Although I haven't been LDS for decades, I remember the plainness of the chapel, the monotony of color and lack of decoration. The constant screaming of children, the smell of diapers and the boredom.

A few weeks ago I attended a recital at the chapel of a Dominican convent. What a contrast! The chapel was light, beautiful, filled with stunning stained glass windows, a high, curved ceiling, and graceful statues. There were no screaming children; only adults listening respectfully. How wonderful to be in a place of worship and not be distracted by the noise and commotion. The magnificent organ played Bach and several other classical pieces followed by more recent compositions.

The experience was wonderful and afterwards I realized that even though it was a concert rather than a religious service, I automatically expected all the bad Mo stuff.

Hope this doesn't come across as some proCatholic message. That's not what I mean. I found stunning beauty in a religious setting and I was astounded. How the Mormon church stunts our intellectual and spiritual growth.

My parish church is '50s architecture at it's worst, and the chapel in my High School was shaped like a horseshoe, concrete on the outside, blue mosaic tiles all over the inside (the kind of tile you find in men's rooms from the sixties, and narrow stained glass windows the pattern of the Partridge Family bus.

I never could and still can't understand anyone sitting in a "religious" service and putting up with screaming kids and kids who don't sit still. No way would I last a min. there. And yes, some churches have such beauty inside- it is calming and relaxing. I love some of the old churches.....I love the stained glass. I love the balconies some have. Any church with character and one that is not boring is a place I can find comforting. Of course I can find a mountaintop just as comforting or the ocean too.

There are cetainly some ugly Catholic churches but there are also many beautiful ones. You can't find many beautiful Mormon churches, especially the modern ones that are all pretty much alike.Some of the older ones have some character but none of the ones I have seen come close to some of the Catholic and Protestant churches I have been in and I am not talking just about big cathedrals.