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I think I can discuss this without going into too much endowment detail. I have had varying experiences in the celestial room. At times, it seems very peaceful… but at other times I feel rushed out by myself to do another session.
But when I look for inspiration in there, I don’t really get it. I get peace but no inspiration. I’ve prayed for many others in there, for myself, for my career, about my love life, about education, life paths etc…
Anyway, the last time I was in there, I got a “prompting”, if it can be called that, to do something the church would definitely frown upon. What am I to make of this?
Quote:…Anyway, the last time I was in there, I got a “prompting”, if it can be called that, to do something the church would definitely frown upon. What am I to make of this?
Personal revelation.
I confess I haven’t been to a temple in 14 years. But, what I remember, is that I found much more peace and insight and revelation, and was better able to commune with the gods, just out sitting on the boat fishing or hiking up on the cliffs, or just sitting out by the burn barrel at night watching the stars. So, to each there own. If the temple work for some, great. But we shouldn’t expect it to work for everyone, and they shouldn’t try to fit me in a box that makes me uncomfortable.
Right now, I think of the CR in terms of a place of rest, which many people need in the modern world. Inspiration for career path etc? None. And I have asked. I find the best thing to do in there is to pray for others, as it is a holy place of a kind.
Quote:But, what I remember, is that I found much more peace and insight and revelation, and was better able to commune with the gods, just out sitting on the boat fishing or hiking up on the cliffs, or just sitting out by the burn barrel at night watching the stars.
I love nature and I have found the writings of John Muir and John Burroughs really inspiring. I think John Muir was a saint, and will hopefully receive a just reward somewhere for what he has done for this world.
I’m not into nature and the outdoors all that much. I don’t know why, since my extended family is – with almost no exceptions. The Celestial Room is my own outdoors in that way.
I echo cwald’s “personal revelation” comment. Even if it’s totally unorthodox, how can a member argue against personal revelation received in the temple? (unless, of course, it was to kill someone or something like unto it.
šÆ In that case, I’d recomnend medication.:silent: )A place that is quiet and ritually separated from the rest of our life, a sanctuary of sorts, is a perfect place to receive inspiration and personal revelation. I don’t know about the specifics of your experience SamBee. But if nothing else, those moments are very insightful. Quote:I don’t know about the specifics of your experience SamBee. But if nothing else, those moments are very insightful.
Well, I got a prompting that if I acted on it, and my bishop found out, I’d be disciplined… put it that way!!!
SamBee wrote:Quote:I don’t know about the specifics of your experience SamBee. But if nothing else, those moments are very insightful.
Well, I got a prompting that if I acted on it, and my bishop found out, I’d be disciplined… put it that way!!!
not every prompting is inspired. i think the example in 1Ne4 is important for a lot of reasons. in nephi’s case, it wasn’t just a single prompting, but an entire debate on killing. did nephi do the right thing? we might say yes, and it wasn’t just a test like the early church required of its members in the case of polygamy, etc. in the case of nephi, the rationale or having the brass plates and killing nephi was fully justified by the spirit to nephi’s rational mind.i think it’s important to “try the spirits”, and make sure that our inpiration is properly justified. this is to seek the place where the mind and spirit are in accord and at rest.
If a prompting is going to get you disciplined if followed, you’d better believe strongly that it was an inspired prompting. Just sayin’. If it was something like seducing a married woman, stealing something from someone, beating someone severely, etc. . . . I’d be very suspicious if it happened to me. If it was something more “squishy” – something that would bring discipline but not be objectively and obviously wrong to any reasonable person outside the LDS Church . . . That is an entirely different situation.
Obviously, I can’t tell you one way or the other. That’s your call – completely. All I can do is spout general guidelines you already know very well.
š³ I was a rascally teenager. I dropped out of school to drop LSD and smoke pot. I then had a very powerful experience and became a very dedicated LDS kid, focused on serving a mission. So I got my mission call and went through the temple for the first time. I thought it was “meh” and a little weird. I decided not to think of it much. My mission was good and I went to the temple twice while there. They were not good experiences, but not bad either. After returning home from the mission and getting married (which happened quickly), my wife and I attended the temple regularly. I just didnāt like it. For 7 or 8 years I went very infrequently. A couple years ago I was having a faith crisis and thought I was nearly agnostic. But I went to the temple (I determined I believed āenoughā to go, maybe I was wrong) and had one of the greatest experiences of my life. I donāt want to give many details ā I will just say that I was able to envision what the Celestial Kingdom might be like as I was in the Celestial Room.
Anyway, I believe Satan can influence us even when we are in a temple. Of course, our own thoughts can also seem like a prompting.I cannot know what the source of your āpromptingā was. Quote:Anyway, I believe Satan can influence us even when we are in a temple. Of course, our own thoughts can also seem like a prompting. I cannot know what the source of your āpromptingā was.
It’s interesting… the first time I was in the temple, I didn’t get any of those bitchy thoughts that have a nasty tendency of intruding. I didn’t feel tempted… but now… been through the Celestial Room… well?!
Quote:Sam Bee Wrote, “It’s interesting… the first time I was in the temple, I didn’t get any of those bitchy thoughts that have a nasty tendency of intruding. I didn’t feel tempted… but now… been through the Celestial Room… well”
We are still free to think inside the temple. I have had “bitchy thoughts” there as well. When I had an argument with my ex-mother in-law about points of doctrine between general Christianity and Mormon beliefs. I went to the temple and during the whole endowment session, I was rebuked by the Lord for being so arrogant and argumentative.
there are times that in the temple I will actually have certain secular songs going through my mind, songs that I didn’t even listen to on the way to the temple. Mostly I listen to Christian music or even the MOTAB on the way to the temple to avoid light mindedness. At least the songs weren’t too bad then I thought, “perhaps the temple takes me to my happy place and some of those songs are reminiscent of my relaxation and happy – good-feel-vibes.
Also it is good to remember that one Sabbath day I went out on a walk near a concert and I was feeling the spirit listening to rock music on the Sabbath. And I had no regrets. I think we place to much on the holy and pure and fail to realize that much of our mundane existence will be within the holy confines of the Heavenly areas. Remember the “same sociality that exists here will exist there.” It just goes to show that when we die, we take our knowledge and experience with us. We take it into the temple, it will more than likely go to heaven, just more refined.
Quote:Brian Johnston wrote, “A place that is quiet and ritually separated from the rest of our life, a sanctuary of sorts, is a perfect place to receive inspiration and personal revelation. I don’t know about the specifics of your experience SamBee. But if nothing else, those moments are very insightful.”
I once had an experience (post mission/post marriage) in my early twenties when I was very distraught over something (I cannot remember it now) and I fled to the nearest place that I thought was holy and tranquil: A Buddhist Temple. I soon realized that since I did not make much of a sacrifice to get there (it took me 15 minutes, I wasn’t dressed up-I was probably wearing shorts and a T-shirt). I started looking at the gardens and the statues. In my heart and mind I realized that none of these symbols gave me solace. I had no cultural connection to that place other than the fact I went there for a geography class to get course credit on a write up. I soon realized that to get the solace I needed I needed to go home get dressed in my church clothes and head to the temple. All I remember afterwards was that I learned a profound lesson. The temple is a sacred place to me, and I found peace there and my problem was minimized. So, yes I believe there is sanctity there and peace.
Many years ago as I was entering my crisis stage, I decided I needed to go to the temple to help sort things out. Though I was living in SLC, I went to the Manti temple, because I wanted a much lower key place than Salt Lake could provide. As I was going through an endowment session, I was particularly troubled with the signs and tokens. In the midst of this, I felt a very specific voice telling me “Don’t knock it. I don’t understand it either. But someday you will be glad you didn’t reject it”. I was fully aware of the illogic of that message, the paradox, and implausibility of it. Nevertheless, the anxiety and frustration I was feeling about it simply went away. Some several months later I went inactive, and didn’t attend Church for 17 years, but when I did, I was glad that I could without carrying any negative feelings about the signs and tokens. I still don’t pretend to understand them, but it’s no big deal. And it has allowed me to have some very warm, comfortable feelings about my temple experiences. The biggest message I have gotten from the temple is a sense of peace, purity and power that I have felt there.
Quote:“Don’t knock it. I don’t understand it either. But someday you will be glad you didn’t reject it”.
That probably should be cross-stitched on pillows and sold at Deseret Book– although I don’t like to shop there. Thank you for sharing that, dash. It is such a profound insight.
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