Rites of Passage and the LDS Temple

Abstract

This chapter looks at Mormons' experiences in the Latter-day Saints (LDS) temple. Whereas regular Sunday services are open to the public at thousands of LDS chapel meetinghouses around the world, temples are rare—there are just over 150 around the globe—and closed to everyone but the most committed Latter-day Saints. The Next Mormons Survey (NMS) data shows that most Mormons who have been to the temple do have a good first experience. Six in ten current Mormon respondents reported that they had been to the temple for the initiatory followed by the endowment ceremony, which are the two essential rites of initiation for the LDS temple. However, it is possible there is a disconnect between what millennials say about loving their first time in the temple and what some of them actually felt in real time. Overall, the temple emerges as a complex site of contention for many former Mormons.