Andy Jacobsen

Over the last several weeks, those of my faith have been blessed to be able to share our recently completed temple in Cody. Many of our friends and neighbors attended the public open house. Those who attended were polite and respectful. Many had questions. I am sure not all agree with us in regards to our temple or our beliefs. I hope that attending the open house helped them to see better who we are and what we believe. 

Above the entrance to the temple is inscribed these words, “Holiness to the Lord, The House of the Lord.” For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we consider our temples a sacred and holy place. It is a place where we make sacred promises with God. Everything we do in the temple is meant to point us to Jesus Christ.

Building a temple in Cody was not without opposition. Some opposed various aspects of the temple — from location, to height and lighting. Throughout the process, from announcement, to groundbreaking, to the open house, our plea to members of our faith has been to follow Jesus Christ. His teachings about making peace in the Sermon on the Mount are needed as much today as they ever were. He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

I appreciate those who were kind, who followed Jesus. In this great country where we have religious freedom, it is important to protect those rights even when we don’t see eye to eye. If the right of one religion can be taken away, so can the rights of another. We should stand up for each other in our right to worship God.

In supporting the religious freedom of others, we follow another teaching of Jesus. We follow the two great commandments to love God with all our heart, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:36-40) 

As we learn to love God and to love our neighbors, we invite peace. The ability to disagree without being disagreeable can help us as we follow Jesus Christ. Our ability to love as he loved is limited by our choices. If we choose to love him first, loving our neighbors is easier. I am grateful for good people in our communities who choose to practice their chosen faith. Our Christian values teach us to love one another. In following Jesus Christ, not only are we saved by him, but we are changed by him. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

(Andy Jacobsen is president of the Cody Wyoming Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)