A Temple-Building People
Latter-day Saints are a temple-building and temple-loving people. It has been so from the earliest days of the Church. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord declared that “my people are always commanded to build [temples] unto my holy name” (D&C 124:39-40).
In temples, we can draw closer to the Lord, we can learn more about His plan for our happiness, we can receive essential ordinances for our exaltation, and we can perform vicarious service on behalf of those who have died without the gospel of Jesus Christ. The culminating blessing of the temple is that we can be joined together as families for eternity, so that our relationships with those we love will last forever.
Today, there are over 160 operating temples in countries around the world, with dozens more announced or under construction.
Regardless of the time in history, a temple of God is the most sacred place of worship in the world — a place where heaven touches the earth, a place where marvelous blessings are bestowed, and a place where we can feel closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and strive to become more like Them.
