The Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us on Patreon and receive the full newsletter, podcast transcripts and access to all of our religion content.
Predicting the next temples
Church President Russell Nelson is the most prolific temple builder in Latter-day Saint history. He has announced 185 — more than half — of the faith’s 367 planned or existing temples.
Last fall, he named 17, stretching from Idaho to Italy to Ireland. How many might he tack on at next month’s General Conference — and where might they be located?
Independent church tracker Matt Martinich tackles the latter question in his fresh list at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com of the 10 “most likely” cities to hear their names pronounced next month for new temples:
• Spanish Fork, Utah.
• Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines.
• Bo, Sierra Leone.
• Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
• Rigby, Idaho.
• Lomé, Togo.
• Southeast Salt Lake County (Cottonwood Heights, Holladay or Sandy).
• Evanston, Wyoming.
• San Pablo City, Philippines.
• Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
The two from Utah would give the Beehive State 33 existing or planned Latter-day Saint temples.
How much the Giving Machines gave
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Santa Claus makes a selection from the Light the World Giving Machines at Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska, in November 2024. The machines raised more than $16 million this year.
The church’s Light the World Giving Machines — those big red kiosks of kindness — raised more than $16 million this past holiday season.
Located in a record 107 cities spread across 13 countries, the machines drew 850,000 visitors and nearly half a million donated items, according to a news release. In human terms, the gifts will mean 2 million meals for hungry individuals; 500,000 vaccinations for children; 125,000 emergency food boxes for refugees; and 106,000 chickens, goats and beehives to provide food and jobs for thousands of villagers.
Since their 2017 debut, the machines have shelled out nearly $50 million in aid.
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: The porn predicament
(Illustration by Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
A Latter-day Saint psychologist discusses whether viewing pornography is addictive; why men and women watch it; how the church has improved its rhetoric on the topic; and how to help those who want to stop looking at such explicit images.
Listen to the podcast.
The writings of Heber J. Grant
(Photo courtesy Utah State Historical Society/Tribune negative collection) President Heber J. Grant is greeted by a crowd at a train station in Salt Lake City in 1936. His journals are now available online.
Only Brigham Young served longer as church president than Heber J. Grant. During his 26-plus years at the helm, Grant guided the faith through Prohibition, the Great Depression and World War II.
Now his journals — along with letters, business papers and family documents — can be found online in the “Heber J. Grant collection, 1852-1945.”
They’re Devils, not devils
(Rick Scuteri | AP) Arizona State's mascot, "Sparky," is shown in 2022. ASU fans earned praise for not participating in anti-Latter-day Saint chants during a recent basketball game against BYU in Tempe.
Good news for Brigham Young University: Not only did the Cougar men’s basketball team defeat Arizona State in Tempe recently but also the Sun Devil fans were, it turns out, not devils.
They did NOT shout any vulgar anti-Latter-day Saint chants, The Arizona Republic reports, unlike has occurred in other arenas this season.
From The Tribune
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bulletin boards in the halls of the College of Humanities in the Joseph F. Smith Building at Brigham Young University in February sports a rainbow symbol.
• Rainbows are disappearing at BYU in an atmosphere of fear surrounding LGBTQ+ support.
• As the U.S. debates the status of refugees, the church holds up its most famous one in a newly released video.
• Apostle Jeffrey Holland, 84, reflects on his life — which he says “is nearly gone” — and his late wife, Pat, in a surprise appearance at RootsTech.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Latter-day Saint apostles Jeffrey Holland, Neil Andersen, and Kathy Andersen at the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
• Utah lawmakers have approved a measure that could lead to more Sunday business closures in the state.
• A Utah lawmaker’s effort to nudge the scientific community toward giving the Mormon cricket a new common name never got off the ground during the recent legislative session.
• From Brigham’s daughters to today’s teens, a new book celebrates 150 years of the Young Women program.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) "Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870–2004," is now available.
