A Sacred Place

I went to to the Oakland Temple Open House today, and while I was there, I heard someone misread one of the signs. The sign said that the Temple is a sacred place, but the child read that the Temple is a "scared" place. I don't think temples can be scared, but I have to admit that they can potentially be scary to anyone who misunderstands them. That's why I think it's important that we have Temple Tours and fairly open conversations about temples. It's easy to fear things we don't understand, and it's easy to misunderstand things that aren't explained to us very well.

So, if and when our conversations turn to topics like temples, or garments, or baptisms for the dead, let's try to be as open and honest as possible and to explain them as thoroughly and as clearly as we can while respecting the sacred nature of the subject. It falls to those of us who are familiar with those subjects to clear up the kinds of misconceptions that can lead to misunderstanding and, potentially, fear.