I currently live in Braila, Romania. It is a beautiful community in the far eastern part of the country, located near the borders of Ukraine and Moldova, and resting along the final stretch of the tranquil Danube River. Braila has an estimated 215,000 inhabitants, comparable to the size of Orlando, Florida, or Rochester, New York. Currently, there are two Mormons living in the city. One these odd creatures is myself. The other more attractive specimen is my wife. Between the two of us, we create a significant demographic statistic – Braila’s Mormon population – approximately at a robust 0.0009%.
Needless to say, this makes us a religious minority so insignificant that nobody but myself would ever waste their time doing the math. There is no church congregation in the city – the nearest one is located in Galati, a larger city near Braila to the North. There have never been missionaries working in Braila, and currently, it is the largest city in all of Romania to have been left “untouched by the Mormons.”
I can’t help but notice the stark contrast between here and my native Cache Valley, Utah. In Cache County, there are about 95,000 current inhabitants, yet nearly 90% of them are affiliated with the Mormon religion, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In other words, it is impossible to be a Mormon minority there, even if you are a Mormon and a Democrat.
In 2004, after returning home from my time as a missionary in Russia, I lived in Utah for a season while finishing college. I was disappointed to find that suddenly everybody around me assumed that I was a Mormon. Sure, it was the truth, but certainly I didn’t fit the mold that perfectly, did I? The fact that I had just spent two years of adventure in Siberia was rendered meaningless – everybody else my age had spent two years in Brazil, Mongolia, Detroit, or some other exotic place. Feeling like just another copy of the norm didn’t fit too well.
But it didn’t last forever. I eventually moved to Maryland, then to California, and ultimately to Romania, ever becoming part of a smaller and smaller minority. I think now I have become about as extreme as a minority can be. Not only are we the only Mormons in the entire city, we are probably part of a very small minority that even knows what a Mormon is.
One of the greatest treasures provided by the world is diversity. Having the opportunity to learn from those with mentalities so different than ours is one of the greatest gifts we have from God. Not only do I get the chance to learn about those around me who are different in so many ways, they in turn get their first exposure to Mormonism by meeting me. Saying it that way makes it sound like a huge responsibility, but it really doesn’t feel that way. More than anything, it is an opportunity for a two-way exchange of diversity. Having done this many times over, it always inevitably leads to the same conclusion. Those differences we have are the true minority. It is the astonishing amount that we have in common which quietly dictates humanity.
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8 comments:
True, I believe that Utah is the only place that Mormons are a majority. Hopefully someday Utah would have more diversity.
Shoot! Ellen beat me to being the first person to comment on Nils' blog! I'm never going to live this down. At any rate, YEAH for diversity! And Ellen is adding to the diverse population in Utah. She's former Miss Deaf Utah. Now that's diversity!
Nicely done, Nils. Living in a predominantly Mormon area, I would love to see more appreciation of those not "of the faith." Sadly, too often I hear stories of individuals feeling shunned because of their non-belief. Often, they feel that they become the "ward project." While I know that this is certainly not preached from the COB, the prevelence of the belief is greater than you might imagine. When the Church asks that lapsed members be embraced, what exactly does that mean? Is the motivation to accept them as they are, or is it to bring them back into full fellowship?
I think once church members live or have lived outside the bubble, that member can't help but get some perspective, and realize that our church fits into a larger puzzle that is many churches, and many beliefs.
New topic: horses
And for those of us who have ALWAYS lived outside of Utah, it appears to be an "interesting" place when we visit.
I'm still bummed that BYU doesn't serve "real" Coke - only caffeine-free Coke ... What's up with that? Where's the free agency?
And as for Ellen's comment (above) the only way for Utah to have more diversity is for a whole bunch of non-LDS people to move to Utah, or for a bunch of people to leave the state. Which does she prefer?
Topic suggestion: D&C 89:12-13 seems to suggest we should be vegetarians except during "times of winter, or cold, or famine". Thoughts?
Hi there! I grew up outside the "bubble" and was a Mormon minority in Indiana. I didn't think much of it until I came to Utah. Culture shock dealt me a small blow. However, I have found more diversity in Logan, UT than I have in Orem or Provo, Utah. Isn't that interesting? I think diversity can be a relative thing. It depends on your perspective, who you're willing to talk to, and how open your eyes are. Since I don't like being assumed about, I try not to assume others are just like me.
(On the topic of the word of wisdom "eat meat sparingly" can have different interpretations. Two possibilities are: to eat meat less often OR to eat it in smaller portions...)
Thanks to this who have commented this week! I am glad that on my first post several people have already been reading and sharing your thoughts. I encourage you all to continue. This Saturday's post will be based on the request of Janet on the interrelations of those with varying levels of activity of membership who are affected by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and/or Mormon culture in some way.
Elle - Thanks for being the first to comment! As somebody with a lot of perspective on diversity, I know you have special interest in this topic. I hope to hear more from you in the future.
Emily - Don't worry about not being the first to comment. You knew about the blog before I even created it, and where would I be without your sense of fashion and color coordination?
Janet - I appreciate your sincere comments. Hopefully you will enjoy next weeks post. I can't wait to hear what you think about it.
Tobyo - Thank you for your perspective. Hopefully I can find a way to talk about horses in a future post. Especially ponies.
bmillios - The doctrine and concept of agency is something we definitely want to address in the future, and thank you for bringing it up. Also, I think any Mormon-themed blog wouldn't be complete without giving some attention to the Word of Wisdom.
As for the idea of Utah becoming "less Mormon" and therefore more diverse, it is a reality which continues to occur. Especially in Utah's urban center of Salt Lake City, many of the Salt Lake Mormons are moving out to the suburbs or out of state, and those who are not Mormon are moving in to replace them. The number of Mormons in Salt Lake is now below 50% of the population, though it is still a religious majority. As for other parts of the state, such as Provo and Logan, it is another story. Nevertheless, the overall trend is for the overall percentage of Mormons in any given community of Utah to shrink. Last stats I checked, Mormons make up about 72% of the population of Utah. Expect it to continue to become more diverse as more and more Mormons leave Utah and more Mormons move in. I personally see this as a positive trend.
Sarah - Thanks for your thoughts, especially about the importance of relativity in diversity. The more people choose to expose themselves to minorities, the better they understand them and the bigger their world view. The problem is (and not just Mormons, for any cultural group) is that when you are the majority there is little incentive to interact with the minorities, thus building unnecessary barriers to communication and living in harmony.
Thank you all for your posts! I hope to hear from you all again next week.
Note: I changed the settings on my blog, so now you won't have to wait for my approval to post messages. Thanks!
Okay, I missed the shout-out comment from Nils but I hope I can contribute anyway.
I just want to say I've always felt grateful to have lived in Columbia, Missouri, where Mormons have always been the minority. I think it is inherently easier to understand the "world of non-Mormons," (for lack of a better metaphor) being the "underdog." Not that people in Utah don't understand or appreciate religious diversity, but it's harder to see the contrast when four out of five people you meet share your beliefs.
But as Nils' next post points out, diversity can exist IN the church as well. Go there if you haven't yet.
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