You are most likely reading this because it was given to you by someone at a Mormon Temple that you were visiting during the grand opening tour before the final dedication. The LDS church often offers tours of their temples when they are completed, but before the final dedication. Once the temple is dedicated, they are off limits to all but a select few who have been deemed worthy.

People who tour the temples before the dedication often have many questions. You will receive answers from the LDS guides at the temple, but not a full answer. In this pamphlet you will find a much more complete answer to your questions, and possibly reasons to ask more questions. Most of the rest of this pamphlet will explain the real LDS view, the details of which you will most likely not be given by LDS representatives. Included are references to official LDS publications, with internet links for those with internet access. There are many references to the Bible dictionary in the back of the LDS edition of the King James / Authorized Version. There are usually many scriptural references, from the Bible as well as from LDS scriptures listed in the Bible Dictionary entries.

We are the literal children of Heavenly Parents, a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother (see the LDS Bible dictionary entry for "God" (http://scriptures.lds.org/bdg/god). The bible dictionary is among the reference material at the back of the LDS edition of the King James bible). Yes, the literal offspring. Make what you will of that statement. Our Heavenly parents are surprisingly physical beings, not the spirit beings many people think they are, which explains how we could be their literal offspring (see Doctrines & Covenants 130:22 (http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/130#22) - Doctrine & Covenants is a small book of modern revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church, and some of his successors in the leadership of the church. Future references will use the abbreviation D&C). Despite this fact, we were born to our physical Heavenly Parents as spirit beings. Unfortunately, without physical bodies like our Heavenly Parents have, we cannot achieve the same status they have, we cannot achieve Godhood. [See The Restoration of Major Doctrines through Joseph Smith: The Godhead, Mankind, and the Creation, Ensign January 1989 for a discussion of how God was once a man, who became God, and how we may become Gods through Christs atonement] So at a great council, the plan of salvation was laid out. Lucifer, Jesus's brother, suggested a plan where we would all be forced to obey God, would not have a choice, but would al be saved regardless (See Bibile Dictionary entry for Devil ( http://scriptures.lds.org/bdd/devil ). Jesus suggested a plan to make it voluntary, and that was the one the council chose. God would send us to earth and give us physical bodies there, which are necessary for our eternal progression to Godhood. He would place us in a paradise on earth, the Garden of Eden, in a pure sinless state. Knowing that we could not remain sinless, and knowing that this was also necessary for our progress towards Godhood, he laid out a plan where we could be redeemed from our sin. Jesus, God's first spirit child, would be sent to offer himself as a human sacrifice to redeem us. Yes, Jesus is not God the Father in the flesh, as most think, he is God's first born child, a spirit child of God just like us. He his special, however, in the fact that he is God's first-born spirit child. The confusion may arise because Jesus is the Jehovah of of the old Testament. He was given that role by God the Father. Interestingly, the name Jehovah means Changeless One (http://scriptures.lds.org/bdj/jehovah) or Eternal I AM, even those don't describe him very well, being the first born spirit child of Elohim, rather than a being with no beginning. See also: Bibile Dictionary: War in Heaven (http://scriptures.lds.org/bdw/wrnhvn ) and Bible Dictionary: Christ (http://scriptures.lds.org/bdc/christ)

As it turns out, the plan has worked very well. Our first physical parents, Adam and Eve, were placed in the Garden of Eden in a sinless state. Yet they fell for Satan's deception and fell. However this fall was to our benefit. It was part of God's plan. Without this fall, Adam and Eve would not have been able to have children to give the rest of God's spirit children the physical bodies that they need to move towards Godhood. However this fall brought sin into the world also. The down side of this is that no one can stand in the presence of God, or reach the status of Godhood stained by sin. This was eliminated by the sacrifice God's first spirit child, Jesus, made at Calvary. This allows us to have the stain of sin removed, and allows for the problem of physical death to be removed. Remember, we need those physical bodies to move on to Godhood. See: 2 Nephi 2:22-25 http://scriptures.lds.org/2_ne/2/22-25#22

Now, where do the LDS temples fit into this scheme of things? Well, first off, our participation in God's plan for us is voluntary. If it wasn't, it would be meaningless. So God set some terms for admission to the plan. There are also some other things besides just having physical bodies that are required for moving to Godhood. And there are many who have lived and died in this physical world without having had the chance to be informed of the details of this plan. They will be taught the details of the plan as spirits after they die, but the requirements God set out are still physical and must be taken care of here on earth. The main requirement that God set out was baptism and confirmation into the Church. This absolutely must be done on Earth, even if you never had the chance to learn about it on earth. You will be taught about it at some point, either on earth or as a spirit later, but it must be done here on Earth. Temples allow us to perform this baptism and confirmation into the church by proxy for those who have died without the opportunity to do it for themselves.

Another requirement for moving on to Godhood is the requirement of being married for eternity. You need to have both a man and a woman to be a God, and to reproduce in Heaven and have children to populate your own creations. This is not a requirement God set out, but a law of the universe. This is one of the Laws that our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother followed in order to get where they are. And, like any parent, they have hopes that well too will follow in their footsteps, and maybe even be better off than them someday. However, this marriage for time and all eternity cannot take place in any ordinary place. Nor can it be administered by just anyone. Like baptism and confirmation, for marriage to be eternal and meet the test, and last for eternity, it must be sealed by someone with the proper authority, a member of God's priesthood. Fortunately the LDS church is ordained by God, and has priests authorized by God. Marriage differs from baptism in that, in order to be eternal, in addition to being administered by one of God's authorized priests, it must be done at a sacred preordained spot, a temple.

There is also one additional requirement for moving on to Godhood. This is called being endowed. After the end of the earth, those who have met the requirements will be allowed into the celestial kingdom into the presence of God and from there progress further towards Godhood. Of course not just anyone can be allowed in, just those who have met the requirements. As a result, there are guards at the Pearly Gates, so that only those who have met the requirements can get in. In order to get past these guards, you have to prove yourself. So, in a special sacred ceremony, inside a Temple where only the worthy are allowed, you are taught the details of how to prove yourself to these guards. This basically involves special handshakes and passwords. If you were in a fraternity in college, you will be familiar with this concept. Of course, since this information can only be given to the worthy, there aren't any publicly available books or anything I can give references to.

All this is quite a bit of info to digest. Please feel free to take this home and read it again later. You main need to read it a few times for it all to sink in. And if you have Internet access, this flier is available on the net, as well as a transcript of the endowment, where the worthy are taught the passwords and handshakes necessary to pass the guards at the gates and enter heaven. The references in this flier are also linked directly to official LDS church webpages where you can read them for yourself without having to dig up a copy of the books themselves. They're often not that expensive, though, so feel free to do so. An LDS missionary will usually make a copy of the Book of Mormon available to you free, and if you're short of cash and want a copy of the LDS bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, they can usually arrange that too, free or for only a couple dollars. Or, if you live in Orange county, there are two excellent Mormon bookstores in the area that yiou can visit, I case you don't want to be bothered by someone trying to convert you.

Deseret Book Store
1526 East Lincoln Avenue
Orange, CA 92865
(714) 279-3960