LDS temple in Antofagasta Chile opens for public tours

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Antofagasta Chile Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is beginning its open house period today, a period in which both members and non-members alike can walk through and learn about what takes place in Latter-day Saint Temples.

Elder Craig C. Christensen from the LDS Church’s temple department and the South America South Area Presidency led special guests through the temple on Monday, May 12. The open house runs from today, May 14, to May 24 excluding Sundays.

“I have a very personal connection with Chile. I arrived here as a missionary 48 years ago, when there were only 30,000 members,” Elder Christensen told members of the media on Monday during the guided tour. This temple was announced just over five years ago by Prophet and President of the Church, Russell M. Nelson.

Construction began just over a year later in November of 2020 and will be Chile’s third operating temple. Other temples announced or in construction include Santiago West, Puerto Montt and Viña del Mar.

The temple will be dedicated on June 15 by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Chile is home to over 600,000 Latter-day Saints.

What are Temples?

Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are referred to by members as “Houses of the Lord,” according to the Church website. Members hold both the structures and the grounds as sacred.

“From the very beginning, there have been sacred places upon the earth where God has communed with His children. They were designated by God and hallowed by His presence as places where He would teach and bless His children,” the Church says on its site.

The Church teaches that throughout biblical history, the Tabernacle carried around was regarded as a “portable temple.” The Church also points to several additional passages from the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which mention temples on several occasions.

What happens here?

Inside the Temple, members of the Church seek to draw closer to God by making covenants and performing “saving” ordinances from themselves or members of their family who have passed on. These temples are typically only open to members who have a temple recommend card.

“Those who are endowed in the house of the Lord receive a gift of God’s priesthood power by virtue of their covenant, along with a gift of knowledge to know how to draw upon that power,” President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson, said in an address to members of the church.

In the Church, members also believe in the practice of baptizing family members who have passed away and confirm them as members of the Church, if they wish to accept them in the spirit world.

Sealings for marriage and family sealings can also be performed in the temple.

Temples dotting the world

There are currently over 350 temples across the world that have been announced, are operational, or are presently under construction — over 180 of those have been announced by President Nelson.

The Church’s first temple was constructed in Kirtland, Ohio in 1833. The temple took three years to complete and was dedicated in 1836. According to the Church, in what is now found in section 110 of Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the LDS Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and accepted the Kirtland Temple as His house.