Meridian Magazine's "Becoming Brigham" podcast examined Brigham Young's decision to complete the Nauvoo Temple even as the Saints prepared to abandon Illinois and move west. The episode explores the tension between two seemingly contradictory commitments: finish the temple and leave Nauvoo.

The Nauvoo Temple walls were only halfway up when the Saints faced mounting mob violence and pressure to leave. Church opponents expected the institution to collapse; instead, Young directed members to complete the temple, creating what the podcast describes as a "pressure cooker" for the final months in Illinois. Young reported that the Lord told him to stay and complete the building before the westward migration.

The decision became a test of Young's leadership as Joseph Smith's successor and demonstrated the Saints' commitment to temple worship even amid crisis. The temple was dedicated in 1846 and then abandoned shortly after, later burned by arsonists.