Why Aren't All Mormons the Same?

Dear Bro Jo,

I recently moved to Utah for school. The members of the Church are so different here! I can't wait to live outside of Utah again. Am I too judgmental?

Sincerely,

Stuck in SLC


Dear Stuck,

Yeah, you're being judgemental.

But I understand.

Latter-day Saints who've only every lived in Utah, or who've never lived inside the Zion Curtain, don't get it, but the Culture of the Church is not same everywhere. Anyone who tells you there's no cultural difference is, well . . . let's just nicely say that their faith blinds them to certain realities. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . .

(For those that are wondering, the "curtain" is bordered by Boise on the West, Rexburg on the North, St. George on the South, and runs to the Utah-Colorado border on the East)

I joined the Church in California, lived in Salt Lake City for four years, and now I live in Montana, so I know whereof I speak. A sister and I were discussing that very thing today, and I'm not certain that I can precisely define what it is or why it is. She suggested that when you live in a predominantly Mormon area you don't feel the need to bond with like-minded, same-standard individuals the way you do when you're the minority religion, the way you are at other schools. That results in a day-to-day detachment that the Saints in Utah often treat each other with. In an area where everyone is LDS (or at least the majority are) being a member of the Church isn't special, so it seems to be valued less. In fact, I think it leads to an anti-Church attitude, even from Latter-day Saints, that you don't notice much anywhere else.

At my sons' high school they're treated differently by many students because of their religion. Does anyone at Orem High School ever point out that a particular student is a good guy simply because he's LDS? No, of course not; all the kids are LDS, even the "bad" ones.

Outside the Zion Curtain we don't take for granted that everyone approaches every issue with our same bias, and, whether out of necessity or because we're missionary minded, we tend to be more open to the perspectives of non-Church members.

Those aren't just opinions, folks, they're facts.

That said, I really enjoyed living in Salt Lake City, and I wouldn't be surprised if I moved back some day. Sometimes it's nice not to be the only one around talking about Church at work on Monday mornings.

For those of you moving in or out of Zion for a period of time, try not to be too judgmental. We all bring to the table our own experiences and biases; or lives will be enriched if we look for and acknowledge the uniqueness of individuals rather than categorize everyone into one large cultural mass.

- Bro Jo