In the midst of the Civil War, leaders from around the world, and even citizens on both sides of the conflict here at home, wondered if the grand American experiment in democracy was doomed to decline. Many mused, quite loudly, that it appeared the Civil War was the beginning of the end of the United States of America.
With the battle between North and South raging on, resources were scarce, human suffering surged and uncertainty about the future of the Union enveloped the minds of the people. Washington, D.C., was weak and under constant threat. The unfinished dome of the Capitol served as a visual reminder of the precarious position of the nation and the future of American democracy.
Abraham Lincoln was determined to preserve the Union by any and every possible means. In a show of pure confidence as to his belief in what the future held for the nation, Lincoln ensured that the work on the Capitol continued without pause. The rising Capitol dome was a bold, audacious and powerful declaration, and visual punctuation, that America would stand united for generations to come.
Above all, Lincoln was putting to rest the notion that the Civil War was the beginning of the end. Instead, he wanted the people and the world to know that the current conflict was merely the end of the beginning of the onward march of freedom.
Throughout the general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this weekend, speakers, musicians and leaders commemorated the 200th anniversary of the First Vision of founding Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith is revered as a prophet, though he is not worshipped, and was the driving force, with many in his family, of the early success of the church.
When Joseph and his brother Hyrum were martyred in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844, the enemies of the church assumed it would be the beginning of the end of the fledgling faith. The years that have followed have proven that it was merely an end to a marvelous beginning. Great movements always march through challenging times to recognize that perceived endings are usually brilliant new beginnings.
On March 25 of this year, church leaders announced that all temples worldwide would be closed due to the coronavirus. For decades, we have been taught by prophets and apostles that our homes must be temples and holy places of refuge from the chaos of the world.
It is interesting to note that in the dedicatory prayer for the Salt Lake Temple in 1893, President Wilford Woodruff perhaps saw the difficult state of the world we live in here in 2020 and the need for us to look to the temple.
He prayed, “Heavenly Father, when Thy people shall not have the opportunity of entering this holy house to offer their supplications unto Thee, and they are oppressed and in trouble, surrounded by difficulties or assailed by temptation and shall turn their faces towards this Thy holy house and ask Thee for deliverance, for help, for Thy power to be extended in their behalf, we beseech Thee, to look down from Thy holy habitation in mercy and tender compassion upon them, and listen to their cries.”
On Sunday, speaking in an empty auditorium due to COVID-19 restrictions, President Russell M. Nelson concluded the 190th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ in a way that would make President Lincoln proud.
President Nelson acknowledged, “It may seem odd to announce new temples when all our temples are closed for a while,” but then announced that the work of building would continue with eight new temples:
Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
Tallahassee, Florida.
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Benin City, Nigeria.
Syracuse, Utah.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Shanghai, China.
President Nelson concluded, “These eight new temples will bless the lives of many people on both sides of the veil of death. Temples are a crowning part of the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In God’s goodness and generosity, He is bringing the blessings of the temple closer to His children everywhere.”
Continued construction on the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ around the world will serve to signify that current calamities will ultimately subside and a new season will begin.
Pandemics, economic uncertainty and community suffering paint a bleak global outlook. President Nelson sent a clear signal to members of the church and to the world that current challenges do not constitute the beginning of the end. They are simply the end of a beginning, and the new beginning is bright.