Esotericism made exoteric? Insider and outsider perspectives on the 2006 Mormon Temple Public Open House in Espoo, Finland

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss two perspectives on Latter-day Saints’ (Mormons') temple open houses. First, that of the Latter-day Saints themselves, who are placed in a delicate situation as they present the temple to the public while simultaneously desiring to preserve its esoteric nature. What do they want to accomplish and how do they go about doing it? Second, the perspective of the public, whose reactions exemplify layman views of what it can be like to peek into a sacred and esoteric world foreign to oneself. What kinds of forms can their thoughts take at Mormon temple open houses? The particular case considered in this article is the autumn 2006 open house at the Helsinki Finland temple