After going through and reading everyone's posts on religion 3.0 I just wanted to say, "Yeah, what they said." But that isn't the writing assignment, even though I wanted to take thoughts from each one of their blogs and integrate it into mine. But Professor Young seems to have this notion that my work needs to be original, so here you go.
I was raised LDS; however, it was outside of the Mormon belt. (That little stretch that encompasses Utah, Idaho and Western Wyoming.) We lived in Northern California when I was 7 and some friends of the family took me to a Stake Conference. I had never been to anything like that before. (My parents are converts so Stake Conference was the day we didn't go to church.) Everyone stood and sang the closing hymn and as I stood there and looked around I remember what I felt, and I remember thinking, this is something I want to be a part of. That being said I also agree with the last two sentences of Reggie Shaw's Religion 3.0 post. Sharing sacred experiences is tricky and it seems like when you do, the experience really loses some of that spirit of sacredness. So I will just say - that was basically my conversion story. My parents being new to the church, didn't know a lot plus we were raised in nonmember communities so I don't know that I really knew a whole lot about Mormon culture growing up. Mormon culture, is different from LDS religion, do not confuse the two. Where there is a majority of LDS there grows a culture that is not necessarily found anywhere in Mormon doctrine. I experienced this at my first year at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. Here I thought I was a member of the LDS church but I had never experienced this Mormon culture and it was a huge culture shock for me to say the least. I wondered if the church I had been attending for the last 18 years was indeed the same church I experienced at Ricks. Yes, it was really that different. And the same is in reverse. Don't think that whatever LDS religion (culture) you are experiencing here in Utah's Dixie will be the same in nonmember communities across the world. The differences really are night and day. I remember I would call home and tell my Dad, "You've never heard anything like it! They talk about missionary farewells in the grocery stores!! Right where everyone can hear them! Religion is plastered on the front page, green jello salad with carrots is evidently a thing......, Professors talk about the church in Social Media class!!" Haha just kidding, but we did talk about church in my Economics class at Ricks which totally floored me. When my Dad came to visit, there was a story on the front page about whether Mormon farmers should sell barley to the beer company when they knew it was going to be made into beer and the big controversy that ensued. You could have knocked my Dad over with a feather, I tried to warn him. My parents moved a lot (I moved on an average of once a year) but not one of the places we lived was there an LDS majority, so even though we are LDS we didn't think about it much. In Fossil, Oregon where I went to high school population 400, there were 11 different churches, and that did not include our LDS branch. I remember thinking we were all different religions and who cared? There were 10 girls and 4 boys in my class and I don't remember if I ever knew what religion the boys were. I am LDS, my best friend was a baptist preachers daughter and other than that I have no idea what religion the other 8 girls were. Didn't know, didn't care. Which brings me to my last thought, to me religion is personal. Do I love all of the social aspects of the LDS church? I do. Do I love the service opportunities? Again, yes. Have I made some life-long friends? Absolutely. But when it comes right down to it, these things are not the priority. The priority is my relationship to God and Jesus Christ. If I'm the only one in that pew on Sunday morning, well, that's OK. I need it, and that's really the only thing that matters. Me and them.
Now I'd like to address how Social Media affects religion. I read what Professor Young posted - interesting! Instant Christ, interesting! I also read a student's post about how he liked Instant Christ and really, that is what it is all about, if it works for you then by all means, do it. If Instant Christ, or inspiring posts or scripture posts do it for you, then enjoy them! I know at different times in my life I find different posts inspiring (whether LDS or not.) And I seriously mean that. I also believe in opposition in all things so while there is lots of inspiring stuff on-line when it comes to religion, there will also be lots of negative stuff as well. And as with everything in my life including religion, I do not partake of the negative. So honestly, I couldn't tell you what's out there when it comes to the negatives of social media and religion.
Another issue I'd like to address is Candy Roland's (sorry if I spelled your name wrong.) issues of anxiety when it comes to nonmember families etc.... My first husband and I were sealed in the temple and had three fabulous kids. We have since divorced and our sealing has been cancelled (which now means we are not an eternal couple.) and he has since been sealed to someone else. (I actually like her, but feel sorry for her as well.) So here my kids are attending this "Families are Forever" church and their family is not so eternal anymore. And Cassy I don't have the answers. And neither does the church other than, "Have faith, it will all work out." I hope my kids aren't feeling the anxiety you feel/felt. But I make no apologies. I make no judgements. I don't know who's going to make it to the Celestial Kingdom and who's not. My goal is to do the best I possibly can, and to learn to love EVERYONE unconditionally. At this point the only person, I've met that I've deemed it impossible to love unconditionally is my ex-husband, but those are my demons. Which brings me to another blog I've read and agree with. I think religion is good (at least in my case) because I am naturally not a nice person. I have to work at it. And the more I attend and associate with those who are trying their best just like me, the more I learn. If religion, whether LDS or not, inspires the human race to act better, serve, and love, than I believe it will always have a place. But it is up to us to let everyone decide what works for them. In conclusion, my views on religion is all about free agency. I am a huge cheerleader of free agency. I love my religion and it works for me. If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't mean I'm going to love you any less. In fact, I encourage you to believe and live whatever inspires you to be a better person. And that is my take on Religion 3.0
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