Tags:
Hi Jezzy,
I've lived in Southern Utah for just over ten years now. Most of my friends are Mormon, because most of the people here are. Yes, missionaries come to my house. They seem to be sent by the nice elderly couple down the road. Its no secret that I'm not LDS, but only a few know I'm an atheist. When asked i tell the truth. But most of the time they only ask "What church do you go to?" I can answer quite honestly that I am a Unitarian. Most Unitarians , at least the ones I know, are openly atheist, or at least agnostic. We think that religion is a pretty bad idea, but church has some merit.
The thing about the local culture that bothers me the most, is the complete lack of curiosity about the outside world. They honestly think that people are "just like them" everywhere else. And what they don't know is mind boggling. I've talked to kids about to go on their mission who have never met a Jew. They didn't even know that Jews are not followers of Jesus. I swear that's true. One girl told me that converting people to Mormonism should be easy, once they tell them about it. After all, its a better deal than worshiping half a god.
I have lived in Utah for 38 mostly agonizing years. I grew up in So Lame City, but I'm currently in Ogden, which actually isn't too bad, if only there were more jobs in my field here. I will stop there, otherwise I'd end up writing a book.
I have been saving my pennies to leave this miserable place for a very long time. I am so close to being able to afford to move right now that I can almost taste it.
I expect to be moving within a year, maybe two. When I do, I will never look back.
I moved to Utah five years ago. I was born and raised in Alabama (the Bible Belt), and spent five years in Colorado before moving to Utah. I own a home here, met my husband here and had my daughter here. Some of my friends are Mormon, but you should know that Salt Lake City itself is actually less than 50% Mormon. We have one of the most liberal mayors in the country, and there is a thriving GLBT population. We also have a very active cultural/art scene.
Missionaries have come to our door before, but I usually just mess with them. We are happy here, and we have a huge group of atheist/non-religious friends. We don't feel like the minority. We plan to stay here probably until retirement. :)
© 2018 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: Richard Haynes.
Powered by