Gordon's house
On my way to the Capitol this morning, I took a stroll around the LDS Conference Center to see how the funeral arrangements for President Gordon B. Hinckley were shaping up. Mormon families, many with very small children and infants, are converging in the frigid temperatures to honor the LDS prophet.
With a major storm on the way, Hinckley's viewing could have reconnected the faithful with their pioneer roots. Unfortunately, instead of recreating the church's infamous 1856 handcart fiasco, the crowds are permitted to sit in the humongous conference center, where, as church PR has bragged: you could park a 747).
So far, the crazies haven't shown up. The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church has a permit for a demonstration on the corner a block east of the conference center. The Westboro blot on Christianity doesn't much like Mormons and thinks Hinckley has been too accepting of homosexuals. (I can hear the chortling at the Salt Lake Gay-Lesbian Center's Marmalade coffee shop from here.)
Hinckley, of course, built the conference center, and reportedly caught flack from some leadership for p
ouring money into a building that would only be used twice a year. Few events, other than monster-truck rallies and papal visits (unlikely), can take advantage of the monstrous venue.
Also, the name, "Conference Center," caused some speculation that it was simply a place holder until Hinckley died. Then, it would soon become the "Gordon B. Hinckley Center."
With a major storm on the way, Hinckley's viewing could have reconnected the faithful with their pioneer roots. Unfortunately, instead of recreating the church's infamous 1856 handcart fiasco, the crowds are permitted to sit in the humongous conference center, where, as church PR has bragged: you could park a 747).
So far, the crazies haven't shown up. The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church has a permit for a demonstration on the corner a block east of the conference center. The Westboro blot on Christianity doesn't much like Mormons and thinks Hinckley has been too accepting of homosexuals. (I can hear the chortling at the Salt Lake Gay-Lesbian Center's Marmalade coffee shop from here.)
Hinckley, of course, built the conference center, and reportedly caught flack from some leadership for p
ouring money into a building that would only be used twice a year. Few events, other than monster-truck rallies and papal visits (unlikely), can take advantage of the monstrous venue.Also, the name, "Conference Center," caused some speculation that it was simply a place holder until Hinckley died. Then, it would soon become the "Gordon B. Hinckley Center."
4 Comments:
I don't believe the Conference Center will be named after President Hinckley, and I think I heard him say once he never wanted it to bear his name, though I cannot find a citation. Besides, you don't see any other building in the Church Complex named after an individual; no Brigham Young Tabernacle or Spencer W. Kimball Church Office Building, etc. I do not see any reason for them to break with that tradition now.
dd: Aren't there TWO BYU buildings that were named after GBH during his life?
IMHO, that's a bit over-the-edge.
There should be at least a 20 yr waiting period to assess the place in history of any individual Before a landmark could be named after him/her.
The LDS already have a (bad) rep of venerating leaders.
There is the Joseph Smith Building.
Guy,
I was referring to the Downtown SLC Church Complex, not BYU or anywhere else where I know there are several buildings named after Church leaders, living and deceased. And the LDS do venerate their leaders as prophets, but they do not believe they are infallible, regardless of what Stephen Colbert would have you believe.
DCN: Thanks for the correction, I didn't remember that. But I still call it the Hotel Utah; that's probably the only exception to the rule, that I can think of now.
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