SALT LAKE CITY — The architectural community is reeling after newly discovered diary entries from a high-ranking LDS Church architect suggest that the increasingly minimalist designs of modern temples have been inspired not by divine revelation, but by the Clipart folder of Microsoft Office 2003.
The journal, belonging to Brother Kent D. Farnsworth — lead designer of over 17 new temple projects since 2018 — was found tucked inside a faux leather-bound Book of Remembrance at a Deseret Industries in Sandy, Utah. Among the entries were several candid reflections on the temple design process, including the following bombshell:
“Sometimes I just type ‘building’ into the Clipart search bar and let the Spirit guide the rest. The Lord works in mysterious stock images.”
Many critics of the church have come to learn that the LDS church’s fight to build oversized steeples in communities around the world that don’t want them was a simple misunderstanding stemming from comically exaggerated clipart of “silly-looking temples.”
Church officials were quick to downplay the revelation, insisting that all temple designs still follow a rigorous process of prayer, fasting, and browsing Pinterest for ‘modern church architecture.’ However, critics note the uncanny resemblance between recent temple blueprints and the kind of graphics typically seen on a Young Women’s PowerPoint presentation about goal-setting.
The transition to increasingly simple, rectangular temples has been praised by some members for their ‘timeless aesthetic’ and criticized by others for looking like they were designed during a lunch break at the Lehi Adobe office.
“At first I thought the Layton Temple was just the placeholder image from the announcement slideshow,” said Sister Maren Whittaker, a local Relief Society president. “But then they actually built it.”
The journal also reveals several rejected temple concepts, including one inspired by the default PowerPoint template ‘Blue Curve’ and another based on the Utah state liquor store facade — ultimately deemed too ornate.
Despite the controversy, Brother Farnsworth’s diary suggests he remains proud of his work, writing: “Not everyone sees the vision. But one day, the Millennium will come, and the Lord will perfect all things — including free-use clipart.”
At press time, the Church was reportedly considering blocking access to Shutterstock’s site after a stock image of a ‘Modern Church Building (Royalty Free)’ was accidentally printed on 10,000 dedication programs for the Helena, Montana Temple.
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