Lengthier response coming soon.

1) Our society doesn’t have much in the way of symbolism or ritual.

2) Our church is low on ritual and symbolism. In our normal Church meetings, we don’t have many formal rituals, things that have to be done in very specific ways. Yet in the Temple ordinances, we wear ritual clothing, perform ritual actions, and say ritual words. As long as you go in expecting the unfamiliar (and read a few of the things here), you should be just fine. Don’t expect to have great epiphanies or insights the first time through. Most people are simply trying to keep up.

President David O. McKay spoke several times about how and why his initial temple experience was less than stellar, and “ritual” was part of it. See his comments. ©

It is an unfortunate truth that not everyone has a good first experience at the temple. The reasons are many and varied; Perhaps

Sometimes, well-meaning family or friends don’t know how to talk appropriately about the Temple, and thus end up “over-selling” the spiritual aspects of the temple. While the Temple is indeed a spiritual place, comments like these create unrealistic expectations, often resulting in a less than ideal experience. Someone who expects the Temple to be the spiritual peak of their life and lacks any preparation for the ritual or symbolic aspects