I can go the temple and feel close to God. I can feel holiness. The temple, I think, is the great metaphor on earth for what heaven will be like. If you understand why we build temples, you must understand first that we believe in revelation and in the Restoration of the gospel. And to "restore" means to bring back something that was lost, not a new invention, but a restoration of that which was known anciently.

I am both interested and delighted to see so much of ancient religious tradition, particularly biblical tradition, taken up into the religious structures and rituals of the Mormons. Someone who does not know much about temples and Mormons building temples should be directed to the Bible. I feel that the Mormon experience of the temple has sort of restored that meaning to the word "temple." 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul speaks about those who baptize themselves for the dead and obviously takes for granted that there were people who did so, and he has no complaint about it. Now, with the Mormons, we have it again as a practice. It's a beautiful thing. I could think of myself as taking part in such an act, extending the blessings that have come to me in and through Jesus Christ. That's a beautiful way of letting the eternal mix into the temple, which, in a way, is what Christianity is about.

In the holy temple, the precious plan of God is taught. It is here that eternal covenants are made. The temple lifts us. It exalts us. It stands as a beacon for all to see and points us towards celestial glory. It is the house of God. All that occurs within the walls of the temple is uplifting and ennobling. The temple is a place of tranquility. It is a place of kindness and love and light.