Mormons in Utah (receptions, home, wedding reception)

[roxie2519]

Do they treat others who are none Mormons, differently?

[kaytidid]

I am non Mormon and have lived here 18 years and I have always been treated great. I don't know if that is any "different" than they treat Mormons, but...

I would assume that if they like you as a person and you are friendly to them, they will treat you in kind. If you are an a** and treat them rudely, I would think you can expect the same. General rules of society here...

[TCAS007]

10000000 of posts like this one already... How many more?

[MrAnderson]

Probably the same as how non-mormons treat mormons where you live.

[Fredesch]

Yes they do. They talk about activities at the ward and stake. They will not have a drink with you and you may not be able to go to their wedding if it is in a temple. Religion is a large part of Mormons lives and they have lots of church related activities.

If you have other things that interest you or would like to have a social hour with your Mormon neighbors you might feel out of place.

[kaytidid]

They talk about activities at the ward and stake? So? It is a big part of their lives. Just because you might not be part of it doesn't mean they shouldn't talk about it. Learn some of the lingo so that you can ask questions and maybe...just maybe...you might learn something.

They will not have a drink with you? That's okay. You can still drink if you so choose. They will have a root beer (or whatever they choose) and be okay. I promise.

You may not be able to go to their wedding if it is the temple? No. You won't. You will still be able to celebrate their wedding, however. They DO have receptions outside of the temple.

It isn't a matter of them treating non Mormons any differently. It is simply the fact that this is their life and they live it. Just as you live yours. Is it a big part of the culture here? Yes. It is. That is a fact. If you can't handle it, Utah probably is not the best place to live. End. Of. Story.

[Euberon]

Mormons are great people and they have a wonderful culture of family and inclusion. Unfortunately that inclusion is mostly reserved for other Mormons. At a casual level, Mormons will treat you no differently than any other great person. Socially, you may find yourself excluded by the nature of their powerful church networks. Do you go to church, or to home making night, or to stake conference with the young men, or to boy scouts (which is pretty much church owned and ran in Utah)? No? Well, then you are naturally not going to have as many friendship building moments with your neighbors who do. Pretty logical, however, once you realize that a large portion of people (depending on whether you live in salt Lake or out) are Mormon and have a lifestyle that can center heavily around church activities and values, you may find yourself excluded because you don't hold those values or attend the right events. Not because they don't want to involve you - they would love for you to come to their activities and see why they love their life - but because you might not want to be involved in (for lack of a better word) a Mormon values based lifestyle. This perspective bleeds over into laws (liquor laws), community activities (I mentioned Boy Scouts but other community activities are often started at church to which you will not feel all that comfortable if you are not Mormon) and city planning (the church insists many things are closed on Sundays). To put a fine point on it, it does influence culture and your social choices to a point you will notice if you are from somewhere else. Do Mormons treat others differently? Certainly not on purpose and not with malicious intent, but if you are looking for like minded friends and a place to be comfortable in your skin, Utah (and that still included salt Lake to a lesser degree) has two social circles: Cultural (Mormon values) and counter cultural (everything that does not agree with a Mormon lifestyle).

[atxzj]

Originally Posted by TCAS007

10000000 of posts like this one already... How many more?

thank you

[Harrier]

Mormons in Utah?

Isn't that like saying "Muslims in Saudi Arabia"?

[AbqTeacher]

Originally Posted by Harrier

Mormons in Utah?

Isn't that like saying "Muslims in Saudi Arabia"?

Yeah, they're both pretty ignorant statements.

Anyways, Mormons are on average (in my experience) a little more outgoing and friendly to strangers (even non-Mormons) than most groups around the country. I've been invited to wedding receptions of people I barely know in Utah, while I can't even get someone to tell me the time of day where I'm at now.

That said, you might hit a bit of a wall if you're not in the church, simply because that's where a lot of socialization happens. But, you can always hang out with them outside of church- you just might have to take that initiative and invite them- and make it more Mormon-friendly. No reason to go to a bar if only one of you is going to drink...