The recent Broadway production of The Book of Mormon Musical combined with Mitt Romney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, running as the Republican candidate for President of the United States, has brought more attention to the Church than at any time in its history. Journalists, opinion leaders, and others from around the world seem to have taken a sudden keen interest in what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more commonly referred to as Mormons) believe.

As a means to address the questions that are being raised through public interest, a new informational exhibit about what Mormons really believe is now on display at the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center located in Kensington, Maryland. Concerning the exhibit, Don Olsen, the Visitors Center Director said:

The increasing discussion of the Church, its beliefs and doctrine, has spawned not only some misunderstandings, but also some interesting myths and legends. . . We have taken the questions about the Church that seem to have most captured the public’s fascination and answered them in an exhibit format.

The exhibit is called “We Follow Jesus Christ” which makes a powerful statement about Latter-day Saints in and of itself. Visitors who come to see the exhibit will be able to learn what the Church teaches about such issues as: race relations, political neutrality, religious freedom, and marriage. They will also be able to learn about the Church’s position on immigration and abortion, and read about proxy baptism (baptism for the dead). Other questions that are answered by the exhibit include: (1) Are Mormons Christian?, (2) What do Latter-day Saints believe about God?, (3) Do Mormons believe in the Trinity?, (4) Do Mormons believe in the Holy Bible?, and (5) Do Mormons believe they can become “gods” or that they will get their own planet? Furthermore, the exhibit speaks to the role of women in the Church, and addresses the question of why some Latter-day Saints wear Temple garments.

The exhibit will be on display at the Washington DC Temple Visitors’ Center through the end of August 2012. As with all events and activities at the Visitors’ Center, the “We Follow Jesus Christ” exhibit is free to the public. The Visitors’ Center is located at 9900 Stoneybrook Drive in Kensington, Maryland and is open seven days a week, from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM. For more information contact Don Olsen at (301)587-0144 or via email at Don.Olsen@ldschurch.org.

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Here are some upcoming events for the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center:

“Salt Lake Community College Chamber Choir with Pianist Paul Cardall”
7:00 PM Saturday, January 19, 2013
Chamber Singers is the premier choral ensemble at Salt Lake Community College. Comprised of approximately forty auditioned students, members of the ensemble share a love of fine singing and are drawn from across college disciplines from automotive trades to music. In addition to their local concert series, Chamber Singers is often invited to perform in some of the most prestigious concert halls and festivals both nationally and abroad. Because of their creative and compelling performance style, SLCC Choirs are met with critical acclaim and ever-increasing popularity.  Paul Cardall is an award-winning pianist, recording artist, lecturer and author.

“Why I Believe:” Sister Debra Nibley
7:00 PM Sunday, January 20, 2013
Sister Debbie Nibley is a trained archeologist whose study of archeology led her to the gospel. She was the Utah state archeologist before becoming an independent contractor. She has worked on archeological “digs” throughout the United States, and has studied specimens from all over the world. She believes that archeology can help expand understanding of the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon.

The Washington, D.C. Mormon Temple Visitors’ Center is the first Mormon Temple to have its own Facebook page.  This comes naturally since the visitors’ center hosts exhibits and world-class performances on a regular basis all year ’round.  The URL for the Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC-Temple-Visitors-Center/228255190518950

Because messages sent out on Facebook reach a targeted audience within a second or two, and at no cost to either the sender or the receiver, political organizations, activists, businesses, law enforcement and communities are finding it an elegant tool for networking and news casting as well.

The Mormon Church (formally The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has a prominent Facebook presence.  On August 7th, on the blog site LDS Media Talk, blogger Larry Richman reported:

“Facebook.com/LDS Surpasses 500,000 Likes.  This weekend, the official Facebook page for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints surpassed 500,000 “likes.” That’s grown from 300,000 fans a year ago.  According to the Facebook Page Leaderboard, the Church’s page at Facebook.com/LDS ranked #11 in the category of Church/Religious Organization in number of fans.  The Church has many other pages on Facebook. You can see a complete list of the Church’s Facebook pages here on LDS Media Talk.  You may be interested in reading the article “Why The Mormon Church Tops Facebook Page Rankings” by Jesse Stay on AllFacebook.com.”

The Mormon Church also does well online, dominating the search engines.  The site www.lds.org is the most-visited of any faith group, and Mormon church-wide conferences sometimes rank at the top of Twitter while they’re underway.

The D.C. Mormon Temple Visitors’ Center presents gospel principles through interactive exhibits, text panels, dioramas, films or exhibits, or by the dedicated missionaries who serve there.  Beyond the facility and its hardwiring, though, are the truly remarkable programs offered there.    Concerts and performances are often presented, and they must conform to the uplifting tone of the place.  A beautiful auditorium and theaters provide the venues for such performances.  The quality of the programs presented continues to rise, and the reputation of the Mormon temple Visitors’ Center rises with it.

The most well-known, yearly celebration is the Festival of Lights, the Visitors’ Center Christmas celebration scheduled from the beginning of December through New Years’ Day.   Planning begins 18 months in advance.  During each night of the Festival a group or individual from the community performs twice each evening.  During the event, all aspects of the celebration center on Jesus Christ.  The D.C. Mormon Temple Visitors Center no longer has to publicize the events, but usually has to request extra performances from presenters in order to accommodate all who wish to attend.

In 1839, Joseph Smith, first prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visited the nation’s capitol with Elias Higbee to seek redress of grievances suffered by Church members in Missouri.  The Latter-day Saints were suffering mightily in Missouri, where Governor Lilburn Boggs had issued an Extermination Order against the Mormons.  In response, United States President Martin Van Buren reportedly said, “Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you.”  The Saints were eventually driven out of Missouri during a bitter winter and sought refuge in Illinois.  They prospered in Nauvoo, their own city, for five years, but then were driven out by persecution and mobs once again, Joseph Smith and his brother having been martyred.  As they moved west to the Rocky Mountains, hundreds lost their lives.

Early Church members paid occasional visits to Washington, D.C., as they sought statehood for their newly-established communities in the Great Basin. Church leader Reed Smoot was elected to the United States Senate in 1903, and seated in 1907 after a series of hearings that brought publicity to the Church. In 1933, a large granite chapel was completed in the area. Future Church President Ezra Taft Benson worked in Washington, D.C. as Secretary of Agriculture in the Eisenhower administration, 1953-60. In 1974, a temple was completed in Kensington, Maryland. Ambassadors and diplomats visit the temple’s annual lighting ceremonies during the Christmas holiday, and cultural events and exhibits are held at the Washington, D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center throughout the year.

Late church President Gordon B. Hinckley, along with 26 other religious leaders from across the nation, visited the Capitol after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and met with U.S. President George W. Bush.  Many Mormons serve in the U.S. federal government and live in Washington, D.C.

Within the District of Columbia proper, there are over 2300 Latter-day Saints, with many in outlying areas, and a huge population of young single adults who belong to the Mormon Church, some studying at local universities and others pursuing careers there.

Washington D.C. Temple Trivia

The Washington, D.C. Mormon Temple is the tallest Mormon temple (as of 2011).  It has six spires like the Salt Lake Temple, and six ordinance rooms, the only temple outside of Utah to have that many ordinance rooms.  It’s a large temple (160,000 square feet) with 14 sealing rooms.   The Angel Moroni statue atop the temple is one of only a few that is holding a representation of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated.  The open house for the Washington, D.C. temple (which was held 17 September–2 November 1974) was attended by 758,328 guests including special guest Betty Ford—wife of then-U.S. President Gerald Ford. These tours resulted in over 75,000 missionary referrals.

The temple sits on 52 acres about 10 miles north of the United States Capitol in Kensington, Maryland.    A free temple shuttle, funded by donations, is offered to patrons and visitors traveling between the Metro and the Washington D.C. Temple.

Updates

On Tuesday, August 23, 2011, a 5.8 earthquake caused “minor damage” to the Washington, D.C., Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said the temple’s spires and facade were damaged during the earthquake.

“There was no damage to the temple interior and no injuries were reported,” Trotter said. “The temple remains operational.”

Area resident Douglas Wiggins told the LDS Church News that the tips broke off of four of the temple’s six spires. The tip on one of the remaining two spires was bent.