Culture Shock

Coming to the South for me was a huge culture shock. Though I was born in Idaho, grew up in California, and lived in Utah the last several years of my life, I was not prepared for what I would experience in the south.

The people in the South are… RELIGIOUS.

For anyone who thinks that Utah is very religious, come to the south. In Mississippi there are more churches per capita than any other state in the US.
Everyone goes to church here. Not just on Sunday morning either. There is a Sunday morning service; there are also Sunday evening services.
When you drive through the town on a Wednesday evening, the city looks like a ghost town. Every parking lot at every church is full.
Before every sports game, there is a public prayer offered. We were so surprised when we showed up for the first soccer game and we were all asked to take a knee. Then one player or coach was asked to give the benediction. We were all united in prayer for the safety of our children during those games.
Many businesses are closed on Sunday and Monday. Even our paper isn’t delivered on Monday since that would make the writers and editors work on Sunday. There is no homework given to the children on Wednesday evenings, because it is well known that they should not be concerned with their secular education that night.
One day I decided to take the kids to the public library for story time. They were playing games like musical chairs and the only music they had was gospel music. I found it very strange.
One of the first questions out of everyone’s mouth after, “where are you from?”, and “who are your kinfolk?” is, “what church do you go to?” And you had better have the right answer. I

am not quite sure which is worse yet. To say, “Well, no we don’t go to church, or I go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” First they stare at you like they have no clue what you are talking about. Then reply, otherwise known as “THE MORMONS.” With a lot of people their reaction is no big deal. For others you get the feeling that you are instantly going to hell. A good friend of mine, also a “Mormon” happened to tell her neighbor about her religion. A few days later this neighbor’s pastor pulled up to my friend’s house and tried to talk her out of the mistake she was making. This was all “lovingly” done, since her neighbor didn’t want such a nice person to go to hell.
For the most part I believe that most people are accepting and don’t have a problem with my religion. But some of our own members have a bit of a problem.
For instance, many of the members in our ward feel that Utah is Zion. And that nothing compares and that they can never be as good or as spiritual as their brothers and sisters in the gospel. They believe they are part of the mission field, and they will never be as important. I will say that I have never felt more spiritual in my life than I have felt here. The members here hang on so desperately to their religion. There is no complacency here. Many members have several different callings. And some axillaries don’t have more than a president to lead them. There just aren’t enough people to fill the counselor’s positions. Keith was the Young Men’s president for several months and didn’t have any counselors to help out. On any given Sunday there are between seventy and one hundred members in attendance. There are usually twelve children in primary. There are 2 babies under the age of one year. And for the most part the members are over the age of 50. I guess it is kind of nice for Keith and myself to be called the “kids” of the ward.