The New Jerusalem
 

It's sort of ironic....if you had asked me in 1990 that in 17 years the church would be starting an unprecedented building effort costing something like a billion dollars, I would have thought it would be the New Jerusalem.

And not a mall.

It's time to realize that SLC is something to be left behind.

Seriously, this seems very strange to me. Spend $2 billion to attract heathens to Mecca, surrounding the sanctum sanctorum with all the glitz and latest trappings of popular Western culture--fancy hand bag shops, multi-plexes, sushi bars, bars. It sums up LDS culture's myriad contraditions. It actually reminds me of some ill-fated Soviet initiative in Siberia.

My vision for downtown Salt Lake: Erect high stone walls around it, fill it will huge, magnificent buildings (that even dwarf the temple) of awe inspiring beauty built to last the ages, cover their interiors with the finest frescos ever created by man, go all across the earth and buy up the greatest paintings and sculptures of the Rennaisance and the Classical and Enlightenment ages to cover the unfrescoed walls and fill the open spaces, and open all edifices to the public. Then the heathens will come, in droves, and they'll feel the spirit of God.

I should be running things down there.

They already have Rocky Anderson, so your presence would be utterly redundant.

No, they have better paintings than that. They will be hanging up Jim Christensen dwarf paintings.

http://www.reparteegallery.com/graphics/jcsanta.jpg

You obviously have never had a really good plate of hamachi or maguro nigishi sushi. It's a spiritual experience.

LOL. Boy, how I despise his work.

I'll vote for you, SU. I think you'd make a fine mouthpiece of the Lord.

Has this been point of discussion around these parts?

I am shocked members are ok with this. What happens if the investment proves insolvent? Why are we ok with a 2 billion plus investment in the things of Babylon? How does this protect the center of the church? I really think SU has a good idea.

Sushi bars, hot chicks with tattoos, girls wearing shoulderless shirts, condo living which attracts progressive couples and singles, all scream something other than what I think Brigham envisioned when he said, 'this is the place.'

Not being terribly familiar with the project, I hesitate to criticize too much.

I think some of us defer to our leaders, while maintaining private skepticism.

You're starting make it much more attractive.