Table in the Wilderness: This Place Temple Square: This Place Temple Square

By D. Michael Stewart

It is a story not known nor told before. Four to five million annual visitors come to Temple Square. Both L.D.S. and non-L.D.S. inquire about what they see and feel. Table in the Wilderness answers questions, reduces prejudice, explains tenets, promotes interest in the Church and missionary work, and affirms that L.D.S. are Christians. It describes the absolutely unique and spiritual magnetism of This Place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781462873807

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Copyright © 2012 by D. Michael Stewart, Ph.D.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011907831

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4628-7379-1

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4628-7378-4

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4628-7380-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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CONTENTS

APPRECIATION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

PART I  PROLOGUE: A PIONEER PERSPECTIVE

I Will Go Prove it for Myself

PART II  ANGELS ON TEMPLE SQUARE

1  Everywhere I Look I See Light in Their Eyes

2  Spiritual Phenomena

3  Questions Often Asked and Answered

4  A Church With Answers: It Just Isn’t Fair

PART III  VISITOR VIEWS

1  What Others Say

2  What Others Do

PART IV  A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DISCIPLE

1  They Taught Me English and They Taught Me Love

2  Senior Moments

3  Life Before Death: Moments of Mirth

PART V  WHY MORMONS ARE HAPPIER

PART VI  THE MISSIONARY DECISION: WHY GO?

PART VII  MIRACLES, VISIONS AND COINCIDENCE

PART VIII  THE TABLE IN THE WILDERNESS

1  The Temple

2  Within These Walls

3  The Wall on The Square

4  Markers: The Great Salt Lake Base and Meridian

5  Mercy of God: The Miracle of the Gulls and The Seagull Monument

6  Under One Roof: The Tabernacle

7  The Great Organ

8  The Tabernacle Choir

9  The Assembly Hall: Chips Off The Blocks

10  The Handcart Pioneer Monument

11  Three Solitary Monuments

12  Visitors Centers

13  The Gardens: A Place of Peace and Beauty

14  The Angel on High: Moroni

15  Outside These Walls: The Conference Center, The Beehive and Lion Houses

PART IX  CONCLUSION

TEMPLE SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHS

FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints try to be

worthy, and hope for a few smiles from Jesus

APPRECIATION

My circle of appreciation is wide. To my beloved wife, Betty Lou Stewart, my wonderful associate editor, for her love and support while serving with me on Temple Square and for helping with all phases of this book. (And especially for seeing the vision of this book through to print after the author’s passing one month after submitting this book for publication.)

To my children, the significant seven, for their support while we served on Temple Square, for being able to share in all that Temple Square offers, and for their inspiration and love.

To Lisa Westlind for her diligent efforts as the editor and proofreader who saw this book from its inception through the struggles and joys of getting it to press.

To Elder Wallace Brazzeal for designing the cover of the book, sharing his photos of Temple Square, sharing his talents while serving on Temple Square, and the many artistic contributions he made in presentations and programs on Temple Square.

To Elder Gerald Westra for the artistic, love-filled presentation of his photos portraying Temple Square which he shared so generously.

To the hundreds of Sister missionary guides and missionary couples serving on Temple Square for sharing just a few of the many daily spiritual experiences they witnessed during their time spent with millions of visitors who came to Temple Square.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

D. Michael Stewart holds a Ph.D. from Wayne State University and has held academic positions at six universities. His business is keynote speaking, training and consulting to national business, government, and educational organizations.

A tireless advocate of family values, Dr. Stewart organized and directed the United Nations International Year of the Family in 1995. This was the first global conference of mayors, local governments, and businesses in behalf of families. Earlier, he produced the acclaimed video Building Your Family Dream, which won the silver medal at the International Film and Video Festival in 1992. His award-winning Bridges program and corporate Adopt-A-School program have brought business employees to school sites, linking corporation, schools, and local governments to strengthen the self-image and life-skills of children and families at risk.

Dr. Stewart’s interests include family, vocal performance, tennis, skiing, biking, running, and reading. He and his wife, Betty Lou, and educator and businesswoman, have six daughters and one son.

Dr. Stewart and his wife, Betty Lou, presided over the Utah Salt Lake Temple Square Mission from 2007-2009. Many of their experiences are included in this book which is sent to press as the final work before his untimely passing in late 2010.

PREFACE

The Psalmist tells of the marvelous interventions of God in the history of ancient Israel—leading them from their bondage in Egypt, dividing the sea, guiding them with a cloud by day and a fire by night, feeding them, quenching their thirst, turning streams out of rock and then he asks: Did God not furnish a table in the wilderness for them. (Psalms 78:19) The rise of a community of believers in the Great Basin Desert parallels ancient Israel’s saga. Again a witness that God has furnished a table in the wilderness where the faithful, the traveler, the inquisitive, and the curious with hungering souls sip, sup, and quench their spiritual thirst and hunger at a place called Temple Square.

PART I

PROLOGUE:

A PIONEER PERSPECTIVE

I Will Go Prove it for Myself

On November 15, 1840, Millen Atwood’s parents joined themselves to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were immersed in water for the remission of sins. And as with ancient Christian practice they had hands laid on to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. They were satisfied that they had found what they were looking for—God had restored the holy priesthood authority, and they saw that the kingdom of God was again fully on the earth. Churches and friends chided their action, but they could not be moved from their conviction, maintaining their integrity. Millen, their twenty-three-year old son was not so sure.

The Atwoods were Revolutionary War participants and hardship was no stranger. Millen thought he too would get religion but mingling with the world had filled him with errors.¹ He began reading The Bible and going to meetings observing that there were wide differences in how The Bible was interpreted. Confusion reigned, Millen prayed much asking the Lord to direct him to His Church if He had one. My mind became a terror unto me both day and night, and I hoped my mind would be enlightened. Finally, I turned from all parties and sects and stood aloof from it all. I stayed with my father and farmed until I was twenty-one. Some years earlier at sixteen I became attracted to a young woman and wished to join her in wedlock, but father born in the land of steady habits objected which I took very hard.²

Atwood observed that at the time churches were springing up in every direction saying Lo this is the way, go not after them. "I used to see wonders at camp meetings held in the woods lasting nearly a week. Men and women would lose their strength and fall prostrate on the ground and the minister would pray and would exhort sinners into repentance. This almost scared a sinner like me into religion, but I could not feel as they said they did. I could not act the hypocrite, and sometimes I thought I was given over to hardness of heart and blindness of mind. Had I sinned away the day of grace? I almost became an infidel. My father would try to comfort me in those young years by telling me God would raise up a church in the last days, for there were many of the prophecies yet to be fulfilled. If that was so, I thought, he is sure making it hard to find