--- description: The artifacts will be on display in a new exhibit opening in Salt Lake City, where the Mormon Church is based title: Church of Latter Day Saints Offers Rare Look at Ancient Relics image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2819227588546ac9/6986a1ed35ba6f89c1c03a60/mormon-church-salt-lake-city.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [faith](/tag/faith/) ## faith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Mormon Church Offers Rare Glimpse at Faith's Relics by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 3, 2014 11:47 PM CUT  The Salt Lake Temple of the Mormon church on April 5, 2014 in Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Temple of the Mormon church on April 5, 2014 in Salt Lake City,George Frey—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 3, 2014 11:47 PM CUT Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are offering an unprecedented look at ancient [Mormon artifacts](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/mormon-historical-treasures-display-25231847?singlePage=true "undefined") as a part of a new exhibit at the Mormon church’s historical library. The “Foundations of Faith” exhibit will feature a collection of 26 books, manuscripts, and documents that trace back to the faith’s founding in the mid-1800s, the Associated Press[ reports](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/mormon-historical-treasures-display-25231847?singlePage=true "undefined"). The LDS church has long been known for its secrecy, but the religion’s leaders are hoping the exhibit will increase non-Mormon understanding of the faith. “We need to be open and transparent,” Steven Snow, a Mormon historian and recorder, told the AP. “There are questions that arise occasionally, and we need to deal with them in an honest, forthright way, which we are trying to do.” The artifacts will be on display in the Salt Lake City-based church’s library starting this week. \[[AP](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/mormon-historical-treasures-display-25231847?singlePage=true "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3265652/mormon-church-offers-rare-glimpse-at-faiths-relics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3265652/mormon-church-offers-rare-glimpse-at-faiths-relics/"},"headline":"Mormon Church Offers Rare Glimpse at Faith's Relics","datePublished":"2014-09-03T23:47:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:59:56.173Z","description":"The artifacts will be on display in a new exhibit opening in Salt Lake City, where the Mormon Church is based","url":"https://time.com/3265652/mormon-church-offers-rare-glimpse-at-faiths-relics/","keywords":["faith","Religion"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2819227588546ac9/6986a1ed35ba6f89c1c03a60/mormon-church-salt-lake-city.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2819227588546ac9/6986a1ed35ba6f89c1c03a60/mormon-church-salt-lake-city.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mormon Church Holds General Conference In Salt Lake City","caption":"Mormon Church Holds General Conference In Salt Lake City","creditText":"George Frey—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/faith/","name":"faith"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3265652/mormon-church-offers-rare-glimpse-at-faiths-relics/","name":"Mormon Church Offers Rare Glimpse at Faith's Relics"}}]}] ```