Temples differ from the religion's more than 100 wards, or congregational meeting houses, in Orange County. Followers routinely attend wards for Sunday worship services, scriptural study and midweek social activities. Local church officials annually review their congregants, then sanction numerous individuals as fully virtuous and spiritually dedicated. To qualify for temple membership, among other requirements, Mormons must abstain from premarital sex, stay faithful during marriage, pay their tithes and observe bans against alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea. They are also expected to attend ward functions regularly.
Temples are significant for numerous reasons.
Every rite is performed for both the living and the dead. That's because Mormons believe in eternal connections between all generations of a family - dating back to humanity's original parents, Adam and Eve. Ultimately, Mormons say, everyone is brother and sister in the family of God. But at the deepest level, temples are essential to the afterlife. When a couple marry in a temple, for example, they believe their union will continue for eternity.