The first time I went through the Salt Lake Temple, I was awestruck by the historic murals and architecture, which were clearly a labor of love and faith by early Latter-day Saints. I was saddened to see that the current leadership of the LDS Church has destroyed most of the temple’s interior, replacing it with a megaplex of theaters so as to accommodate larger crowds in less time.
This “modernization” of the temple appears to be part of the church’s effort to stem the current exodus of young people by reducing the demands on members, shortening meeting times, curtailing activities and responsibilities and eliminating organizations.
What church leaders fail to grasp is that young people don’t necessarily want a church with fewer demands, less structure and diminished social opportunities. Rather, according to surveys published in the book “The Next Mormons,” they want a church that treats women as equal to men; that welcomes all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity; and that doesn’t align itself with a single political party that is antithetical to their beliefs and values.
Somehow the destruction of the temple interior seems symbolic of the church’s effect on the souls of former Mormons, myself included, who gave up trying to fit in because they weren’t Republican, heterosexual, cisgender, and married with children. Until LDS leaders accept these realities, the church’s destruction of its architectural heritage will only be collateral damage to its alienation of many of its (formerly) faithful members.
Blair Bateman, Midvale
