SLC Punk

I’m in the main Salt Lake City public library. This is one of the slickest libraries I’ve ever seen. The building is very striking from the outside, and the inside has a mix of library and commercial kiosks that I’ve never seen before.

I’ve been getting up to speed on the LDS church. You don’t have to walk very far in the temple square before running into someone that’s eager to help teach you about the place and the religion. They have great reason to be proud. While I’m not allowed to see the temple it is very impressive from the outside. The various other offices, administrative buildings and support buildings are enormous, ornate and welcoming.

I couldn’t help but laugh at lunch time as all the well dressed church staff flowed out of the square and into a mall food court across the street. I wish I had thought to get a picture of all these white guys in business suits chowing down on McDonalds, Long John Silver and other mall food. It’s then that I noticed how effective the homeless people are.

They positioned themselves right at the mall egress points, perched at the parking garage exits right in the middle of the street, and crouched in the shadow of the religious buildings. They were impossible to miss and showed a resourcefulness I’ve rarely seen in panhandlers, without being especially overt or aggressive. I learned today that the LDS church has a huge community service program I wonder how they address homelessness.

As neat as the LDS church has been I find myself surprised by their terminology. Listening to sermons appears to be referred to as “receiving instruction.” The highest council underneath the president is the twelve apostles. It’s odd thinking of the term apostle referring to a constantly changing, living person. The idea that the third, or highest level, or priesthood is called a “high priest” sounds vaguely cultish. Overall though it’s been educational learning about wards, stakes and areas and the structure of the church.

Best moment: Across from the temple square is the the food court area and IT HAS AN ORANGE JULIUS. This may be the last one in existence.