The Long Way Home
Today was an awesome day! Many readers will know that our family has been in Wichita, KS, for the last several days, getting to know the birthmother of a little girl (due 8/6) that it looks like we’re going to be able to adopt. Today, though, was quite different, which is why it winds up in this particular blog.
After leaving Wichita at about 8:30 AM, we made it to Independence, Missouri, at a bit after noon. As it turns out, each day, there is a ten-minute “Prayer for Peace” service in the Community of Christ’s Temple.1 The service was nice, but we later agreed that it just didn’t have that certain je ne sais quoi that allows the Spirit to flow so freely, in our own meetings. (More on that, later.)
After the prayer service, we decided to go downstairs and sign up to tour the temple. We were the only ones to do so, so an older gentleman showed us a ten-minute video (which identified Joseph Smith, Jr., as the “founder of the Latter-day Saint–tradition churches”) and then showed us around the temple. I must say: the artwork therein is gorgeous. The number of different media is nothing short of amazing, and every piece is stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, it once again didn’t quite live up to our expectations of spirituality, and frankly felt more like we were touring a small sports arena than a house of God. The ultimate message was “be good to everybody,” which is certainly a wonderful message, but especially compared to what would come next, it kind of fell flat.
(Interesting aside: our tour guide mentioned that he once took President David O. McKay on a tour of the temple, which is particularly interesting since President McKay passed away some two decades before construction began. Oh well.)
* * * * *
After touring the temple, we headed next door to our own Church’s Visitors Center, where we were immediately met by several missionaries and invited to watch a couple of video presentations. The first presentation—which led us through the phases of a particular family’s life—was a blatant tear-jerker, complete with tissue boxes at a few of the stops along the way. The point was simple, though: families can be together forever.
There were a few more stops along the way—a basement tour of “Mormon” history and yet another room full of forever-family information stand out—but the point was clear. The Community of Christ seemed to be saying, “Hey, look at us! We’ve got a huge temple!”; while the Church of Jesus Christ’s tiny visitors center conveyed a message of “The gospel is true, and here’s what it can do for you.” The contrast was subtle, but significant.
After the prayer service, we decided to go downstairs and sign up to tour the temple. We were the only ones to do so, so an older gentleman showed us a ten-minute video (which identified Joseph Smith, Jr., as the “founder of the Latter-day Saint–tradition churches”) and then showed us around the temple. I must say: the artwork therein is gorgeous. The number of different media is nothing short of amazing, and every piece is stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, it once again didn’t quite live up to our expectations of spirituality, and frankly felt more like we were touring a small sports arena than a house of God. The ultimate message was “be good to everybody,” which is certainly a wonderful message, but especially compared to what would come next, it kind of fell flat.
(Interesting aside: our tour guide mentioned that he once took President David O. McKay on a tour of the temple, which is particularly interesting since President McKay passed away some two decades before construction began. Oh well.)
* * * * *
After touring the temple, we headed next door to our own Church’s Visitors Center, where we were immediately met by several missionaries and invited to watch a couple of video presentations. The first presentation—which led us through the phases of a particular family’s life—was a blatant tear-jerker, complete with tissue boxes at a few of the stops along the way. The point was simple, though: families can be together forever.
There were a few more stops along the way—a basement tour of “Mormon” history and yet another room full of forever-family information stand out—but the point was clear. The Community of Christ seemed to be saying, “Hey, look at us! We’ve got a huge temple!”; while the Church of Jesus Christ’s tiny visitors center conveyed a message of “The gospel is true, and here’s what it can do for you.” The contrast was subtle, but significant.
- Community of Christ is the largest Protestant group to break off from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, until the name was changed in 2001. From what I’ve heard, about 20% of the church’s membership left the main body of the sect and continued using the old name.)
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