It hurts to be Mormon Now

Yes, the actions of the BYU players weren’t the best. I admit, one of the first things I thought went right back to my pet issue over beards. Too good to let people have beards but street fighting…

When I joined the church I was living with my grandparents while I was attending college. I would frequently hear my grandmother say “I thought the mormon church taught you better than that.” at every little foible. It hurt, especially since I viewed myself as a missionary to my family.

In part I think the comments from your coworkers may reflect how we present ourselves as a church. There might be a little holier than thou coming across or it might only a perception that religious people look down their noses at others. It is what it is. It might help to agree with your adversary, so to speak. If they know you are a mormon and that you also take issue with the footballer’s actions then that will dispel some of this. In the case of me and my grandmother I willingly ate that crow. Yes, the church teaches me better and I’ll try to do better.

Back to the article. It’s hard to give statements like these a pass.

Bad news for any of us coasting on Mormon culture or borrowed testimony.

If we take the time and make the effort—have the hard conversations, spend time on our knees, examine ourselves with honesty, and hear others with compassion—we’ll know. It wouldn’t hurt to read the scriptures.

It’s a repetition of the “testimony wasn’t strong enough” line to come up with justifications for why some people are leaving and others are not. That last quote also comes across probably harsher than it was intended. The article was good in pointing out that its perfectly fine for people to arrive at their own conclusions but perhaps it needs a little more work in recognizing that people also arrive at the critical decision point for their own reasons.

Yes, it’s hard to be mormon. There are lots of beams in everyone’s eyes and lots of people aren’t shy in pointing them out. Heck, I’m doing it now aren’t I? Yes, it’s hard to be mormon. We need to have the discussion but mom always walks out of the room whenever the subject comes up. Yes, it’s hard to be a mormon. There’s a growing attitude that those that stay are somehow more faithful than those that leave.

Heber – I love the part that you quote. Thanks for posting.

Just want to note that this isnt the first nor will it be the last time BYU football players misbehave. I guarantee coach Mendenhall was appalled and I would be shocked if there werent punishment, although the public may not hear about it. I still love BYU football and hold them to a higher standard but ultimately they are college age football players, prone to act like any other football players.

Agree that it’s hard to be Mormon and it often hurts. I sometimes wish I would have been born in a different tribe. Ultimately I usually come out of it reminding myself that showing our character through deed – like you said – is what makes me who I am.

When I proclaim that I am a Christian, eyes view me objectively to see if I act Christian. When I proclaim that I am Mormon, more scrutiny. If I professed to be perfect, all bets are off. I think a lot of people in and out of the church look at us like we profess to be perfect. So when there’s an embarrassing moment, the farther the fall. Are other churches members like this or is it a ‘squeaky clean’ mormon image that we’ve portrayed?