"Joseph Smith had long been concerned about the fate of his older brother Alvin who died before the Church was organized and baptisms performed. He had even seen Alvin in a vision waiting for the ordinance of baptism. Jesus had taught 'except a man be born of water and of the spirit he can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven'. Joseph was baptized. Even Jesus was baptized. What was to become of Alvin?
The solution was announced by Joseph smith on August 15th 1840 at a funeral. This discourse initiated ordinances for the dead.
The first Baptisms fro the dead were done within weeks after Joseph's discourse. Although Baptisms were to be performed in a temple, they were performed at first mostly in the Mississippi River" (A brief History of the Establishment of Temple Ordinances for the Dead)
As youth we had the opportunity to attend the temple to do baptisms for the dead. This prepares is to go to the temple to preform ordinances for ourselves.
The first time we go for ourselves is to receive our own endowments.
Brigham Young said: "Your endowment is to receive all those ordinances in the House of the Lord , Which are necessary for you after you have departed this life , to enable you to walk back to the presence of our Father passing the angels who stand as sentinels being enabled to give them the key words, the signs, and tokens pertaining to the Holy Priesthood and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell."
So once we have our own endowments why do we keep going?
We go so we can do the work for the dead.
There are also other reasons people go to the temple. They go to pray, to feel the spirt or just to get away from the world and feel the peace the temple has to offer.
I am so grateful that I live in an area were I can attend the temple often. David and I have made it a goal in our home to attend the temple twice a month.
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