A Sprawling Answer

Hey gang! This blog is in response to another blog posted by a friend of mine. Her blog can be read here, along with a few of her other ramblings which are thoroughly enjoyable to read!

So, the basic question was this: Why are so many Mormons mean? The whole point of the religion is love, understanding, and compassion!

For those of you who don't know me personally, I am (dun dun DUUUUN) a Mormon.

(They're...they're everywhere!!)

I was born into a mostly Mormon family, grew up, went through my questioning phase, and after browsing my personal thoughts and feelings and the beliefs of other churches, I'm still filed under 'LDS.'

Now, I don't know how many of you have ever met a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (ie Mormons), or have lived in Utah, and to a lesser degree Idaho. But it is a true fact, and one I've had shoved in my face often, that those of Mormon faith can be kind of nasty when they're in packs.

In fact, I've encountered both sides of the nasty fence. I've been ruthlessly picked on because I was LDS, and have known people who were ruthlessly picked on because they weren't.

It's a sad fact! Those who claim to have the greatest love of whatever deity they believe in can turn around and be the meanest people!

But, I believe, therein lay the issue. No matter what a church preaches, no matter how wonderful the ideals are or how marvelous the people running the show are, the members are still (tragic music) people.

A person can be understanding, kind, sympathetic, nonjudgmental, giving, and all sorts of wonderful faith/trust/pixie dust kinds of things. But people? That's where fear, irrational anger, and bullying comes from. Whichever group has the bigger pack is generally going to feel every inch of britches that it has. It's a long standing tradition; minorities get picked on, and un-minorities are jerkwads.

Is there a solution to this? Sure. Persons need to prevent themselves from becoming People. Don't be sheep, bleating along with your fellows just because you all have furry butts. Don't be salmon, swimming right into a Grizzly bear's mouth just because all the other salmon are doing it. And don't assume that anyone else is exactly like anyone else, just because they share one trait, be it religion, sexuality, race, or taste in music.

People who come from a different background than oneself are the richest source of that special something that makes ones own world bloom into something new and wonderful. Shutting that out because you disagree on one thing is, for lack of a better word, dumb.

Well, I think that was a poorly constructed answer, but the point got across alright.

Now enjoy this video!