Because of my work as a genealogist I'm closely involved with my local LDS. I've said it before and I'll say it again: these are the nicest folks I've ever met and the rest of us could learn some lessons from them on community building. I can't help but admire the commitment they have to their faith. This chapter's discussions about the future of Mormonism give me hope that the Church (Mormon, Christian, Muslim ...) may someday evolve into a rational organization that retains the many positive aspects of religion that I've seen in this local Mormon community.

I find myself wondering about the future of the LDS church as well. It is more than a church; its financial resources, through its investment arm, Zion Securities, are enormous.

Of course, the genesis of this spreading beyond just a church building is historical. When the Mormons settled the Salt Lake Valley, they were isolated. Despite my comments on an earlier chapter, I recognize how independent they had to be just to survive. What did they all have in common? Their faith. So they looked to their church leaders for guidance in these other areas. When I lived there, one of Salt Lake City's largest department stores was still, Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution, or ZCMI as it was commonly called. The welfare farm system they established would/should be an inspiration to all of us as a way to aid those who through no fault of their own fall on hard times.