Hello again, everyone! Having set the background in my last post about the current temples in the Asia Area that are in operation (with the one other that has been announced), I am now pleased to turn my attention to the future possibilities I see for new temples within that area. Let's dive right into that topic.
My study has shown that the following cities could potentially get a temple of their own, and that this could happen sooner rather than later: Phomn Penh Cambodia; Jakarta Indonesia; Taichung Taiwan; Ulaanbaatar Mongolia; Singapore; Hyderabad/Rajahmundry India. So why did each of these locations make my list? I'm glad you asked.
The Cambodian capital city originally made my list because my brother-in-law served his mission there. But as I did more studying on the prospect, the case for a Cambodian Temple is compelling for at least a couple of reasons. Saints in that nation currently travel to Hong Kong to attend the temple, an inordinate distance of 965 miles, almost five times further than President Monson's goal to have temples within 200 miles of every member.
When the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated, that distance will be cut just about in half, to 436.6 miles. Even that is more than twice that of President Monson's goal. So Cambodia would qualify by distance alone from both its current temple district, and the one under which it would fall once the Bangkok Temple is dedicated. Additionally, Cambodia ranks as #9 of the top ten countries with the strongest LDS presence but without a temple.
Jakarta Indonesia is another location with a strong case in favor of a temple. Someone with whom I served in Aaronic Priesthood Quorums served his mission there, but the more compelling reason for a temple in this nation is once again the distance issue..Indonesian Saints currently travel a whopping 2,033 miles to attend the Hong Kong China Temple.
That distance will be cut only slightly (to 1,919.4 branches) once Indonesia is transferred to the Bangkok Thailand Temple District. But even then, the distance between the two is more than 9.5 times further than President Monson's goal. So an Indonesia Temple makes sense.
Though the Taipei Temple only covers 17 stakes (with 108 wards and 9 branches) the total 117 congregations there are spread throughout Taiwan. And the Saints in the Taichung area have to travel 104.1 miles to attend the temple. While that is below the 200 mile goal, I can certainly see the case for a Taichung Temple.
Ulaanbaatar Mongolia is another location in which a temple makes sense. In addition to the number of Church units which I cited for Mongolia in my last post, it is significant to me that the Saints in Mongolia have a journey of 1,805 miles to get to their currently assigned temple Unless plans change, Mongolian Saints will continue to be served by the Hong Kong China Temple once other nations are shifted to the Bangkok Thailand Temple district. So based on mileage alone, a temple in Mongolia will likely be built sooner rather than later.
We next turn our attention to the possibility of a temple in the nation of Singapore. In addition to the information already cited about the number of Church units within that nation, I wanted to again note the distances involved. Right now, the Saints in Singapore are 1,609 miles away from the Hong Kong China Temple.
Once the Bangkok Thailand Temple is dedicated, that distance will be cut to 1,136 miles. That is still almost six times more distant than President Monson's goal. Additionally, President Gordon B. Hinckley publicly proposed a temple for Singapore in January 2000. As one who has followed temple developments extensively, I know that President Monson has announced several temples during his administration that were publicly proposed during that of his prophetic predecessor, so I could see a Singapore temple happening sooner rather than later.
Now, to the final possibility I have on my list: in India. In addition to the number of Church units already noted, it is significant to me that Elder Neal A. Maxwell publicly proposed a temple for New Delhi in June 1992. That said, both Rajahmundry and Hyderabad seem to have a stronger Church presence and therefore a better chance that either will be the better option for the first temple in India.
With the political unrest in India and with the bulk of the citizenry adhering to Hinduism, the Church may not yet be mature enough in that nation to see a temple. Some have ventured their opinion that a temple in India is more likely 15-30 years down the road, That is why I have listed the India option last among these possibilities. The Lord can announce a temple wherever He wills and wherever the people are ready for it, and while I would love to see an LDS temple in India in the near future, it may be more distant than anyone thinks.
That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Particularly, do you agree with my list, are there possibilities I should eliminate, or any that I may have overlooked? I look forward to the feedback. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Temple Site Possibilities--Asia Area, Part Two: Potential New Temple Locations
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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The hardest part about India is that the stakes are all spread out, making it hard to predict where India's 1st temple would be.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking at Mongolia for some time now. I expect that one before too long.
Same thing for Singapore or Malaysia in general near Singapore possibly due to land issues.
I like all of your picks really. I'm not sure how far this Area goes, but I have also thought about the possibility of a future temple in UAE (United Arab Emirates) but not for a while.
Lastly, Davao Philippines.
Thanks for taking time to comment, Kenny! I appreciate hearing from you, I hope India might get a temple sooner rather than later, but again, I concur with the experts who say that might not happen until 15-30 years down the road. If India becomes more receptive to the gospel, that may be cut short a bit. But I leave that process up to the Lord.
DeleteMongolia seems a sound prediction for the reasons I outlined above. Between Singapore and Malaysia, I personally see Singapore happening first, if only because such a temple has been proposed by President Hinckley. I seem to recall hearing that there may be obstacles to a Malaysian temple, but I don't remember specifics about when that statement was made, who made it, and what it was. I heard it said once that the Church has land in reserve in various locations worldwide, and I also heard it said that if a temple is publicly proposed by an apostle or Church President, it is a near certainty that the Church has land in such locations, and that those will get an announcement at some point. I know that several temples currently in various phases were publicly proposed during President HInckley's administration, and that President Monson has gone on to officially announce many of these.
The UAE may be a good place for a temple, but due to political and religious climate issues there currently, I don't see that happening in the near future. Perhaps within the nest 20-39 years, but probably not before. The Lord has been known to surprise us in such things, so I can't rule it out completely, but I see that as more of a long shot.
The Philippines is an interesting case. The island nation is near enough for some to see it as somewhat connected to the Asia Area of the Church, but it is technically classified as its own area, at least as far as the Church is concerned. I have two or three temple possibilities for the Philippines, which I will detail more in the post in this series that covers that area. Thanks, Kenny!
I agree, I think an announcement for a temple in Davao Philippines will be soon. I think no more than five years at most.
DeleteHello again, Chris! Thanks for this additional comment. Since I am doing this series of posts alphabetically by each Church area, I am still in the very preliminary stages of that series. Having covered the two Africa areas previously and this area here, The plan is to continue that series in that order until I have covered every area in which I see one or more possibilities. At some point, I also intend to do a general post for those areas that I feel will not be getting a temple for the foreseeable future. There are a few of those. Thanks again for taking time to comment, Chris! I appreciate you!~
DeleteIn the UAE the bulk of members are foreigners, such as from the USA and the Philippines. I wonder how a temple will be staffed?
ReplyDeleteHey, Chris! Thanks for your comment. For the reasons I outlined in my reply to Kenny above, I see a temple in the UAE as more of a long shot that may not occur until 15-30 years down the road. The Lord could surprise us all in that regard, but I don't see it happening any time soon. In terms of staffing any temple, maybe you saw the comment I made on the LDS Church Growth Blog in response to someone who claimed that since Sierra Leone didn't have enough "old people" to staff the temple, that would likely rule out the possibility of a temple for that nation. I have believed and witnessed that if the Lord inspires the prophet to announce a temple anywhere in the world, a way will be opened for that temple to be staffed. If and when the Church announces a temple in the UAE, a way will be provided to staff it sufficiently. I am sure that is one of the many factors that is considered when determining any temple site. And as one who worked in a temple for six years within which there were problems having enough people on each shift, I know that the Lord has and will continue to inspire people worldwide to serve in each temple. I saw that repeatedly in my six years at the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. So the "staffing issue", as some have termed it, is not actually an issue. Thanks for your comment, Chris!
DeleteIn 2013 Elder Holland dedicated the Abu Dhabi Stake Center on land that was donated by the Crown Prince.
DeleteSee the Church News article from March 5, 2013. I do hope for a temple in the Middle East and feel it will most likely be in in that area.
That's interesting, Chris! Thanks for sharing that. The article in question seems to indicate that governmental regulations and the prevailing political climate would not be conducive to allowing a temple to be built there. That said, maybe things have changed in the four years since, or will change in the next 15-30 years to allow such a temple. The Lord has been known to work miracles to get His temples where He needs them. In the meantime, I checked on it, and the UAE falls under the Middle East/Africa North Area, which, because the Church there is mostly comprised of Latter-day Saints stationed there for military duty, has a high rate of turnover. The Church is not likely to announce a temple within that area until there is sufficient member support on a consistent basis that would allow such a temple to be staffed and kept busy.The Middle East/Africa North Area would be one I am planning to cover in the post I described earlier about the areas of the Church that I feel won't get a temple this go-round. Stay tuned for that whenever I can make it happen. Thanks again, Chris!
DeleteI hope for a temple in Mongolia. My wife is from there and one of the first people baptized in her city. There are now two branches and a church built meetinghouse in that city now. The capital city has two stakes. There is one other district plus 4 additional branches scattered around the country. I am hopeful for India, four districts have advanced to stakes within the last five and a half years. There are three other districts plus five branches not connected to a stake or district.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten about your wife's connection to Mongolia. For the reasons I outlined above, I have included the Mongolian capital and 2 potential locations for India. Of the two, Mongolia seems more imminently likely, and I could see that happening any time within the next 5 years. As for India, I won't rule out a miracle or be surprised if it happens sooner, but I still do not see an immediate possibility that there will be a temple announcement anytime soon. The political and religious climate still seems a bit too risky to allow a temple to be built. I could be wrong on that. It happens. But I think a temple for India may be more of a long shot. Still more likely than some other locations I have held on my reserve list for future predictions. Thanks again for commenting, Chris!
DeleteI understand that someday the temple in Old Jerusalem will be rebuilt. One rumor that I heard when I was younger was that the BYU Jerusalem Center could be remodeled as a temple. However the land it is on has a 49 year lease that was signed in 1988. However it is renewable.
ReplyDeleteIt was my understanding (which may or may not be correct) that the rebuilding of the Old Jerusalem Temple would only occur during Christ's millennial reign, and that when it happens, it will be built on the same site where it once stood. That will be interesting to see. Thanks again, Chris!
DeleteMy comment of Maylasia was strictly that it would be called the Singapore a temple but due to limited land issues the temple could be built technically in Maylasia as much as any other temple is named after the nearby major city even though it is not actually in that city, i.e. Washington D.C.
ReplyDeleteI'll make more comments on UAE when you get to that area than.
Mongolia is very ripe for a local temple to reduce distance and travel costs/issues. Cambodia is another ready area. Vietnam is just starting on developing church growth and we'll have to see how quickly that country grows in the church. In the mean time they will have Thailand and hopefully Cambodia. I'd say that Vietnam is a good 30 years plus away of not longer.
Thanks for that clarification, Kenny! I personally don't think a temple built in Malaysia would be called the Singapore Temple, primarily since the two are separated by a distance of 1.5 times the 200 mile distance President Monson specified as his goal for temple distances. And while Singapore may have limited land available, I highly doubt President Hinckley would have publicly proposed a temple for that nation if there wasn't already land the Church either hand their eyes on or to which the Church already had ownership. That has seemed to be the case for every temple that has been publicly proposed and has gone on to be announced and built.
DeleteIn terms of the UAE, or any nation in the Middle East/Africa North Area, the problem with the idea of a temple in that area in the near future is the high rate of turnover due to the membership being primarily composed of those in the armed services (which I know from having a brother-in-law who has had tours of duty there both prior to and following his marriage to my sister). Because the Church in that area doesn't have consistent, long-term residential Church membership, a temple would be difficult (if not impossible) to staff. The area in question, being in the one world area where Christianity may not be able to flourish sufficiently, primarily because those living in the area do not believe in Christianity, let alone in the teachings of the Church, The Church is established there in branches (for the servicemen and their families), but has not taken root, and may not for a while. is one of the few for which I have no temple prospects listed. I cannot rule the possibility that it could happen if the Lord willed it to be so, but I see that as only being possible far down the road, at least 50 years out, if not more. I have been wrong before, but that is my feeling.
As to the final part of your comment above, I fully agree with your assessment of my choices of Mongolia and Cambodia. While Vietnam has made important strides in its acceptance and recognition of the Church, the nation is still very new to the Church, and as such, a Vietnamese temple may also be further down the road. That said, I see a temple in Vietnam well before one is built in the Middle East/Africa North Area. It may indeed be 30 years out, but I also know that the Church has been known to prosper and expand quickly in areas where it has been officially recognized, as we have seen in both South America and Africa. It will be interesting to see what happens there.
In concluding this comment, I hope I never have and never will come across in anything I say as if I am trying to be a know-it-all that defends his own thoughts no matter what. I welcome the insight of others, whatever that feedback might be. I always treasure the times when such feedback changes or corrects the thoughts I have shared here.Thank you for taking time to make this additional comment, Kenny! I appreciate you doing so.