Creating a Cursed and Sanctified Temple, 1965–1984
Creating a Cursed and Sanctified Temple, 1965–1984
This chapter examines the transformation of the Kirtland Temple as a site of interest into a site of contagion, only then to be blessed along with the surrounding land as a place of promise. While the Kirtland Temple still remained an ambiguous site for many Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pilgrims, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints agents on the ground in Cleveland worked out a story that could explain Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' possession of the temple while still embracing it as a holy site. This resanctification of sacred space offers several insights into the study of sacred space that may be “useful to think with.” First, this case study illustrates the power of middling agents in creating and sustaining sacred spaces. Second, it illustrates that the creation and maintenance of sacred space may be one strategy that religious groups use to answer theodical questions, or questions about the presence of evil.
Keywords: Kirtland Temple, pilgrims, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, holy site, sacred space, theodical questions, evil, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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