Monday, November 21, 2016

What It's Like To Not Be LDS (it means Mormon) In Utah or Oh, Snap

If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and you want to know what it's like to not be a member of the LDS church living in Utah, I suggest a classic behavior psychology exercise. (Let me be clear, because it's so classic, someone else may have blogged about this idea before. I don't know. I didn't do any research. It's just the best way I know to communicate in a very tangible way what it's like to not be LDS in Utah.)

Find a rubber band. It may be harder than you think, especially if you have a cat or dog or toddler who chews on everything, but be as persistent as LDS pioneers and find a rubber band. Next, put it on your wrist. Now have a conversation with someone. (You might want to explain what you're doing ahead of time or this could be awkward.)

Every time you mention something that relates to the LDS church, snap the rubber band. Possible topics include the obvious--like your church job or the fact that you're going to the temple tomorrow--and the not-so-obvious.

Here are a few to watch out for:

your son's boy scout troop
snap
paying your tithing
snap
needing an idea for Family Home Evening
snap
waiting for an email from a loved one serving a mission
snap
genealogy (I know. That's not strictly Mormon territory these days, but still.)
snap
picking your kids up from a basketball game at a ward
snap
the ward's camping trip next week
snap
choir practice
snap
the casserole you need to make because someone in the ward died
snap
the novel you just got at Deseret Book
snap

After a while, you're going to notice two things:

that rubber band hurts
yes
you talk about church more than you thought you did
yes (but some of us could have told you that.)

As far as the pain goes, once you get sick of it, you'll find yourself trying to think of things to talk about that have nothing to do with the church. You don't want to snap that rubber band, so what's a safe topic? That apprehension you feel right then? That's what we, who are not LDS, feel when we want to tell you something about your life, but we are afraid we will be judged. 

snap

Avoid the pain. Think of as many things as you can to talk about that don't involve the LDS church. If your memory is as bad as mine, write a few of them down. 

Next time you're having a conversation with someone who is not LDS, talk only about those non-snap-worthy topics. Trust me. The non-LDS person will appreciate it.

Happy Thanksgiving!







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