Independence_temple Independence_temple

Independence temple - Definition and Overview
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Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994.
The Independence Temple is an impressive house of worship that dominates the skyline of Independence, Missouri, USA. Headquarters of the Community of Christ, the temple was built the Latter Day Saints of the Reorganization in response to a revelation presented to their 1984 World Conference by then church prophet/president Wallace B. Smith. The temple was dedicated on April 17, 1994.
Looking up the spire from the sanctuary of the temple.
The temple was designed by Gyo Obata and resembles a large spiral shell. The building cost $60 million to construct and has a $20 million endownment to pay for its perpetual upkeep and maintenance. The temple's main sanctuary has seating for approximately 1,600. The temple also contains the church archives, a temple school, administrative offices of church headquarters, movie theaters for visitors and a gift shop. The building has become a tourist attraction and an approximately 60,000 people visit the temple each year.

Wallace B. Smith's great grandfather, Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, originally prophesied in 1831 that a temple to the Lord would be built in Independence. The early Latter Day Saints purchased a 73 acre parcel of land known as the "greater Temple Lot." At the time temple site was dedicated on a portion of this property, but they were driven from the county before any progress could be made toward its construction. (The original temple site itself is now owned by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), another Latter Day Saint denomination.) The Community of Christ's temple is built on the greater temple lot, as is the Auditorium, and a visitor center of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Latter Day Saint denomination.

The Community of Christ also owns a temple in Kirtland, Ohio which is open to the public as a historic site.

References

  • Laurie Smith Monsees, The Temple: Dedicated to Peace, Herald House: 1993.
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