but now I'm wondering...

How does one get around this one... at least the premarital sex part.... in the eyes of the church? I sort of used this as an example in my first question, but now I'm wondering... say someone has premarital sex, then eventually gets married (not necessarily to the same person). How can this person "become" "morally clean?" How can the person take back the premarital sex thing in the eyes of the church?

They can't "take it back" but they can come to a realization that it was wrong, as opposed to trying to rationalize it as having been acceptable. They can feel remorse from having transgressed one of God's laws and can commit to always being faithful to the person they married. That would probably be all that was necessary in many cases. Particularly, if the person was not married at the time he was requesting a temple recommend, and had been sexually active outside of marriage, there would probably be a greater chance that he would again transgress than if he were happily married at the time. The bishop would just want to make sure that the repentence was genuine and that the person really had made a sincere commitment not to repeat the behavior and understood the consequences for continued disobedience.

 

[Katzpur]

The church, as an institution, is made up of people..... right? ALL people have the power to forgive each other..... in fact, Jesus told us to do just that.

Yes, we do have an obligation to forgive each other. But in terms of something like sexual misconduct, neither the Bishop or anyone else in the organization has been personally wronged, so it's not the Bishop who is responsible to forgive. It's only the bishop's responsibilty to determine whether the individual is spiritually ready to go to the temple.

I realize that once again you seem to think I'm on the attack. I'm not. I'm merely ASKING QUESTIONS about your religion rather than just assuming.

Snowbear, it didn't even occur to me to think you were on the attack. I'm not sure what I could possibly have said to make you think that. Please give me the benefit of the doubt on that. I just thought that someone (not even you necessarily) would wonder what SoyLeche meant by his statement.

In your first post in this thread, when you listed some of the questions and made these statement, I read it (and still do), as a person needing the approval of the church..... via the church leadership of course....

This led me to ask HOW someone who has messed up goes about earning the worthiness in the eyes of the church (via the men who represent it's leadership) to go into the temples.

Confessing a serious sin such as adultery or fornication can't possibly be easy for anyone to do. While LDS bishops and stake presidents are only human and can, therefore, be as judgmental as the next person, I believe that, for the most part, they try to take into account the fact that no one is perfect and that they have simply been put in the position of making sure that those who receive temple recommends are truly worthy. The interview process is as much a time for the person being interviewed to examine his or her own testimony, feelings and behaviors as it is an opportunity for one person to sit in judgment of another. We believe that when a man is called as a bishop or stake president, he is given a spiritual gift, the "gift of discernement," and that this gift allows him (during the period of time he holds the position of bishop or stake president) to be more easily able to discern what's in a person's heart than he would otherwise be. I believe that it would be safe to say that most instances of behavior that requires a confession to a person in authority would be handled with love and patience and encouragment. In the process of talking about the seriousness of the transgression, the bishop gets a pretty good idea of how sincerely repentent the person being interviewed is. He has been placed in a position to make a judgment call but with that authority comes an important responsibility. He also will be held accountable to God if he acts out of pride or self-righteousness or chooses not to obey the promptings of the Spirit in making his decision. Does that make sense?