Relief Society, May 20, 2012
Teachings of Presidents of the Church, George Albert Smith, Chapter 8
Temple Blessings for Ourselves and Our Ancestors
The purpose of temples is to provide a place where holy ordinances are
performed for the living and for the dead. In 1905, as a new Apostle,
George Albert Smith toured several Church history sites with President
Joseph F. Smith and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve. They
visited the Kirtland, Ohio temple. He said, "When we realized that the
building was constructed by people in extreme poverty, how courageous
men worked during the day to lay the foundations and build the walls of
that structure, and then as night stood and defended it with weapons
against those who had sworn that the building should never be completed,
we could not help but feel that it was no wonder the Lord received
their offerings and blessed them as few people have been blest upon the
earth."
While dedicating the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, he said, "We thank thee, O
God, for sending Elijah the ancient prophet, to whom was committed the
keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may
not be smitten with a curse. We thank thee that he was sent to thy
servant, Joseph Smith, to confer the keys and authority of the work for
the dead, and to reveal that the plan of salvation embraces the whole of
the human family, that the gospel is universal in scope, and that thou
art no respecter of persons, having provided for the preaching of the
gospel of salvation to both the living and the dead. We are most
grateful unto thee that salvation is provided for all who desire to be
saved in thy kingdom. May it be pleasing to thy people to search out
the genealogy of their forebears that they may become saviors on Mt.
Zion by officiating in thy temples
for their kindred dead. We pray also that the spirit of Elijah may
rest mightily upon all peoples everywhere that they may be moved upon to
gather and make available the genealogy of their ancestors; and that
thy faithful children may utilize thy holy temples in which to perform
on behalf of the dead all ordinances pertaining to their eternal
exaltation."
In the temple we receive sacred ordinances, including ordinances that
bind families for eternity. There are only a few places in the world
where we can be married for eternity, and that is in the temples of
God. In the temples we make eternal blessings available to our deceased
ancestors, and the Lord will assist us in searching for our kindred
dead.
Ways we are able to teach our children about the temple include going to
the visitors' center and temple grounds, displaying temple pictures in
our homes, working on our family history, and having them perform temple
baptisms when they are of age.
It is our privilege and blessing to attend the temple and perform ordinances for our kindred dead.
