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SOUTH JORDAN -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the doors of its newest temple to the public Monday. For the next two months, visitors can see for themselves the inside of the Oquirrh Mountain temple.
On the first day of the public open house, hundreds of people have visited the new temple near 11400 South and the Bangerter Highway in the new Daybreak development.
The Oquirrh Mountain temple is now the 13th in the state of Utah and the fourth in the Salt Lake Valley. It is also the second LDS temple to be opened to the public this year in the Salt Lake Valley, following the new Draper temple.
The open house beginning Monday is a rare opportunity for anyone to go inside and see more of the Church's beliefs. The LDS Church has a tradition of holding temple open houses before a temple is formally dedicated, when admittance inside is then restricted to LDS members in good standing.
The tours are self-guided and last about an hour. We found people are visiting not far from home and some are coming from around the world.
Kearns resident Josh Morrey said, "We just came out to see the temple. My parents have some people visiting from Russia, and so we brought them out to have a look around and get a feel for it and enjoy the beauty of the temple and have a look inside."
Ellen Dorofeyeva, a native of Latvia, said, "This has been a beautiful experience today, to have one more temple here in Utah."
The Zimmerman family drove down from Roy. "It's the first time we've been able to do an open house," the father said. The children told us, "It was beautiful," and "I thought it was gorgeous. I liked the intricate details and everything is just so precise and beautiful."
Many parents brought their children, who were not old enough to go inside a temple, to the open house to give them a chance to see what the temple is all about. South Jordan resident Moses Mabunga said, "This is really nice. They are able to see the inside of a temple. It will be a few more years before they will be able to get in again. This is wonderful. In fact, they didn't want to leave the temple. They want to stay inside for a few more minutes."
The public open house continues through Aug. 1 except on Sundays and holidays. Tickets are required, but they are free and can be obtained through a toll free number or the Church's Web site. The Oquirrh Mountain temple will be formally dedicated here during services scheduled for August 22 and 23.
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Story compiled with contributions from Sam Penrod and Randall Jeppesen.
