Author Archive: Ultimateplaces Photography

It was quite the surprise the other day when I came across this scene of an LDS church up for sale in the Salt Valley, the heartland of the Mormon faith. Along this particular stretch of road there are probably 5 different wards in less than 2 miles, and its been that way for almost 50 years. Seeing this prompted me to do a bit of catching up on the Mormon church in Utah, having been away from the state for years. My most recent recollection was of a church expanding, especially its number of temples (the sacred space Mormons get married), across Utah and the globe. But I know enough about Mormonism, and the state western religions in general in the face of rising secularism in Europe and America, that I wasn’t surprised when I came across the following article.

A majority of Utahns don’t identify as Mormon, study says.

“SALT LAKE CITY — A new study on membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints finds that for the first time ever, a majority of Utahns do not identify as Latter-day Saints or Mormons.”

While I can’t specifically tie the decision to sell this one particular church, in the heart of Utah’s largest community, to the changing religious demographics of Utah, I don’t think its a coincidence either.