With two nondenominational universities together drawing in thousand of out-of-state and international students, Salt Lake City is extremely religiously diverse compared to the rest of Utah. During my walk-abouts throughout the course, I have passed at least 12 denominations.
The variety of architecture in represented in the churches is amazing. The Cathedral of the Madeleine on 331 E and South Temple is Neo-Romanesque with a Gothic interior, while the LDS Temple at Temple Square is a conglomeration of granite and symbols from pentagrams to beehives, though lacking traditional Christian symbols like crosses. The Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral (279 South 300 West) is characterized by its Byzantine style. The First Unitarian Church, on 1300 E just south of Rice Eccles Stadium, features tall palladian windows and slender columns while forgoing religious imagery all together save one flaming chalice at the pulpit. The Metropolitan Community Church (823 South 600 East), being a relatively new and small denomination, is housed in a bungalow style residential house, while the Kol Ami Jewish Congregation serves a very large population of Utah's Jewish Community and includes recreational facilities and a school on site.
According to the Pew Forum on Religious & Public Life, approximately 60% of Utahns identify as LDS (Mormon), but in Salt Lake City, only 36-41% of residents do. This leaves room for other Christian churches like the Episcopalians, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, MCCs, Japanese Christian Church and Greek Orthodox Churches, and non christian churches such as the Universalist Unitarianism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. This variety makes it so that practically anyone can find a community which suits their beliefs and indicates that SLC is a center for tolerance, debate, and intra/international affairs.
Personal Blog -- Kayla Jane Mathisen
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