Hello again, everyone! As a result of the release of details on the renovation for the Hong Kong China Temple yesterday, I know there was some discussion in the comments of my last post, on the reasoning behind the removal. My expressed belief at that time was that the removal would be temporary. But as a result of that discussion, I determined to do some more digging on my end. And that additional research has led to some clarification on what is actually happening there and why. So let's talk about that.
First, some background: As previous temples have been dedicated or rededicated, a common question from media representatives is why, if the Church claims that Jesus Christ is the center of our faith, would the statue of the angel Moroni appear on top of such temples. And within the last year, we have seen President Nelson implementing measures to correct the Church's course and to ensure that the role of the Savior is being properly emphasized. With that background in mind, we have also seen recent examples in temple construction where the angel Moroni statue has not been included in the design of those temples. Such examples include the Paris France, Kinshasa DR Congo, Port-au--Prince Haiti, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Lima Peru Los Oivos Temples.
The factors I have laid out here provide some context, I hope, into why the Church is moving away from having the angel Moroni statue on some temples. And in addition to the other reasons I outlined in the comments section of my last post, I hope my explanation here has provided further illumination, clarification, and correction on this matter. The angel Moroni statues serve a definitive purpose for the temples on which they still exist, and the fact that such a statue will be used on both the Quito Ecuador and Belem Brazil Temples once they are built indicates that in some cases, the Church will still use the statue. But in other cases, in order to send the right message about the proper central focus of our faith, the angel Moroni statue will have filled its' intended purpose for the period of time it was used, and thus may not continue to be used.
In conclusion, and by way of clarification and correction to what I noted yesterday, it is absolutely true that the angel Moroni removal will be permanent for the Hong Kong China Temple, and there may be more to the reasoning about that decision than what I have outlined here. In the meanwhile, I am sure that in some cases, the angel Moroni will continue to be used. And what this comes down to is that the prophets and apostles in our time have determined that the angel Moroni statue on this temple has served its' purpose, and that its' removal is in harmony with the Lord's will for it. I hope with that, we can all be content. I'd also like to apologize for unintentional misleading any of you based on what I said in the comment threads of yesterday's post. It was not my intention to perpetuate inaccurate or false information, and I am committed to being more careful in the future about ascertaining the facts before I offer an opinion or analysis on such things. In the meantime, I continue to monitor all other Church news and temple developments, and will pass word of such things along to you all ASAP through either new posts or via the comments on existing posts.
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
CORRECTION: Clarification on Angel Moroni Removal in Hong Kong
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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I know in some cases a steeple or tower may not be included to satisfy local zoning laws as well.
ReplyDeleteFair observation, Chris. I don't know whether a change in HOng Kong's zoning laws is what led to the planned removal of the angel Moroni statue for this temple, but if that was the case, it would absolutely make sense. Thanks for stopping by to comment, Chris. I always appreciate hearing from you.
ReplyDeleteI figured Hong Kong would be grandfathered in. But I am not sure if Hong Kong recognizes grandfathering. I am still curious for the change regardless. But we have had temples without spires for almost a century.
ReplyDeleteSuch as the first Hawaii temple.
ReplyDeleteThanks for these additional observations, Chris. I was aware that on some temples, spires do not exist (the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple will be the latest temple with that distinction), and I wish we had more clarification than we do in terms of what goes into the decision to not include a spire in the first case, or in this case, what led to the decision to remove the spire on the Hong Kong China Temple. But going back to what I said in the comments of a previous thread, often the prophets are inspired on design concepts for reasons that, to those not privy to the process, may not make sense. There have surely been some things announced that might not work out so well on paper with a logical, mortal approach, such as seems to be the case here.That said, I also find it conforting to know that the Lord is in the details of what happens with original or altered plans for His holy houses. Everything happens for a reason. And for whatever reason, the removal of the spire needed to occur at this time.
ReplyDeleteWhat that might mean for the future of temple construction may remain to be seen. But I fully naticipate that some temples will continue to feature the angel Moroni, while others may not. Again, Chris, my thanks to you for your continued feedback and observations, which are always on point.
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ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree with James that this specific removal of the statue (& spire) is to do with President Nelsons plea to focus on Christ & his church & proper representing this church. When plans of the Paris temple were publicly released the church was quick to note local zoning laws did not approve a spire because of height restrictions and thus no Moroni too. The church promised to include an outdoor Christy's statue which it did indeed keep this promise.
ReplyDeleteNow with Moroni imagine rich Asian culture and faith where having physical symbols are not only represented as symbolic but are spiritually concerned too. Idols are to be highly respected and sometimes even worshiped, statues are for bowing down too.
This culture of Asian symbolism has no part in the gospel of Christ & Moroni would confuse many locals with what the church is all about. I'm guessing the church wants to keep designs simple and step away from Moroni in Hong Kong altogether. Notice the church has made no mention of a Christus statue appearing anywhere near the Hong Kong temple like the church did with Paris. Just my thoughts and opinion here.
With Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, multiple Japan temples OK yes so they all have Moroni present but these were designed before the Nelson era temples. Maybe President Nelson what's to balance the number of Moroni temples vs non Moroni's as the non Moroni's are very minimal Id be pretty sure its all for the same reason-focusing on representing Christ and his church the right way to be seen as the Church of Jesus Christ not Mormon or Moroni.
Hello, William, and thank you for taking time to comment. I'd concur with you that Asian culture presents a different set of circumstances when the Church is working around appearances and regulations. That may certainly be the case in Hong Kong. It is good to see, however, that the Bangkok Thailand Temple has such a statue, and in the nations of the Asia North Area (which now includes Mongolia) may not have such an issue. As we saw, the Tokyo Japan Temple had its' angel Moroni removed and put back as part of the renovation process there.
DeleteIn the case of the Tokyo Temple, the reasining for maintaining the statue could be that the plans for that renovation, which got underway before President Nelson became Church President, were not affected by the reemphasis our prophet has since offered on focusing on the Savior. But it could also be that the cultural misunderstanding which might have sent the wrong message in Hong Kong is not so much a factor in Japan. Of course, I say that as one who doesn't happen to know much about Asian culture, religion, zoning and architectural factors.
And I am also equally as certain that there was more going into this decision on the Hong Kong China Temple than what has been laid out in my post and the ensuing comments. In cases such as this, I find it wise to remember that none of us is privy to the discussions and deliberations of those on the Temple and Family History Executive Council, or to information to which the Temple Department otherwise has access.
There seems to be a general idea among people who have no idea how the Church works that President Nelson's goal is to change as much as he can as quickly as he can. But that opinion on the part of so many overlooks or doesn't otherwise account for the fact that the Lord requires all decisions made by general Church leaders to be unanimous before He gives His stamp of approval to them.
That thought goes back to the idea that what may not make sense on paper when considering it with a mortal perspective makes abbsolute sense when the Lord inspires it. And we continue to be blessed with a prophet who boldly declares just how much of what he does is being inspired by the Lord. It is certainly wonderful to see that happening to such a significant scale as it has, and I for one can't wait to see what's next. In the meantime, William, thanks again so much for taking time to comment. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Just one other quick note: I have been able to confirm that the open house for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple officially kicked off today as previously scheduled. Tours for that temple will be offered through next Saturday (August 17). And by way of reminder, on the same day the Haiti Temple's open house concludes, ground will be broken for the Belem Brazil Temple, and the 2-week open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple will also begin that same day. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteOne comment was made that we have had temples without a Moroni statue for almost a century. Please note that the first temple built in the west, the St George Temple which was dedicated in 1871 did not have an angel Moroni statue. So we have had temples without an Angel Moroni status for 147 years or since the beginning. Also the next two temples did not have an Angel Moroni statue, Manti and Logan temples. Salt Lake temple did have one but then the next three temples did not have one, Hawaii, Cardston Alberta, Mesa Arizona.
ReplyDeleteDavid, thanks for stopping by with that clarification. You are correct about that. Usually, those who comment here have made a very general observation which can then be expanded on by others in subsequent comments. And in this case, that worked the way it should. Thanks again for this clarification, and for taking time to comment.
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