Though there is no set age for attending the temple, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally go for the first time prior to getting married or serving a mission. Whatever the circumstance, a temple recommend is necessary for entrance to the temple.
What Happens During a Temple Recommend Interview?
When a Mormon wants to obtain a "temple recommend," - an invitation of sorts that allows one to attend temple services held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - he or she schedules separate interviews with two church leaders: the bishop and the stake president.
The purpose of these interviews is to assess the individual’s worthiness and spiritual preparation to attend the temple. In a temple recommend interview, a person is asked about his or her obedience to the commandments and testimony of the gospel.
Mormon Temple Recommend Interview Questions
A temple recommend interview is completely confidential. Questions asked in a temple recommend include:
- Do you observe the Law of Chastity (no sexual intimacy outside marriage)?
- Do you keep the Word of Wisdom (no alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea)?
- Do you pay an honest tithe?
- Are you honest in your dealings with other people?
- Do you fulfill family obligations (like child support, if applicable)?
- Do you have a testimony of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and the prophet leading the LDS church?
- Do you belong to or sympathize with any apostate groups or groups that are hostile to gospel teachings?
- Is there anything in your conduct that is not in harmony with the teachings of the gospel?
- Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the temple?
These questions may seem nosy or intrusive, but church leader Boyd K. Packer surmises that “once you have some feeling for the value of temple blessings and for the sacredness of the ordinances performed in the temple, you would be hesitant to question the high standards set by the Lord for entrance into the holy temple.”
If the questions are answered satisfactorily, both the bishop or stake president and the individual will sign a small card called a temple recommend. This recommend is valid for two years and needs to be shown every time a person visits the temple to go inside.
If a recommend is not issued, it is not a permanent rejection. A person can speak with the bishop about becoming worthy for temple attendance and have a subsequent temple recommend interview after addressing the necessary issues.
Purpose of Temple Recommends
Many people mistakenly believe that the purpose of temple recommend is to keep people out of temples. But as LDS church official Cree-L Kofford explains, the temple recommend is “for the protection of those who would unwittingly enter in and become subject to living covenants which they are not prepared to live.”
In temples, individuals participate in sacred ordinances and make solemn covenants with God. This means going to the temple is not something Mormons take lightly.
Who Can Get a Temple Recommend?
Boyd K. Packer says that temple ordinances aren’t meant to “be limited to a select few who would be obliged to ensure that others never learn of them. It is quite the opposite, in fact. With great effort we urge every soul to qualify and prepare for the temple experience.”
Any person in the world can qualify for a temple recommend with the right spiritual preparation. Elder Packer goes on to explain that “curiosity is not a preparation. Deep interest itself is not a preparation. Preparation for the ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes invited as a guest into the house of the Lord.”
A temple recommend is a way to verify that a person has undergone the appropriate spiritual preparation required for temple attendance. As Mormons see it, the purpose of temple recommends is not to keep people out of the temple, but to encourage all people to become worthy to enter.
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