Why do temples seem to be built in rich areas?
Question
Gramps,
Why does it seem like temples are built in “rich” areas? I realize that the Church wants the temples visible from afar, but it’s frustrating to see temples built in affluent areas. Why can’t they be built in more “common” areas?
Tiffany
Answer
Dear Tiffany,
This is a conversation that would be easier to have in person because then I could ask you for more specifics as to what you mean. Â Since we don’t have that liberty, I’ll do the best I can. Â I’m not clear on why you think that our temples are built in “rich” areas. To me, that does not always seem to be the case. Â First though, let’s consider some factors that might be considered in determining a temple site:
- Temples are meant to be (in appearance as well as function) the ideal – to point our minds to the celestial kingdom. This is why they are our most beautiful buildings, and why the grounds are gorgeous. As such, temples are often placed in areas which can reflect this beauty.
- Temples are meant to be used. Thus, it’s logical for them to be placed in proximity to the saints. In some (not all) cases, extreme poverty hinders living the gospel and the first goal is to help someone escape that area / life so they can enjoy / live the gospel (as opposed to spending every waking moment struggling to survive). That said, the Lord will place them where the Lord will place them.
- Which is point three: the Lord knows where temples should go and inspires the prophet accordingly.
- Temples should not be vandalized or desecrated. That’s partly why we have walls / fences around so many. This reality is another reason to consider location – will it be safe there – for the building and the attendees and workers.
The next thing to consider Tiffany is the locations of our temples. Â You can find a list here:Â Temples
Looking at that list: Â I would like to ask you if you consider all of those locations “rich. Â For example: the first couple on the list are in Africa. Â The Ivory Coast Temple is still in the planning stages, but when complete it will be the sixth temple in Africa. There are also temples in Central and South America. Â None of the countries of Africa, nor the countries of Central and South America are known for being “rich”. Â Mexico, also not known for its wealth has more than one temple.
A little closer to home, perhaps, let’s consider temples in the United States.  Glancing at the list, Billings, Montana; Boise, Idaho; Payson, Utah; Provo, Utah, Snowflake, Arizona, these are all locations with large populations of church members, but none of these are “rich” places.  Seattle, Washington is a large well-known city, so you might consider that a “rich” area, but have you visited that temple?  It is located right off of I-90 at an exit, and sits just above a strip mall/bowling alley/car dealership. Across I-90 and just a few blocks west of the temple is Factoria, a part of Bellevue heavy in retail outlets.
Perhaps your concern is more about the money spent on temples?  As I said before, temples are intended to elevate our minds and spirits so they are beautiful.  Don’t think though that these beautiful buildings mean that the Lord or His church ignores the poor and needy.  The church’s humanitarian “arm” reaches widely.  The LDS Charities website states that since 1985, LDS Charities has helped millions in 185 countries.  Their projects include helping with food, water, emergencies, immunizations, maternal and newborn care, vision care, wheel chairs, and community projects.  The Church also helps the poor through fast offerings, and donations to the Perpetual Education Fund, missionary fund, etc.
So you see, Tiffany, this world belongs to the Lord, and He will allocate his resources as He sees fit. Â Through the examples, I have given you, I hope that you can see that He cares for all of His children rich and poor, by teaching us to help one another.
Gramps
The Medford Oregon Temple sits across the street from an old farm yard and falling down barn. There are cows in the pasture. That is on the west. But once the temple was built, the city invested big money on the roads and subdivisions to the east. It seems like the presence of the temple raised the standard for the whole area.
this is sometimes the case and nice that people can provide a couple of examples. Still the majority of modern temples are build in wealthy neighborhoods across the globe.
Explain Washington DC or Las Vegas, neither are located at the center of where members live in the area, they are both at the center of some of the most wealthy. Chicago, Atlanta, Newport Beach, Fort Collins, Denver, DC, Oakland, San Diego, Louisville, Indianapolis, etc. for just a few examples are all built in extremely wealthy areas where the majority of the members in those districts do not live very close (in the same neighborhoods) to these temples.
Another example would be the Manti, Utah temple. Manti is a small farming town, and was even smaller and poorer when the temple was originally built.
Accept when built Manti was to be a key center for the church but plans changed. Siting one or two examples hardly makes up for the fact that most temples built in the last 40 years have been built in highly affluent neighborhoods.
The New Zealand Temple is surrounded by fields covered by grazing cattle. There is a need to build these building in an area which will not become a run down area of town over a long period of time. Brent Wood
Also often the land is donated by church members who live near by or adjacent. These donation are in the areas where we live as members
Sometimes this is true. So what your saying is the Temples sit on donated land and not inspired locations selected by the Prophets as directed from the Lord? Which is it? because if it’s mostly on donated land from wealthy members it confirms the question rather than validating Gramps answer.
If wealth was a true indication surely there would be 10 to 20 temples in Washington D.C, New York, California. From my mission experience in Washington D.C there are soo many saints that are building the kingdom with their financial contributions, yet they only have one temple (and they don’t mind).
I think Gramps was stretching it quite a bit here. The person was not asking about rich countries or rich cities but rich neighborhoods. Most new temples built in the last 30-40 years have been built in highly affluent neighborhoods even if the nation itself is not generally wealthy.
Gramps comments about Africa or Mexico were frankly lame. There are certainly wealthy neighborhoods, areas and towns for that matter in both these places. Its like claiming California is poor because it have farm country in and inner-city poor neighborhoods while ignoring that much of CA. Is among the most expensive places to live in the nation (and happen to have temples in them) Oakland, New Port beach, LA, San Diego.
The Cebu City Temple in Cebu City, Philippines was dedicated in 2010. If you’ve been there you would never expect such a large and beautiful building could be hidden among filthy streets, worn out shops, and muddy roads cluttered with litter. The area all around it is really “trashy.” Though it is a chaotic area, having a temple there really increases the feeling in the neighborhood and adds great beauty making it seem a lot nicer than it actually is.
Just as our lives are often filled with garbage and are cluttered, growing closer to the savior and receiving his light in your life and countenance can physically make you brighter and add beauty, just like a temple will do to its surroundings.
The work is still growing and temples will fill the whole earth like they do in Salt Lake and Utah counties. I’m sure smaller ones will continue to be built in more remote areas as the work progresses. No matter where you live, the Lord will provide a way according to your faith.
Nobody will perish and not be saved because they couldn’t monetarily afford to recieve the knowledge necessary that can only be attained in the temples. Work for the dead and the millennium will be a time of this work for all those who didn’t recieve that opportunity in this life.
There are SEVERAL factors which can explain the siting of an LDS Temple in a “Posh” area…
1) Like Grandpa Potts of “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang”, it’s the “Posh Life” for the Church…
2) The Church’s property arm is a major player in the real estate business. Of necessity to get sites for future meetinghouses, stake centers, institutes, seminaries, and, of course, temples, it’s a buyer and seller of properties, which that business pays taxes and is regulated like any other real estate entity.
3) Since most Church facilities, especially temples, are long-term investments, the trends in member locations has to be projected. A temple in a more ‘ritzy’ area, where the neighbors already have incentive to maintain the property values, is less risky. Plus, the land may have been acquired by the Church decades ago, so that capital investment by today’s standards is likely a pittance.
4) At times, the Temple itself factors into the ‘gentrification’ of an area…that is, older members, with some money built up over the years, tend to prefer closeness to a temple, other things considered. Market demand stimulated by LDS member interest can influence property values decidedly upward.