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Aug. 30, 2000
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has opened the doors of its 100th temple to public tours.
Religion Specialist Carole Mikita reports after years of controversy, the Boston Temple is about to be dedicated.
Some call it magnigicent, others say it's too big. The newest LDS Church temple is drawing very strong opinions and it has from the beginning.
On this first day of tours, many still wonder why, with only 16,000 church members in Massachusetts, the building has 70,000 square feet of floor space.
Elder W. Craig Zwick, Pres. North America Northeast Area: "CONGREGATIONS DON'T GATHER HERE. THE TEMPLE BECOMES MORE OF A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE."
Elder Zwick explains some 69,000 Latter-day Saints from throughout the Northeast will use this temple for ancestral baptisms, marriages and other ceremonies.
That's one concern the neighbors have-- all of those visitors.
Diana Devine, Temple neighbor/"I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS. ONE IN PARTICULAR, THE TRAFFIC."
Others have voiced even stronger concerns over traffic and lighting. Some filed suit against the church, claiming a steeple with an angel Moroni statue would violate zoning laws. The church received approval from the zoning board, but that decision has been appealed. The temple will be dedicated without the steeple and the statue of the angel.
Carole Mikita reporting/"LDS Church leaders very much wanted the Boston temple to be the 100th dedicated because of its historical importance. Joseph Smith's ancestors first settled in Massachusetts, and so did President Gordon B. Hinckley's."
Elder Loren C. Dunn, Boston Temple President/"MOST OF THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH AND MANY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH, IN THE EARLY DAYS WHEN THE CHURCH WAS FIRST GETTING STARTED, EITHER CAME FROM NEW ENGLAND OR BOSTON OR COULD TRACE THEIR ROOTS BACK TO NEW ENGLAND OR BOSTON."
More than a century and a half later, President Hinckley announced a temple would be constucted in the Boston area. Now, it is a reality, and for the church, like coming full circle.
A public cornerstone ceremony will be held Sunday morning, October 1st, followed by four dedicatory services.
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