Pastor's FIRST TIME Inside Latter-day Saint Temple

This was my first time attending going inside a Latter-day Saint Temple! My wife and I went to the Temple open house in Saratoga Springs, Utah. How did we feel? What did we learn? Check out my honest thoughts.

Special thanks to Kurt Francom from Leading Saints for joining me in this video: @LeadingSaints

Hello Saints! My name is Jeff McCullough and I'm a Christian Pastor.
This channel is devoted to fighting criticism with curiosity as I invite dialogue between mainstream Christians and Mormons. Are Mormons Christians? What do Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints agree and disagree about? Join me as I compare and contrast the lifestyle, culture and beliefs of Mormons and non-LDS Christians.

#LatterDaySaints #lds #mormonism

[HelloSaints]

This was my first time inside a temple! Did I miss anything in my tour recap?

[lemshaunaguerrero]

It is SO refreshing to hear someone outside of our religion be so respectful of our beliefs. Thank you, you are a beautiful soul.

[FlatEarthMath]

Hello Pastor Jeff, I attended THREE tours of the Philadelphia Temple open house after its construction in 2016, as a 3-decade atheist. (I wasn't one of those intolerant atheists you hear about, I simply didn't believe.) But my wife was a convert, so I went to the open house with her, then with her family, and once by myself. And after a bit of prayer and instruction by some sister missionaries, I was converted by the Holy Ghost on the floor of my living room in a very personal and dramatic fashion. Now I consider myself to be a disciple of Christ, whereas before I only believed in the laws of physics, LOL. Blessings to you! 😇

[AsianPoshDorene]

As an ex-Mormon this was really good. I was sealed in the Provo Temple with my family at 5. My parents were converted in Hong Kong and we flew to the US to visit the temple. Lots of fun memories with our missionaries. They spoke Chinese! The rooms in this video brought back so many memories. Today I’m a Christian - no denomination . Just a follower of Jesus and born again. God is soooo good!! ✝️

[heatherreilly]

As an evangelical, I must say that the Temple was so beautiful, and I very much agree with Jeff's wife. While we consider our church to be a Holy place, after service it can take the place of a social nature at the same time when folks are being prayed for. It would be great to have a separate space to reflect, pray, and be prayed for.
LDS friends please know I hold you in high respect, and thank you for opening up the doors to Jeff so we can all learn about your beliefs and culture

[daowause]

It's nice to see people disagree about doctrine without being disagreeable. We need more of that in society today.

[miadelligatti]

This was awesome! I’m a Latter-Day Saint myself, and it’s not everyday you see someone genuinely trying to understand our beliefs without undermining them, especially on the internet. I really appreciated the reverence you gave to one of our most sacred buildings and how it ties to our beliefs. I also really appreciated how you explained the differences between our beliefs around the temple with your own beliefs! I feel like it was really insightful and helps me understand my Christian friends from other faiths a little bit better!

[Tk.utelab]

One more thing Brother Jeff. As a member of the church of Jesus Christ of later day Saints, I still struggle every day just like everyone else. I haven’t been to the Temple since Covid. I have suffered from anxiety most my life.
I’m a loner. What your Beautiful wife said about the celestial room really really touched my Spirit I actually have tears in my eyes. Your wife has prompted me to go back to the temple not only for myself, but so everyone can feel that piece that your wife felt, forever.

[stb]

It is so great to watch two individuals, who have similar beliefs yet some differences, have a very cordial, friendly conversation without contention at all in a world that is has much contention. 🙂

[angelaconner]

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I want to thank you for this breath of fresh air! The respect you show as you explore our religion is truly appreciated. Also, to echo many of the other comments, seeing a civil conversation about religion where different view points are heard and valued is absolutely beautiful!

[cr]

“A sense of longing and need for rest” is the perfect way to describe the celestial room.

[MetroSA-]

First of all Pastor Jeff, thank you for letting us meet your wife, she looks like a wonderful person. And I am impressed how you explained the Temple like a pro. Do not worry if you do not understand everything on the first take, it’s like drinking from a fire hose. I’m still learning.

[bplaninz]

I am a former LDS member, now an atheist, and I have to comment on how respectful and accurate your video is. Though I’m no longer practicing, I appreciate how you looked to understand rather than project ideas. Thank you for your great video.

[ibanezman]

Dude, I respect you so much! I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I am so grateful for your honesty, curiosity and unwavering faith. I really appreciate that you have created this channel. Keep being awesome!

[sovstte]

I took advantage of the Glen Allen, VA open hours a few weeks ago. As a pastor I have always wanted to see the inside of a Temple for myself. Impressive and beautiful. I asked for a Book of Mormon and they were nice enough to run over to the Stake center on the grounds to get one for me. I enjoy following your investigation of the LDS Church. Thanks.

[supertal]

Your wife's description of her feelings in the Celestial Room brought tears to my eyes. You have a wonderful wife Pastor Jeff!

[shawnbadger]

I'm reminded of a quote from our Prophet this last general conference: "One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people." Jeff, I think we can all agree that you and many others fit this description. Thanks for being a force for good in the world.

[Lance-os]

Thank you so much for your way of approaching our church, Jeff. I'm about to go to my mission as a missionary but I have been watching your journey of exploring our religion for a bit now.
I'm learning so much from your example of approaching the church with kindness and love and has inspired me more to do what you are doing.
I was taught by the church to be Christlike, so when I see you, I see the light of Christ so much in you.

You've help me prepare for my mission and for that thank you so much.

[kaseyjones]

As a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, I just wanted to say how much I appreciated the thoughtful learning from all the different people in this video. There is peace in recognizing our differences but still fostering Christlike and loving friendships. It was really healing to me to hear your, and your wife's perspective and respect for our faith. You are both amazing, thank you for all you do!

[worldkeyvideo]

I can definatly see that Jeff, your knowledge and understanding of the gospel and Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints has grown significantly since your early videos. I appriciant the amount of time and effort you have taken to understand the Latter-day-saint faith tradition. Thankyou. I really appreciate hearing from a faithful evangelical perspective.