Rebuttal to false information
Rebuttal to false information
A Mormon's Pilgrimage
"One of the cornerstones of the Mormon faith is their pilgrimage to visit each of the LDS Temples. Members from around the world are encouraged by their leaders, to exercise “Temple Recommend” and visit all Temples; especially the new ones." - Little Deer Valley Homeowners Website. Accessed Jan. 1, 2009
My rebuttal -
There is not, nor has there ever been encouragement from leaders to “visit all [the] Temples”.
Yes, members of the church who have “Temple Recommends” are encouraged to visit the temple often. But there are over 130 temples worldwide, and members are encouraged to visit the temple in the area they live. For example a member living in Las Vegas would attend the Las Vegas Temple, while a member living in Maryland would go to the Washington D.C. Temple.
This is the purpose for building a temple in Phoenix. Leaders of the Church want members living in Phoenix to have a temple close to home so that they don’t have to travel far to attend a Temple. Furthermore the Phoenix Temple will not have a Visitors’ Center to accommodate visitors and due to the temple's small size it will not be able to accommodate very many out of area members.
My rebuttal -
There is not, nor has there ever been encouragement from leaders to “visit all [the] Temples”.
Yes, members of the church who have “Temple Recommends” are encouraged to visit the temple often. But there are over 130 temples worldwide, and members are encouraged to visit the temple in the area they live. For example a member living in Las Vegas would attend the Las Vegas Temple, while a member living in Maryland would go to the Washington D.C. Temple.
This is the purpose for building a temple in Phoenix. Leaders of the Church want members living in Phoenix to have a temple close to home so that they don’t have to travel far to attend a Temple. Furthermore the Phoenix Temple will not have a Visitors’ Center to accommodate visitors and due to the temple's small size it will not be able to accommodate very many out of area members.
It will be another Mesa Arizona Temple (With lots of Visitors)
"The Mesa Temple is the most visited temple outside of Utah"
- Little Deer Valley Homeowners Website. Accessed Jan. 1, 2009
While this may be true, I couldn't verify the information because this quote's source was listed as the "official lds.org temples webiste" (temples.lds.org). And this website has none of the information which they cite on the homeowners’ website. Here are the facts -
The Mesa Arizona temple is made to be visited; it has a visitors’ center, cafeteria facilities, and the yearly Easter Pageant. The Phoenix Temple will have none of these, it is being built to serve only those in the immediate area.
The Mesa Arizona Temple has a square footage of 113,916, while the Phoenix Temple will only have 29,463 square feet. Meaning that the Mesa temple is 3.9 times larger than the proposed Phoenix Temple.
- Little Deer Valley Homeowners Website. Accessed Jan. 1, 2009
While this may be true, I couldn't verify the information because this quote's source was listed as the "official lds.org temples webiste" (temples.lds.org). And this website has none of the information which they cite on the homeowners’ website. Here are the facts -
The Mesa Arizona temple is made to be visited; it has a visitors’ center, cafeteria facilities, and the yearly Easter Pageant. The Phoenix Temple will have none of these, it is being built to serve only those in the immediate area.
The Mesa Arizona Temple has a square footage of 113,916, while the Phoenix Temple will only have 29,463 square feet. Meaning that the Mesa temple is 3.9 times larger than the proposed Phoenix Temple.
The Church is not working with local residents
"They thought they could come in and we would just have to accept what they gave us, but the residents are saying 'no." - Scott Anderson, the Chairman of the Phoenix Property Rights Coalition. In a interview with abc15, Dec. 2009.
This is not true.
In response to neighbors' concern over lighting, blocked views, and traffic, the Church has agreed to extinguish its compliant lighting every night at 10:00 p.m., exchange its white exterior for an earth-toned exterior, and comply with numerous City stipulations including dedications and improvements determined by the approved Traffic Impact Study, dedication of 32 feet for half-street roadway improvements, a Multi Use Recreational Trail Easement, a streetlight, paving and incidentals for half-street roadway improvements, a parking management plan, a proportionate share toward a traffic light at 51st Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road, a construction management plan, a proportionate share toward traffic mitigation, and inviting neighborhood representatives to all site plan review meetings.
This is not true.
In response to neighbors' concern over lighting, blocked views, and traffic, the Church has agreed to extinguish its compliant lighting every night at 10:00 p.m., exchange its white exterior for an earth-toned exterior, and comply with numerous City stipulations including dedications and improvements determined by the approved Traffic Impact Study, dedication of 32 feet for half-street roadway improvements, a Multi Use Recreational Trail Easement, a streetlight, paving and incidentals for half-street roadway improvements, a parking management plan, a proportionate share toward a traffic light at 51st Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road, a construction management plan, a proportionate share toward traffic mitigation, and inviting neighborhood representatives to all site plan review meetings.
The Temple will cause traffic and parking problems
No it will not.
The temple does not accommodate a large number of patrons at any one time. Traffic flow is nominal, and ample parking is available on site (140 spaces) and at the adjoining meetinghouse (176 spaces). The conclusion of a Traffic Impact Study, examined by City engineers, is that two-lane Pinnacle Peak Road is more than sufficient for the demand. No visitors' center, pageant, or other large-crowd event will occur following the open house.
The temple does not accommodate a large number of patrons at any one time. Traffic flow is nominal, and ample parking is available on site (140 spaces) and at the adjoining meetinghouse (176 spaces). The conclusion of a Traffic Impact Study, examined by City engineers, is that two-lane Pinnacle Peak Road is more than sufficient for the demand. No visitors' center, pageant, or other large-crowd event will occur following the open house.
The Temple will block my Mountain View
It should not.
The visual impact of the temple on mountain views is minimized by generous setbacks—five times greater than the minimum, a buff-colored exterior, world-class landscaping, and a tiered design that tapers to a thin central spire.
The visual impact of the temple on mountain views is minimized by generous setbacks—five times greater than the minimum, a buff-colored exterior, world-class landscaping, and a tiered design that tapers to a thin central spire.
The Lighting System will ruin the dark skies
No it will not.
A sophisticated system of directed lighting, which more than complies with the dark sky ordinance of the neighborhood, will softly illuminate the temple in the evenings until 10:00 p.m. Lighting for the temple will be a quarter as bright as the lighting for the Mesa Arizona Temple.
A sophisticated system of directed lighting, which more than complies with the dark sky ordinance of the neighborhood, will softly illuminate the temple in the evenings until 10:00 p.m. Lighting for the temple will be a quarter as bright as the lighting for the Mesa Arizona Temple.
