Significance of Placing Steeples on the Ground at LDS churches and mormon temples

One day, I paused from the usual cares of the day, and wondered about the symbolism of the steeple that stands beside many of the chapels built upon the Cody plan by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building has a racetrack hallway with the chapel and gym in the center, and classrooms surrounding it on the outside. You may know the steeple I'm talking about, it's made of three metal spires, and stands on the ground in front of the building.

As I pondered about the meaning of placing a steeple on the ground my mind was drawn to the following image, shown as if we could see what is underground.

This image represents the symbolism of the old church being buried, and a new church being built upon it.

The new church still carries with it the name of the old, and stands in the same place, but all else has been buried to hide it from the gaze of a critical world, which did not appreciate the beauty of the original Mormon church. If a doctrine or policy has caused us bad press, we stop teaching it, and then say that we never believed such a thing, it is simply our enemies trying to say unpopular things about us.

For example: What latter day saint prophet in the last hundred years has declared openly to the world that he has saw Christ? What member has done so without being excommunicated? Even in our sacrament meetings, where it should be safe? We're so desirous to be accepted as a mainstream Christian church, that we will not admit to charismatic gifts of the spirit, or angelic ministration, or to an understanding of the mysteries of God, that are not popular with the world. Good media coverage is more important to us than the precious truths of the gospel, so we cast aside every doctrine, ordinance, and policy that would have lead to the establishment of Zion, and the building up of a kingdom of gods on the earth.

In our lust after political, social, and financial acceptance, we have buried and forgotten what was pure, holy, and unique about Mormonism. This forgetting is symbolized perfectly in the way we currently construct our buildings.

Permission granted to copy and distribute this page for non-commercial purposes. Please retain this notice. These writings are not shared as "Revelations to any Church", because we believe that all may receive revelation direct from the Fathers regarding their own circumstances in life. Joseph Absalom