From BusinessWeek: Late last March the Mormon Church
completed an ambitious project: a megamall. Built for roughly $2 billion, the
City Creek Center stands directly across the street from the church’s iconic
neo-Gothic temple in Salt Lake City. The mall includes a retractable glass
roof, 5,000 underground parking spots, and nearly 100 stores and restaurants,
ranging from Tiffany’s to Forever 21....
On the morning of its grand opening, thousands of shoppers
thronged downtown Salt Lake, eager to elbow their way into the stores. The
national anthem played, and Henry B. Eyring, one of Monson’s top counselors,
told the crowds, “Everything that we see around us is evidence of the
long-standing commitment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to
Salt Lake City.” When it came time to cut the mall’s flouncy pink ribbon, Thomas
S Monson, flanked by Utah dignitaries, cheered, “One, two, three—let’s go
shopping!”
Watching a religious leader celebrate a mall may seem
surreal, but City Creek reflects the spirit of enterprise that animates
modern-day Mormonism. The mall is part of a sprawling church-owned corporate
empire that the Mormon leadership says is helping spread its message,
increasing economic self-reliance, and building the Kingdom of God on earth….
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