I'm on my phone so I can't look it up but I was taught that Moroni pointed east? West? Which ever way christ would appear during the second coming. I believe this is the only temple with Moroni facing another direction besides the one correct way. Anyone else hear that? Just another bs teaching I guess...
My BIL was the guy that attached Moroni to the Dallas Temple. As a joke, and he spun Moroni to face west. The crowd of on lookers about crucified him for that.
While some design features are relatively consistent and typical, it is my understanding that the *only* required structural design is that the baptismal font is below ground level.
xophor.NLI Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ...the *only* required structural design is that > the baptismal font is below ground level.
To me, the Portland temple looks like most of it is below ground level. All roof and spires.
According to scripture, at the Second Coming the Savior will come from the east (see Matthew 24:27). The Church’s guideline concerning placement of the angel Moroni figures is that where possible, they should face eastward. Sometimes, however, the angel Moroni figure may face another direction in order to align it with the orientation of the temple. Originally, the figure on the Los Angeles Temple was placed facing southwest, the same direction the temple faced, but the figure’s orientation was adjusted to face due east upon instructions from President David O. McKay. The angel Moroni figure is placed on the high point spire, not necessarily the central spire. On several temples the figure of Moroni is placed atop a tower that is actually detached from the temple.
Temples without the Angel Moroni
Not all temples have a figure of the angel Moroni. Some, such as the Laie Hawaii, Mesa Arizona, and Cardston Alberta Temples, were not designed with towers or spires, so they have no angel Moroni. And even though the St. George, Logan, and Manti temples all have towers, they are topped with simple weathervanes rather than the angel Moroni. Some temples have had to delay the placement of the angel Moroni because of building code restrictions. This happened in Boston, Massachusetts, and Sydney, Australia, where figures were added after construction was completed. The only other temples that do not have figures of the angel Moroni are the Hamilton New Zealand and Oakland California Temples.
I stand corrected about the Portland Temple. (I've never actually been there) Does anyone know if at anytime moroni was not facing east. There is a story I heard about why it wasn't but since it is, obviously the story was incorrect. Anyway I did a google search and found that there are actually quite a few temples that moroni isn't facing East or isn't there at all. Like I said, I was raised with the superstition that there was a meaning and purpose to everything including this stupid story about moroni on top of temples. What did I think, that every moroni on every temple would magically come alive and trump their horns to welcome christ. The problem is, I didn't think for myself!
The Angel Moroni typically faces east. Presumably this is symbolic of Moroni heralding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, who will come from the east (Matthew 24:27). Not all Moroni statues face east, however. One exception is the Angel Moroni atop the Nauvoo, Illinois Temple. This angel faces to the West in commemoration of the Saints' Trek to the Great Salt Lake Valley from Nauvoo. Other Moroni statues that do not face east are: Accra Ghana (NorthEast); Anchorage Alaska (NorthEast); Apia Samoa (SouthWest); Boise Idaho (South); Buenos Aires Argentina (SouthEast); Chicago Illinois (North); Dallas Texas (South); Johannesburg South Africa (South); Kona Hawaii (NorthEast); London England (South); Manhattan New York (SouthWest); Manila Philippines (West); Mexico City Mexico (south); Nuku'Alofa Tonga (West); Oaxaca Mexico (SouthEast); St. Louis Missouri (South); Santiago Chile (South); Seattle Washington (West); Seoul Korea (south); Stockholm Sweden (south); Suva Fiji (south); Taipei Taiwan (west); and Veracruz Mexico (west).
Temples with no Angel Moroni statue are Cardston Alberta; Hamilton New Zealand; Laie Hawaii; Logan Utah; Manti Utah; Oakland California; and St. George Utah.
You see, this is a common misunderstanding. Moroni has traditionally faced east, not because that is where Jesus would resurrect from, but because they were all facing the big money banks that were located along the east coast of America. Money being the most important principle of Mormonism, this was seen as an important point of symbolism.
Now all the once great American financial institutions are broken, so the Moroni statues will now face west, across the great Pacific ocean towards the land of China, where the new great money lending houses are located.
when people are buried they are supposed to be facing to the east - the direction that the christ is supposed to be coming from on his second coming, just as the Sun rises in the East, to witness the event.
However, if Moroni is supposed to be declaring the word of god in preparation of the second coming, then he is a component of deity and should be faced west, as a fore runner of the event of gods coming, towards those awaiting the event, just as God will (supposedly) be at his coming...... unless God is going to return with his back towards humanity ..... which would be quite fitting considering how belated his second coming really is.
I live south of the Equator. We have to walk backwards into the bathroom because of the Coriolis effect--otherwise the toilet backs up.
Moroni faces east on our temples down here except for Saturday when he takes a vacation day so he can go to his trumpet lesson with Arturo Sandoval.
Most of the temples also have drive-thru windows where you can pick up a bag of tamales, humitas, or empanadas. (Stay away from the goat empanadas unless you like walking backwards into the bathroom a lot.)
This is a cash-based society, where folks expect to receive what they pay for immediately. Thus you can get a temple recommend without paying your full tithe; however, the temples are coin-operated--put in a couple quarters for 15 minutes. Kinda like those peep shows in the back of porn shops back in the States.
Everything I just wrote is a lie; after all, technically I'm still a Mormon.
The doors on the Los Angeles temple face south. I'm told Moroni originally also faced south. But, David O. McKay instructed that the statue be turned so it faces east. This disrupts the architectural flow of the building. In addition, if one looks at the back of Moroni's robe, one will see a hem turned up. I have no idea why, perhaps it's a Mormon tribute to Marilyn Monroe standing on a NYC subway grate!
At the time the LA temple was built, only the SLC temple had a Moroni on it. Washington DC was the next temple after LA to have a Moroni. The sculptor was given freedom to make the statue unique.
A few years ago, older temples, such as Idaho Falls, got mini Moronis placed on them. These temples, along with the newer mc-minis, have the SLC traditional design.
I like to think Of them as the Morg's version of the Asherah Poles with male Boner worship.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2017 03:21PM by BYU Boner.
In downtown Salt Lake City, on the southeast corner of State Street and North Temple is a large statue of Brigham Young. His back is to the temple and he is facing, with outstretched arm, to Zion's Bank.
Jesus has to come from the east because the earth turns eastward and the space ship from Kolob would be floating as the world turns for these are the days of our lives Dallas.
The Moroni on the Seattle temple is facing west. The Seattle Temple is actually in Bellevue which is just east of Seattle. Perhaps facing west so Moroni can enjoy all the beautiful seattle sun sets over seattle skyline.