Comments on: Bridging the religious divide - an inside look http://saltlakecityutahblog.com/2007/09/16/bridging-the-religious-divide-an-inside-look/ A blog of Salt Lake City at its cosmopolitan best Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:45:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: John Piquet http://saltlakecityutahblog.com/2007/09/16/bridging-the-religious-divide-an-inside-look/#comment-15 John Piquet Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:11:44 +0000 http://saltlakecityutahblog.com/2007/09/16/bridging-the-religious-divide-an-inside-look/#comment-15 ...And beer for everyone! …And beer for everyone!

]]> By: John Piquet http://saltlakecityutahblog.com/2007/09/16/bridging-the-religious-divide-an-inside-look/#comment-13 John Piquet Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:05:10 +0000 http://saltlakecityutahblog.com/2007/09/16/bridging-the-religious-divide-an-inside-look/#comment-13 The difficulty with 'Bridging the Religious Divide' is that there exists too much intermingling of politics and religion from the majority, which in our case, is the LDS church. Now, despite the location of the temple (note the small "t"), and the main church office buildings and such, the majority of the residents of this fair city are not likely to be "one of the brethren". If Leadership is to take place within the city, one has to put aside their personal , religious beliefs and do what is best for the growth of the city. While it would be very fortuitous if we could all join hands and sing Kum-ba-ya before heading off to the local watering hole, this is not likely to be the case any time in the future. The cynic in me says, If the LDS church wishes to dip its hands into all manner of local affairs, then perhaps they should do what they do best, sit back and collect tithing... leave the decision making to those progressively seeking improvement for the city. The 'status quo' with additional bells and whistles is not an improvement. Regarding those raised in Utah vs. Outside of Utah: There is a BIG difference to those LDS raised here and those outside. Having lived both here and Idaho, I can effectively say those raised elsewhere seem to have no sense of "entitlement" as compared to those raised locally. I grew up back east in the Pittsburgh area, and I can't recall anyone ever asking "What ward do you belong to?" (Montgomery Ward!) or "Are you a member?" etc. and these are questions posed by high schoolers. If the religious divide is to be eliminated it needs to start in the home, with families teaching their children not to be so rude, condescending and 'holier than thou'. Whether these questions are done with 'good intentions' and a smile, improper behavior is still improper behavior. Problem is, if you live your life inside a box, you're likely to miss all the beauty just beyond your cardboard walls. This city has experienced a lot of growth in the 20 years I have been out in Utah and some very crucial decisions are on the horizon. As I stated earlier, it is folly to think that differences will so easily evaporate, but I think the best remedy is for all to confine the dogma of their respective religions to the walls of their church, synagogue, or temple, and live the 'spirit' of their religions in the open. After all, if you strip away all the fine print, there is a lot of similarity. It is on these similarities we can build the future of the city. My cent. The difficulty with ‘Bridging the Religious Divide’ is that there exists too much intermingling of politics and religion from the majority, which in our case, is the LDS church. Now, despite the location of the temple (note the small “t”), and the main church office buildings and such, the majority of the residents of this fair city are not likely to be “one of the brethren”.
If Leadership is to take place within the city, one has to put aside their personal , religious beliefs and do what is best for the growth of the city. While it would be very fortuitous if we could all join hands and sing Kum-ba-ya before heading off to the local watering hole, this is not likely to be the case any time in the future. The cynic in me says, If the LDS church wishes to dip its hands into all manner of local affairs, then perhaps they should do what they do best, sit back and collect tithing… leave the decision making to those progressively seeking improvement for the city. The ’status quo’ with additional bells and whistles is not an improvement.

Regarding those raised in Utah vs. Outside of Utah:
There is a BIG difference to those LDS raised here and those outside. Having lived both here and Idaho, I can effectively say those raised elsewhere seem to have no sense of “entitlement” as compared to those raised locally. I grew up back east in the Pittsburgh area, and I can’t recall anyone ever asking “What ward do you belong to?” (Montgomery Ward!) or “Are you a member?” etc. and these are questions posed by high schoolers. If the religious divide is to be eliminated it needs to start in the home, with families teaching their children not to be so rude, condescending and ‘holier than thou’. Whether these questions are done with ‘good intentions’ and a smile, improper behavior is still improper behavior. Problem is, if you live your life inside a box, you’re likely to miss all the beauty just beyond your cardboard walls.

This city has experienced a lot of growth in the 20 years I have been out in Utah and some very crucial decisions are on the horizon. As I stated earlier, it is folly to think that differences will so easily evaporate, but I think the best remedy is for all to confine the dogma of their respective religions to the walls of their church, synagogue, or temple, and live the ’spirit’ of their religions in the open. After all, if you strip away all the fine print, there is a lot of similarity. It is on these similarities we can build the future of the city.

My cent.

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