Learning in the temple?

[Omaha 680]

I seem to recall a BYU biology professor who said something like "if you pay attention to the order life forms were created as described in the endowment it sounds a lot like the order in which life evolved on earth."

The next time I went to the temple I paid attention to that and I kind of understood what he was saying.

Haven't been to the temple in years but gotta say now I'm curious about slutty Eve.

I really wish you guys wouldn't call her that.

[YOhio]

I really wish you guys wouldn't call her that.

No kidding. That's my super great grandma they're talking about.

[pellegrino]

The temple is a terrible place to snooze. Lots of standing, sitting, participation.

you really haven't been in a while, have you? They cut out at least half of the stand-up-sit-down about four years ago.

[SoonerCoug]

you really haven't been in a while, have you? They cut out at least half of the stand-up-sit-down about four years ago.

They did??!? Tell me more.

[eldiente]

Come and see for yourself

[SoonerCoug]

Come and see for yourself

No thank you.

[SeattleUte]

The temple is a terrible place to snooze. Lots of standing, sitting, participation.

It's a terrible place to stay awake.

[SeattleUte]

When my little BIL went through the temple just prior to leaving on his mission, everyone in the family attended with him....parents, sibs, spouses, even some extended family. Anyhow, after the sesh my MIL came up to my wife and I and commented that she had learned so much during the session. I was intrigued and asked her to elaborate but she said that it was personal and she didn't want to reveal any of it. We never discussed it again.

I would submit that my MIL learns a lot of new things in the temple.

Grammar. Should be my wife and me.

[TripletDaddy]

Grammar. Should be my wife and me.

Agreed.

[pellegrino]

They did??!? Tell me more.

basically whenever you make the covenants by giving signs you are no longer standing.

[SoonerCoug]

basically whenever you make the covenants by giving signs you are no longer standing.

I like that. Progress.

[pellegrino]

I like that. Progress.

I don't, it sucks.

[Northwestcoug]

I don't, it sucks.

Why?

[Bo Diddley]

Grammar. Should be my wife and me.

At least he didn't use myself. Misuse of myself is more annoying to me.

[taekwondave]

Everyone likes to say how much they learn when they go to the temple.

I learned a lot the first time I went to the temple. A whole lot. More than I wanted to learn.

That said, I'm curious to hear whether people feel like they really learn something each time they attend the temple, what kinds of things they learn, and how they learn them (e.g., noticing something not noticed before or feeling inspired, etc.)

I'm sure some people will accuse me of mocking just because it's me, but I am honestly interested in hearing some perspectives on this. I don't recall learning much with repeat visits other than seeing the initial things that I had never imagined.

Ha, my poor wife felt the same way as you the first time she went. She's never gone back (neither have I, but the temple itself doesn't bother me).

My learning in the temple over the years has had little, if anything to do with what it actually has to teach. I really don't think it has anything to teach. I look at it more like...art. Or poetry. I can learn from art and poetry...and scripture, like Isaiah, for that matter, whether or not the creator/author/artist of the work intended me to learn that. I actually got this idea from a talk I read on my mission. I think it was by Elder Eyring.

He said he didn't see the value in trying to figure out what Isaiah was saying. He cited the fact that Nephi tells us to liken the scriptures unto us as evidence that we should ignore what Isaiah really meant/historical perspective/current events in his time/etc and just let the words wash over us like water and try to glean something from them, like we would with poetry or music.

I thought that was beautiful and my companion and I decided to spend 30 minutes each morning reading just 5 verses from Isaiah over and over again and then sharing with each other what we thought the spirit wanted us to know--assuming it wasn't too personal to share, which sometimes it was. I found a lot more value from that method than all those historical studies of Isaiah's time and what-not. Eventually I tried that in the temple and experienced the same thing. I suggested my wife do that but no dice. She never wants to go back there (I don't really either but for different reasons).

I don't believe in the church anymore and all that but I still believe in this method of learning. Our own brains have a lot to teach us and we can use hard-to-understand things as tools that help us tap into that, if you will. For those of you who still visit the temple and maybe have a hard time staying awake, maybe you could try this. You might like it. Start by assuming the creators of the endowment didn't actually have anything they were trying to communicate. Or maybe they were, but it's too hard to decipher or that it really doesn't matter anyway, since the spirit is the greatest teacher. Play with the symbols in your mind like a rubix cube, but don't worry about solving it. Just pretend each and every square has a mystery that only you need to know--that nobody else can confirm or deny. Then you might be on to something, and you might stay awake.

Also gum. Chewing gum really used to help me.