Review
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Title: Temples of the New Millennium-Facts, Stories, and Miracles from the First 150 Temples
Author: Chad S. Hawkins
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Non- Fiction
Year Published: 2016
Number of Pages: 314
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN13: 978-1-62972-149-1
Price: $32.99
Reviewed by Trudy Thompson for the Association For Mormon Letters
Chad Spencer Hawkins is a well known Latter-day Saint illustrator who began creating a series of temple prints at the age of seventeen, to support his mission to the Germany Frankfurt Mission. His artwork is well known for featuring hidden spiritual images. His drawings have been selected and placed within the cornerstones of sixteen different temples. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious U.S. Army War College commission to create the official painting for their graduating class. He has sold over a million works of art and written and illustrated seven Deseret Book publications. *Temples of the New Millennium* brings together little known facts and true stories from those who built the first 150 temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This extensive volume is chronologically arranged by the dates the 150 temples were dedicated and opened, with the oldest, the St George, Utah temple being first. This continues on with the Provo City Center Temple being last. Each temple is given two pages in this oversized book, and that includes Chad Hawkins’ pencil drawings of each temple, a fact box that covers the dates of each groundbreaking and dedication, dimensions of the temple, and where in the pencil drawings the hidden image is.
The riveting text is the most enjoyable aspect of the book. There are many little known stories from the temples that surround either the announcement, planning, construction, or operation of each one. Here is a small sampling of some of my favorites:
The Bern, Switzerland temple was the first to be built overseas. Switzerland was chosen for the location of the first temple outside of the United States for a variety of reasons. The country’s constitution, which had been adopted in 1848, guaranteed religious freedom. The nation’s neutrality during World War I and II kept it safe and free from the divisive influences of the rest of Europe.
Switzerland’s central geographical location and the diversity of languages spoken there also played into the decision by then President David O. McKay to build a temple there. The prophet directed the president of the Swiss-Austrian Mission to purchase the land that had been selected. After several months of negotiations, the church’s bid to purchase the property was denied. One week later the mission president had found a parcel of land that was twice the size of the original site and half as expensive. All the missionaries had fasted and prayed and, immediately after, the property became available.
There were other obstacles to overcome, such as the fact that the sessions would need to be available in nearly a dozen languages, and in a much smaller space than was normal. To solve this problem, President McKay asked a young employee of the Missionary Department to create a method of presenting the temple ordinances to many people at once. This young staff member, Gordon B. Hinckley, proposed portraying the ordinances in movie form. The idea was approved by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, and the fifth floor assembly room in the Salt Lake Temple was converted into a makeshift movie set. Huge floor to ceiling backdrops were hung, and large pulleys lifted props through the room’s large windows. After a year of grueling work, the English version was completed. In the following months, versions in other languages were done using immigrants and returned missionaries who spoke the various languages. Hollywood motion picture studios were consulted to gather advice on how to provide the best audio technology, and because President McKay had a personal friendship with producer Cecil B. DeMille, his suggested solutions to logistical problems were especially helpful.
Once completed, precautions needed to be taken to preserve the sanctity of the temple films while being imported through customs to Switzerland. Technology was used to develop the films in such a way that only authorized persons would ever see them.
The Seattle Washington Temple was fraught with years of challenges and frustrating setbacks. A group of stake presidents had initially proposed to President McKay, in 1960, a temple in the Pacific Northwest. But no action was taken until 1974, when the First Presidency directed a regional representative to locate property suitable for a temple. Strict instructions were given to keep the search private. The five month search for a site covered a large geographical area and was at times extremely frustrating.
On the evening of December 23, 1974, the Regional Representative and his real estate agent had experienced another fruitless day in their search for a site. As they pulled into the parking lot of the real estate office, the representative noticed for the first time the property directly behind the office. The property was situated higher than all the other surrounding land, and it was heavily wooded with fir, cedar, hemlock, madrona and alder trees. There were flowering cherry and numerous other species of trees and shrubs on the property.
On November 15, 1975, President Spencer W. Kimball made the announcement that a temple would be built in the Pacific Northwest. Saints in the temple district were overjoyed and made many sacrifices to contribute to the building fund. However, various groups opposing the temple attempted to hinder construction throughout the process.
Problems arose even before the Church had formally acquired the property. Initial concerns centered on the effect on trees and wildlife, while others disputed the height of the building. Finally, on August 13, 1976 the church closed on purchasing the property.
Formal approval did not end the bitter opposition to the temple and the church. When picketers attempted to block the entrance on the first day of the open house, some of them had to be physically removed. Later, on the first day of the temple’s dedication, November 17, 1980, protesters attempted to chain themselves to the gates, but their efforts failed, and twenty-one were arrested. While opposition raged outside, President Kimball counseled the Saints gathered inside: “Temples are a place of peace and holiness…we are here to receive the word of the Lord.”
The tremendous opposition solidified the members’ commitment to the temple and the ordinances performed in it. One hundred thousand endowments were performed in under six months after the temple opened-double the number expected by the temple committee.
The Mexico City, Mexico Temple, the first LDS temple to be built in that country, was announced April 3, 1976, a century after the Mormon missionaries arrived there. Many insurmountable obstacles stood in the way of plans to build the temple in the capital of Mexico. Foreign missionaries were not formally recognized in the country, and laws required all buildings to be open to the public. Before long, laws regarding religion were changed in ways favorable to the Church, and the necessary building permits were approved late in 1979.
Another obstacle the Church faced was a federal law that prohibited importation into Mexico of building materials, furnishings, or furniture already available in the country. Because only materials of the highest quality are used for temples, church leaders requested exemption from the importation law. They also asked that the government allow them to import those materials, worth some $2.6 million, without tax. Fasting and praying, Elder Richard G. Scott and other church officials presented their request to government leaders. Miraculously, government leaders approved their request and signed the necessary documents, commenting that they could not understand why they had changed their minds and sided with the church. The temple was dedicated on December 2, 1983, and the steady use of this temple has necessitated two extensive renovations over the years, followed by two public open houses and rededications. It remains one of the busiest temples in the church.
After the dedication of the Bern, Switzerland temple, the faithful Saints in Freiburg, Germany longed for the ability to attend the temple. But, because they had been cut off from the West since the end of WW II, and were living under the oppressive Communist government of East Germany….hardly anyone had the expectation of attending a temple during their lifetime.
In 1978, a member of the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, proposed to the First Presidency that an endowment house be created for Church members in East Germany. The proposed building would have a meeting house on one side and an endowment facility on the other. The building would not include a baptistry, and ordinances would only be performed for living patrons. The building never came to fruition, because much to the surprise of church leaders, top government officials proposed the building of a temple in the German Democratic Republic.
Private ownership of property was not permitted in East Germany at that time, and yet the church was granted private ownership. The building of a temple had never before been performed in a Communist nation, but in this case, the government officials themselves suggested the building of a temple as an alternative to considering the request that Church members be permitted to travel to Switzerland to attend the temple there.
President Thomas S. Monson, who conducted the groundbreaking ceremony in 1983, with officials from the government in attendance and sitting in the front row, tells the following story:
“Before the invocation was given, I looked the government officials straight in the eye and said, ‘When we pray in our church, we fold our arms, bow our heads and close our eyes.’ As the prayer began, every one of the officials had their arms folded, heads bowed, and eyes closed.
“At the conclusion of the event, the county council chairman said, ‘We’ve never experienced anything so beautiful as this. If you ever need anything, come to me and I will help you.'”
Only 4,000 Church members lived in the GDR at the time, but nearly 90,000 people went through the open house. President Monson considered that attendance to be an answer to his prayer in 1975, when he had asked God to “instill within the citizenry a curiosity concerning the Church and a desire to learn more of our teachings.”
Because of the Church’s strong history in the area, and partly due to the long distances traveled to attend a temple, Missouri Saints were overjoyed at the announcement of a temple in St Louis. It was decided immediately that the temple should be located on a beautiful site in Town and Country, a community twenty miles west of St. Louis. The site is located atop a prominent hill that overlooks the region. A heavily wooded area provides a barrier between the temple and one of the area’s busiest highways, with nearly 200,000 cars passing every day.
Those involved in the acquisition of the nineteen acre property recognized how divine intervention played a role in the project from the beginning. The previous owners of the property had undergone serious financial difficulties, and an immediate need to sell the property was necessary. It was placed on the market shortly before the decision was made to acquire a site for the temple in St. Louis. This allowed the church to acquire the highly sought-after property before competing offers could be made. One of the conditions of the sale of the property was that the neighboring Missouri Baptist College had to agree with the transaction-which they did. A few weeks after the transaction was completed, the college hired new administration. The position of the new college president was that he would not have permitted the sale of the property.
When the temple committee sought approval for the building, the city aldermen voted unanimously to approve the temple. Additional approval was given for a variance that allowed for additional height to the temple’s steeple and exterior fencing. These actions and others required to build the temple all happened without any opposition.
When President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the St. Louis, Missouri temple on June 1, 1997, interest among the members was so high, that nineteen dedicatory sessions were conducted to accommodate the twenty three thousand members who wished to participate. Members of the First Presidency participated in all nineteen sessions.
This is just five out of the one hundred fifty stories to be read and enjoyed in this stunning and informative new book. Every Latter-Day Saint home would benefit greatly by having a copy of *Temples Of The New Millennium* in their possession. The uplifting stories of faith, sacrifice, and miracles contained in this beautiful keepsake volume will help every family gain a greater appreciation of the work and mission of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.