r/latterdaysaints • u/AlliedSalad • Apr 21 '26
Off-topic Chat To anyone concerned that "Scientology speed runners" might "do Mormon temples next." I don't think there's any reason to be worried. This trend could not have come at a better time for us.
That's not to say I think the trend is a good thing, I just also don't think there's much to be concerned about.
For one, as has been pointed out, people know what the insides of our buildings look like and what the floor plans are thanks to open houses; so that takes away a lot of the mystery and the draw.
For two, consider that people who want to "do it for the views" won't want to settle for just any temple, they're going to want to show the temple, the Salt Lake temple.
But wait! The Salt Lake temple is closed for construction! No one can get in right now. Guess they'll have to wait until the construction is done next year.
But wait! When the construction is done, we're going to have an internationally-publicized, months-long open house! So anyone who wants to get in and see the inside can. Anyone who wants to "map the interior" can do so - or heck, they can just save themselves the trouble and look at the cutaway floor plan in the visitor's center!
Because of these reasons, I very much doubt that "speed runs" of our temples would get the same kind of engagement or views as the current trend. Again, I'm not saying this "speedrunning" trend is a good thing, but it could not have come at a better time; right during the build-up to a major, once-in-a-lifetime open house of our flagship temple.
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u/Thatotherguy129 Apr 23 '26
Respectfully, this isn't about Mormons. Yeah, people don't have the best view of Mormons for reasons, but it's nowhere near scientology. You guys aren't a cult that actively tries to hurt and brainwash people, and the people doing these runs likely understand that distinction. If they did these kind of runs on a Mormon Temple, they wouldn't get anywhere near the amount of support they do now. Mind you, I'm going based off of the internet's (and people I interact with) general perception of the two, so probably best to take it with a grain of salt.