After my conversion into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last April, the past several months have seen a steady progression on the covenant path. From baptism, to confirmation, to priesthood, I've been taking things in stride.
The next step was to do go inside a temple to perform 'baptisms for the dead' (also referred to as 'proxy baptisms'). As a former Protestant, this practice was much different than anything I had even heard of.
I decided to drive to the Nauvoo Illinois Temple due to the historical significance of what is symbolizes among the early Latter-day Saints. During construction of the temple, Joseph Smith was murdered in a mob attack. Despite the significant blow, it didn't stop the religious movement. As tensions grew in Nauvoo, Brigham Young directed that the Temple be finished to perform ordinances (including baptisms for the dead), despite knowing they would be forced to leave. The Saints were pressed out in 1846, the Nauvoo Temple was damaged by an arson fire in 1848, and then what remained was hit by a tornado in 1850.
Miraculously, the Church didn't just survive, it thrived. 150 years after the original Nauvoo Temple's destruction, a new Temple started construction with the building plans from the original.
Before walking in, I had a mix of nerves and excitement. Previous temple open house visits had helped in the past. Still, this was going to be unlike any type of spiritual experience I had ever done before.
So how did everything go?
Check out my thoughts in this video.
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▶️ Timestamps:
0:00 Nauvoo
1:06 Before Entering Temple
4:30 Temple Thoughts: Then vs. Now
13:32 First Temple Experience
19:38 Tips
20:37 'I'm Not Good Enough'
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🎵 Music:
Gavin Luke - The Slow Shift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEj1R10MY3I
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