Today I had a service for the Red Cross again, a Golf & Lifestyle event. Basically just a bunch of snobs congregating to talk to each other and incidentally buy some expensive shit on the way. It was very small and we had nothing to do all day - just one of the employees who had a large infection on his right foot as a result of blisters he had treated himself, which he obviously didn't do right. We had him see a doctor, so really hardly actual action for us.
This day started with me waking up, putting on the coffee machine and laying out bread from the freezer to thaw ready for breakfast. It was 10:15 AM, or so I thought... I checked my mail and went to a forum to continue arguing in some thread about how God is an arrogant prick. For no particular reason I checked my desktop clock and it told me the time was 11:30, the shift started at 12. So I checked my alarm clock, which displayed 10:30. It appears I, as happens every year, again forgot to switch back to Summer time as part of the yearly DST routine. So I rushed the rest of my waking up process, taking a shower and shoving some bread into my body. I completely forgot about the coffee, which happens quite often. So I took the bus half an hour ahead of schedule and arrived only fifteen minutes late. There was no problem, fortunately.
While in public transport, I had to switch from one bus to the other. That stop at which I switch is across the road from an LDS church. I remember how I put a balloon on their fence once, which said "don't worry, be happy". Noticing that it was sunday, the lot was filled with bikes and cars. I was amazed that so many people still live a delusion like that.
During the shift me and my partner talked about religion for a bit, she told me of a parent from her school which kept going on about how homosexuality is bad. Perhaps she went on about this because she knows I'm gay, but regardless, she ended with the notion that we respect their religious beliefs, and so they should respect other people as well. We also talked about how a kid in her class couldn't do a lot of things because he had Mormon parents, how even Mother's Day can't be celebrated. It's absurd, really.
Then in the bus on my way back home, as I got in I crossed the two young men, who looked very sharp in neat suits with nice ties. They were about my age, perhaps a year younger, two at most. I smiled at them because they were cute, they smiled back. But then I saw the black name tag, placed perfectly on each of their jackets. I knew enough and I'm not sure they noticed, but my face must have had DISAPPOINTED written all over it.
While sitting a few seats behind them, disappointment soon made way for sadness and compassion. Such attractive, undoubtedly nice young men, in that uniform. I'd let them in for a little talk if they were to knock on my door, just to try to comfort them or perhaps even talk some sense into them. The redhead (my favourite of course) was particularly cute... they seemed such nice boys. Above all, good people should be free to do what their heart tells them to do, not be imprisoned by religious law (and belief).
I'm not sure why they weren't sitting next to each other but chose to keep the path in between them. It's a pity the bus wasn't more stuffed with people, I'd have asked to sit beside one of them in that instance. It hurts to imagine how hard it must be to have your heart in the right place, but be indoctrinated into the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It reminded me of my Christian days.
The LDS church seems pretty accepting towards homosexuality in the Netherlands. European LDS churches seem stunned that the headquarters in Utah is so focused on everything involving sexuality instead of a broader approach to the world's 'problems', which Europeans think are hunger, crime, poverty, etc. But I wish I could just have an open talk with those people, just to try to help them help themselves.
This day started with me waking up, putting on the coffee machine and laying out bread from the freezer to thaw ready for breakfast. It was 10:15 AM, or so I thought... I checked my mail and went to a forum to continue arguing in some thread about how God is an arrogant prick. For no particular reason I checked my desktop clock and it told me the time was 11:30, the shift started at 12. So I checked my alarm clock, which displayed 10:30. It appears I, as happens every year, again forgot to switch back to Summer time as part of the yearly DST routine. So I rushed the rest of my waking up process, taking a shower and shoving some bread into my body. I completely forgot about the coffee, which happens quite often. So I took the bus half an hour ahead of schedule and arrived only fifteen minutes late. There was no problem, fortunately.
While in public transport, I had to switch from one bus to the other. That stop at which I switch is across the road from an LDS church. I remember how I put a balloon on their fence once, which said "don't worry, be happy". Noticing that it was sunday, the lot was filled with bikes and cars. I was amazed that so many people still live a delusion like that.
During the shift me and my partner talked about religion for a bit, she told me of a parent from her school which kept going on about how homosexuality is bad. Perhaps she went on about this because she knows I'm gay, but regardless, she ended with the notion that we respect their religious beliefs, and so they should respect other people as well. We also talked about how a kid in her class couldn't do a lot of things because he had Mormon parents, how even Mother's Day can't be celebrated. It's absurd, really.
Then in the bus on my way back home, as I got in I crossed the two young men, who looked very sharp in neat suits with nice ties. They were about my age, perhaps a year younger, two at most. I smiled at them because they were cute, they smiled back. But then I saw the black name tag, placed perfectly on each of their jackets. I knew enough and I'm not sure they noticed, but my face must have had DISAPPOINTED written all over it.
While sitting a few seats behind them, disappointment soon made way for sadness and compassion. Such attractive, undoubtedly nice young men, in that uniform. I'd let them in for a little talk if they were to knock on my door, just to try to comfort them or perhaps even talk some sense into them. The redhead (my favourite of course) was particularly cute... they seemed such nice boys. Above all, good people should be free to do what their heart tells them to do, not be imprisoned by religious law (and belief).
I'm not sure why they weren't sitting next to each other but chose to keep the path in between them. It's a pity the bus wasn't more stuffed with people, I'd have asked to sit beside one of them in that instance. It hurts to imagine how hard it must be to have your heart in the right place, but be indoctrinated into the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It reminded me of my Christian days.The LDS church seems pretty accepting towards homosexuality in the Netherlands. European LDS churches seem stunned that the headquarters in Utah is so focused on everything involving sexuality instead of a broader approach to the world's 'problems', which Europeans think are hunger, crime, poverty, etc. But I wish I could just have an open talk with those people, just to try to help them help themselves.
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P.P. Due to some further exposure to Mormonism today, I figured I could go ahead and investigate a little more. Just like I've done with Scientology a year or so ago, I'm going to try and get my hands on an English version of the Book of Mormon and see what it's really about - though it obviously is more than just scripture that makes up (this) religion.
14 comments:
Most Mormons celebrate Mother's Day, myself included. All the Mormon kids I grew up with in Utah celebrated it too. If you met one that wasn't allowed to, they were probably unusual for a Mormon.
It's true that not all of us supported recent LDS backed legislation on gays. I didn't.
One thing though, I've heard a lot of stories from Mormons in Western European countries like the Netherlands and Germany. How being a Mormon is sometimes used as evidence of mental incompetence in European courts. Or how women sometimes lose custody of their children just for being Mormon. Mormons seem to be almost universally regarded with contempt and ridicule in these countries.
It kind of makes me wonder if, in Western Europe at least, Mormons are actually a more persecuted minority than gays.
Just a thought, but you might consider cutting the Mormons you meet over there a bit of slack. They basically get treated almost like subhumans.
I know Mormons are looked upon like aliens, that's why I felt so sad for the two guys. They're usually ridicules as the 'silly religion', almost like Scientology; and I never fail to point out to people that yes, the LDS church might seem silly, but it's really no more silly than any other church.
I applaud the fact that the Mormon church is divided over several issues and isn't that hung up about it. If Mormonism was your average Christian church, they'd just make up a new denomination over a disagreement. It is important that people are left free to think for themselves, the LDS church could do better but is not the worst.
One of my Protestant friends noted that thing about making a new church whenever there's a disagreement. You're right that it doesn't really work out that way with Mormonism (although we do have a few fringe break-off factions - like the polygamists in Texas who got raided last year). We keep together - better or worse.
My friend noted that it's almost like the LDS Church is its own religious tradition, rather than a "church." It's just that we keep all the varying stances, opinions, and such under one roof.
Well, fair enough answer. I'm not going to push the issue and protest "no, we're not weird." The only argument that works on that front is knowing real life Mormons and the words of some guy on the Internet aren't going to change that.
Besides, just my own opinion... but it seems to me that a bit of weirdness is kind of the point with religion. So it seems silly to dispute it.
The LDS church seems to have more 'own' culture than your average Christian denomination.
From what I can say of it, I feel that Mormons are hard to meet, let alone get to know, in real life. They're either afraid of bad responses so don't tell they're Mormon, or I don't meet them at all. I once got this flyer from a woman who seemed very nice, she asked me whether she could give it to me (I have a sticker on my mailbox telling people to not shove shit up it) - which was very considerate. It was about surviving the end of the world and it had Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on it, so I just tossed it away. So some of it might be my own bias towards the Mormons.
Where I live, it's too risky for pairs of Mormon missionaries to ride bikes, so they just walk, use public transportation, or sometimes hitchhike. I've picked up cute hitchhiking ones a few times with the hopes that they might want to go home for a 3-way. No such luck for me so far, but I've heard stories.
Back in the late 70s I had a boyfriend who came from a Mormon family. He dropped out after he came out, and so did one brother and a sister for the same reason. Turns out the oldest three offspring were straight, and the youngest three gay. Their mother was no longer active in the church and open-minded. The father served as a ward secretary, but also knew about his gay kids and didn't care about their orientation.
I give the LDS cult credit for doing such an incredible job of brainwashing so many millions of people into believing they are the only true church and their other whacky beliefs as summarized in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFZ1jVO3-OE
Well, if you're in the Netherlands (correct me if I'm wrong), you'll have a hard time meeting Mormons simply because there are so few of them there.
The LDS Church had a massive influx of European immigrants to Utah in the 1800s (you'll still find a lot of Scandinavian names in Utah). But with the membership base firmly established in Utah, the trend has been in the 20th century to try and get people to establish the LDS Church in their home countries instead.
In some places, like Africa and Central and South America, this has been a huge success.
In Western Europe and Eastern Europe however, the results have been abysmal. Some LDS sociologists (yes, there are such things) have theorized that the lack of interest in religion in Western Europe is a result of the state-religion system. Basically, the idea that state support of certain religions pampered the religions in question, made them complacent and made people apathetic to religion in general.
The LDS Church itself has also had a hard time shaking its image as an "American religion" in a time when just being "American" is no longer a particular selling-point. There are various reasons for this, but I won't bore you with the details.
Anyway, I know from fellow missionaries who returned to the US that Western Europe is a really tough neighborhood. Baptism rates are abysmal and the local native members are pretty-much under siege. Recently, the LDS Church closed down several western European missions in favor of opening up new ones in South/Central America.
I served my own mission in Japan in the mid 1990s, where the main problem was that we were seen as a "foreign" religion with similar problems adapting our church to local needs and sensibilities. I felt sorry for the members there as well. Understaffed, unsupported and surrounded by a largely hostile culture. Even new converts we brought to church as missionaries sometimes seemed like an administrative burden on the already overworked membership (another mouth to "spiritually feed" with not enough food to go around).
I came to the realization about halfway through my own mission that the people who really needed my help the most were my own members and not the potential converts in Japan. I spent most of my own mission trying to help them out as best I could.
I also kind of hated bothering people who didn't want to be bothered. I think I went knocking on doors a grand total of about 10 times the two years I was in Japan. I went "street contacting" even less (the first time I tried it on a crowded city street, I literally almost threw up from the anxiety).
Almost all my time was spent with people who were already interested in our religious message, supporting and serving the local members, visiting existing church members who weren't coming to church anymore, and performing community service (visiting orphanages and rest homes, teaching English at local pre-schools, that kind of thing).
Other missionaries were more aggressive about looking for new members. It just depended on the missionary.
I know the video. Bill Maher spent some time on the LDS church in his documentary Religulous, which was less illuminating but did involve him getting kicked off the Mormon turf and a short interview with two ex-Mormons.
But is it really more absurd than any other religion for that matter?
As I said in the post, we have an LDS church in my city. But the two boys I came across were the first live (and in dress) Mormons I ever saw. I do hope they weren't off to some rotten country somewhere...
If they had name tags, that probably means they were already missionaries and assigned to your country - probably for their entire two year tour of duty.
I don't feel that I was particularly victimized as a missionary. Sure, I had to put up with some bad behavior - sometimes even from Church leaders. But it wasn't that bad really. It's kind of like having an obnoxious uncle. Annoying, but not particularly bad, and you may even like your uncle, in spite of his personality.
Well, it's not really the fact that they're missionaries; more the whole religion thing the were in to. And also the negative view of the 'outside world' upon their particular religion.
I think the thing I hate most in this world is unnecessary hurting.
the LDS is very strong here; mega bucks and very radical right; I strongly suspect most of the anti-gay victories are funded by LDS money.
I see the LDS church as far more hostile towards gay people than any other religious group.
I don't think there's any real debate over what the LDS church's share was in the loss of civil rights.
Seth wrote:
"I think I went knocking on doors a grand total of about 10 times the two years I was in Japan."
My exposure to Mormons has mainly been in San Diego and Tijuana. Over the years in observing the young missionaries out in the field, I've noticed they spend most of their time just walking or riding around on their bikes and not knocking on doors, which tells me their heart really isn't in it. They're just there out of obligation in order to remain worthy members in good standing, particularly since they've been brainwashed in believing their religion is the only true one.
My ex-boyfriend's parents were born and raised in Utah. The older gay brother of my ex did his mission in Brazil. He said he had a good time there, being that most Brazilians are friendly and receptive. He pointed out that because so many Brazilian coverts to Mormonism had black African blood in their veins, the president of the Mormon Church back then had no choice but to have that "divine revelation" from God who told him that "all worthy males of the church shall qualify for the priesthood", being that prior to that, blacks could not be priests.
Diederick wrote:
"But is it really more absurd than any other religion for that matter?"
Of course some religions are more absurd than others, particularly the ones that are a cult. A "cult" is religious or spiritual body that claims to hold a monopoly on spiritual truths and a way to some sort of existence or "salvation" after death". In addition to Mormonism, Catholicism and Jehovah's Witnesses, and number of Christian fundamentalist sects are among those that believe they are the only true religion. The Japan-based Nichiren Shoshu sect of Buddhism believes its founder was the reincarnation of the original Siddartha Buddha, and that their sect is the only true Buddhist sect.
Scientology is one of the most whacky and obnoxious religious cults as well.
Indio,
I wouldn't make assumptions on that.
It could just be that they are riding to and from appointments. The LDS Church - as a whole - has been making an effort to phase out door-knocking as a proselyting strategy. The focus is now more on member referrals and integration with the community. Missionaries today are spending less and less time knocking on doors. This is just an official trend in missionary tactics.
So I don't think you should be implying anything from the activities you see the local missionaries doing.
I focused on building up members because I honestly didn't see the point of dragging in new converts if there wasn't a proper church support structure waiting for them. So I felt I had to spend most of my time helping the existing members instead.
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