Cadston mormon temple
I have never lived in Utah. But have known some non LDS who lived there.
They told me that outwardly the Mormon people are very friendly and courteous. But that they are also very aware of who is LDS and who is not. And they always want to know if you are Mormon or what religion you are.
Bottom line was that it was hard to get too close or be good friends with Mormons if you weren’t also Mormon. Again this is all second hand that I heard about this from people who had lived in mostly LDS towns in Utah.
I understand Salt Lake has large non LDS population so the social climate in that city may be very different than that of smaller towns or rural Utah.
Oh, its true, they’re insular and clannish.
You have to remember those Mormon settlements have been there for 150 years. Downs syndrome is a big problem, or was 50 years ago. Everyone is related....
So its just like any other community. You be polite, dont step on toes, fit in as best you can and shop at all the local stores.
After a while they get used to you and vice versa. You don’t have to convert, a lot of them are Jack Mormons and get caught at the bars like everyone else. Most of these people are hard workin ruralists...farms, ranches, oil rigs, mines...they have a hard time walking the straight and narrow too.
SLC is about 50 50 Mix. The local politics all center on the divide; its an endless debate. Office politics are worse...how many times did I get beat on to go to family home evening (can I bring both my girlfriends??)...
State politics? The church dictates and the legislature salutes. Oh well...its their state. You just roll yer eyes and move forward...
Cadston mormon temple
“outwardly” Bingo!
Phony as $3 bills.
This place has a large population OF Mormons!!
True. We live in the middle of 'em. As someone mentioned here elsewhere, the tip off question is "What Ward are you in?" If you tell 'em "None" or "I'm not Mormon" you can sense the deflectors go up. They are still friendly, but . . .
We did make friends with one elderly couple. The husband died soon after and she was on some hard times. The Church came in and helped her out, but boy, they made her pay for years afterwards in "volunteerism". They ALWAYS had something for that poor woman to do and she kept referring to it as "being called". What got me is when she said that in their working years they had to show the Elder/Bishop their W-2 forms to prove they were tithing their 10%. The Church sure does run their lives to an extent that many here, including me, would rebel.
Hypocrisy is in all religions and they are no different. We went through the border town of Mesquite, NV and stopped at a discount liquor store. The parking lot was loaded with Utah tagged cars. I asked the clerk what was up and he said the all the Mormons come over and stocked up for the weekend. A running joke was that you never asked just one Mormon to go fishing/drinking beer with you as the guy would drain you dry. Ask two along and neither will touch the stuff for fear of being ratted out by the other.
All that being said, every time we went to St. George, even at the height of the recession, the place always had a thriving appearance. Wife and I would ask "Recession? What Recession?". Stores went empty but didn't stay that way long. In fact, the whole state gives you the impression that it is prosperous and well run.
Sounds like Switzerland to non Swiss in my time there
I like Utah