I met a man who makes stained glass for a living. He told me that he has made stained glass for several temples. I was surprised to learn that when the LDS Church builds a temple, the stained glass must have geometric patterns, rather than other artwork. I asked him if he knew why, and he did not know.
I have been in older LDS buildings, and seen stained glass artwork of the First Vision and other scenes from the scriptures or LDS history. Why do you think Church leaders prefer geometric designs in the temple to other artwork?
Wheat & Tares 
It all sounds very Islamic to me. Are they afraid they’d be seen as graven images? Not that that makes much sense given the framed prints hanging from the walls. Maybe it’s more to do with not having enough control over the end result, not trusting the artist.
I’ve often wondered what a Gothic Mormon Cathedral might look like, with stained glass depicting each one of President Monson’s miracle stories, and grand statuary of our prophets and apostles in rapturous poses.
But really, the LDS church is being true to it’s time. We live in a utilitarian, capitalist age, and the spareness of our artwork reflects that age. The Salt Lake Temple and early Utah churches were Victorian. Today’s temples are not unlike some of the new churches being built by other denominations, which emphasize light, space, and spareness of ornamentation.
Hedgehog (1) – It all sounds very Islamic to me.
Funny, it sounded very Jewish to me. That whole “any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath” I like Nate’s explanation as well.
There is a lovely stained glass backlit piece of art similar to the above in the Palmyra temple: the theme of the first vision. It is in the main entry hall near the baptistry. In addition, the tree of life motif is repeated throughout the temple, including a stained glass window that has a clear part which overlooks the sacred grove. It was pointed out that there is no clear glass in any other temples; they made an exception. I love the beauty they packed into the little Palmyra temple. Haven’t been back for many years… Also, in the DC temple, the stained glass in the stairwells is abstract but done very beautifully in such a way that the darker blues and purples are down low moving to light and pale colors and white at the top. Having gone for an early session and then left the temple at about 7 am, the morning light was lovely throughout the stairs region, so used very artfully.
I find the paneling and artwork in the SLC temple to be a bit busy myself.
They probably just don’t want the surroundings to overshadow the purpose. It’s a design decision, and one that might change over time.
I think it’s because it may be much easier and cheaper to mass-produce the stuff, and have it be acceptable in many cultures, than more traditional church stained glass, which is a Western European kind of thing.
Doesn’t the Salt Lake Temple still have that stained glass of the first vision in the Holy of Holies?
I think your OP touches on the answer. The LDS Church isn’t really in the “art history” business, and in general doesn’t want to be saddled with the burden of preserving works of unique artistic or historical significance in any future temple renovations.
(Addendum) Contra the Church’s experiences with the Logan temple and numerous tabernacles, it has been able to completely demolish the Ogden temple and rebuild it in conformance with its modern needs–with nary a peep from the art lovers or architecture buffs in the community.
Left field, I was going to ask the same thing. I hope so, it was beautiful. Also, there is a beautiful stained glass of the tree of life in the celestial room of winter qtrs, and a 12 or 16 pane storyboard stained glass at that temple as well. The sealing rooms include stained glass of celtic eternal knots. Nauvoo has a nice stained glass, i think, near the baptistery or chapel area. I wonder if stained glass art with human figures is unavoidably stylized (hair styles, etc.) and consequently becomes outdated quickly.
I don’t have a problem with sacred geometry, which is extremely specific.
“I wonder if stained glass art with human figures is unavoidably stylized (hair styles, etc.) and consequently becomes outdated quickly.”
Yes. I believe this has been a big problem in European cathedrals for centuries. @@