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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Kensington Marylane. Image by Kevin McCarthy and used under a Creative Commons By Attribution license.
"This is the Place": Inside a Mormon Temple
April 29, 2022
The Washington D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is normally reserved only for church members. But after a four-year renovation, the doors are open to the public.
GoldenThe Golden Plates and other items. Shared under a Creative Commons By Attribution License by David A.Baird-Historical Arts and Castings
Who are the Mormons and What is a Temple? April 29, 2022
The Washington D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a sacred space normally reserved only for church members. But after a four-year renovation, the doors are open to the public until June 11. We walk through the rooms of the Temple with Mormon leaders and learn about their function and meaning to the 150,000 church members in the Washington, DC metro region. Along the way, we look back to the founding of the church, to some of the controversies that rocked it, and its ongoing evolution on matters of race with a leader of the Black LDS Legacy network.

You can learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Washington D.C. Church of Latter-day Saints Temple rises above the forest along the Capital Beltway. Photo credit: flickr user Mr. TinMD. Use under a Creative Commons By Attribution license.
Sacred Space, Sacred Time: A Walk Through the D.C. Temple” April 29, 2022
We take an audio tour of the Temple, from a bridge that connects the physical world to the spiritual one, through rooms for baptism, sealing, instruction, meditation, prayer, and reflection. We learn what “ordinances,” or sacred rites, happen in each, and discuss Mormon beliefs about proxy baptism, the eternal nature of families, and the afterlife.


Washington D.C. LDS Temple. Photo credit Kevin McCarthy. Shared under a Crative Commons By Attribution license.

The Exterior of the Temple
Kevin McCarthy

Washington D.C. LDS Temple entrance hall. Photo courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


Entry Hall
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Washington D.C. LDS Temple Baptistry. Photo courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


Baptistry
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Washington D.C. LDS Temple Instruction Room. Photo courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Instruction Room
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Washington D.C. LDS Temple Celestial Room. Photo courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Celestial Room
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Washington D.C. LDS Temple Sealing room. Photo courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sealing Room
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Washington D.C. LDS Temple Assembly Hall. Photo courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


Assembly Hall
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 
To learn more about LDS temples, check out this article by Taylor Petrey in The Conversation, and this one by Karina Elwood in The Washington Post.


The Temple will be open to the general public through June 11th. A free reservation is required for parking.
Phylicia Jimenez
“Where Are the Children Who Look Like Me?”: Black Mormons April 29, 2022
Phylicia Jimenez, a Black woman and an LDS convert discusses the progress – or lack thereof – towards racial equity in the LDS Church, which banned its priesthood to non-whites until 1978.  Jimenez describes why the women-led Black LDS network is focused this year on spiritual uplift and preparing for an online revival in May.

Phylicia Jimenez. Educator, mom, wife, and entrepreneur. Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and co-founder of Black LDS Legacy.



Our theme Breath Deep is copyright MC Yogi.

The hymns in this episode from Mormon Tube and The Church of Latter-day Saints,

was well as this week's closing music, New Hope, by Audiobinger, are
used under a Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 license.

All additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Remixes and sound design by Dissimilation Heavy Industries.