What are our cultural tendencies?

[Fether]

After reading the Ensign Article titled 'We can do better: Welcoming others into the Fold', a question came to my mind.

What are some cultural tendencies that are not doctrinal that you have personally noticed? I can only think of minor ones like blessing the food, or when a friend of mine snapped at me for saying the word "Token" outside of the temple.

I ask this in hopes that I may find inconsistencies in my belief and can fix it.

[Sunday21]

@Fether. So I am assuming that you don't want to start a list of green jello and whatnot?

Potlucks with rules & regs. So I brought store bought goodies to a potluck and people were upset. I ignore these hollyhobby folk. 

I have had some hard times trying to get people to be pleasant and make small talk to investigators and returning members. One poor woman was escorted by me for a year or so to church and various social ocassions. Unfortunately our interactions with others were quite ..bad. You would not believe me if I told you! For example, someone threw a bun at me when I was sitting next to her. Sigh. She now refuses to attend anything.

Sadly some of us lds are unfriendly. Uncouth and rude.

Others are delightful.

What can you do?

[NeuroTypical]

This one is more Utah-geography-specific, and not LDS-specific.  There is no letter "L" in the word "both".    

[Midwest LDS]

One thing that comes to mind is the prohibition against facial hair in leadership. Honestly I feel like it's an outdated rule from a period, the 60's and 70's, when beards were a symbol of rebellion. I met a branch president in West Virginia who was rocking an awesome Brother Brigham beard and it certainly didn't bother me lol☺. 

[NeuroTypical]

I came very, very close to going to BYU instead of the U of U.  The main selling point, was that I knew a grumpy crotchety old doctor near retirement, with an axe to grind against organized religion, who would have jumped at the chance to sign a medical release stating I had a legitimate medical reason to have a goatee.  He probably would have seen me for free if I kept him supplied with stories about how I was sticking it to da man.

[Midwest LDS]

@NeuroTypical That's great, I have some friends who would have appreciated knowing that doctor of yours. I haven't grown a berard myself, too itchy for me, but I do like my sideburns.

[Sunday21]

27 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

This one is more Utah-geography-specific, and not LDS-specific.  There is no letter "L" in the word "both".    

@NeuroTypical. I am sorry to pester you but...where do they put the L

[SpiritDragon]

1 hour ago, Sunday21 said:

@NeuroTypical. I am sorry to pester you but...where do they put the L

I can only assume it is... boLth, but I'm happy to see what neuro has to say on the matter. Interestingly, this never stood out to me serving a mission in Utah. I did notice that 'something' was more often pronounced like 'sump'n'  while other phrases or words were used that also were not what I'd expect. For instance, they frequently talked about viaducts, which I learned were more or less what I was used to referring to as an overpass. In some areas there was the frequent use of "might could" that seemed to take the place of "maybe" and I don't think I'll ever be sure if a "couple three" is supposed to two or three, or six 

[Fether]

3 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

@NeuroTypical. I am sorry to pester you but...where do they put the L

Ward Member 1: "boLth those movies are great!!"

Ward Member 2: "I've seen them boLth, I love them!"

New Member: I like them bOth too!

Members 1&2: ... *awkward silence followed by judgement*...

[Sunday21]

55 minutes ago, Fether said:

Ward Member 1: "boLth those movies are great!!"

Ward Member 2: "I've seen them boLth, I love them!"

New Member: I like them bOth too!

Members 1&2: ... *awkward silence followed by judgement*...

What an interesting pronouciation! I must go to Utah!

[Grunt]

I've noticed you fold your arms when you pray.  What's that about?

[zil]

4 minutes ago, Grunt said:

I've noticed you fold your arms when you pray.  What's that about?

https://askgramps.org/saints-fold-their-arms-instead-hands-while-praying/

Apparently, we're weirdos, but we're not the only ones...

[Sunday21]

7 minutes ago, Grunt said:

I've noticed you fold your arms when you pray.  What's that about?

It is helpful when teaching small children to pray as they can do it when tired and kneeling next to a bed with arms propped on the bed. In this position it is hard for them to unwrap themselves and thump their sister. It is also a comforting hug from deity.

[Backroads]

6 hours ago, Midwest LDS said:

@NeuroTypical That's great, I have some friends who would have appreciated knowing that doctor of yours. I haven't grown a berard myself, too itchy for me, but I do like my sideburns.

Beards are sexy.

All the desirable widowers in my illicit Amish romances have them.

 

[Backroads]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ore0cf7SATc

Mostly the ending for our quirks.

 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Backroads

[Jane_Doe]

3 hours ago, Grunt said:

I've noticed you fold your arms when you pray.  What's that about?

That's completely cultural.  If you want to do it some other way, you're welcome to.  Like my dad (lifelong LDS of Utah pioneer stock) perfers to clasp his hands instead, and that's perfectly ok.   

Edited September 11, 2017 by Jane_Doe

[NightSG]

56 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said:

That's completely cultural.  If you want to do it some other way, you're welcome to.  Like my dad (lifelong LDS of Utah pioneer stock) perfers to clasp his hands instead, and that's perfectly ok.   

Standing, for some reason, parade rest just feels right to me.  No military background, though.

[seashmore]

7 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

For instance, they frequently talked about viaducts, which I learned were more or less what I was used to referring to as an overpass.

Oddly enough, the smallish city in Nebraska I'm in now uses the same term. Granted, I grew up in a town who called an underpass "the subway." Don't ask me why, but it's been called that for generations.

 

As far as cultural tendencies, it's no secret that every ward/branch has "understood seating." Everyone sits in the same row every week, and if a newbie shows up early, the chart can get thrown off. Related, what's with filling a room from back to front? I've had at least one teacher who removed the front row of chairs because "no one sits there, anyway." It makes more sense to fill a room front to back so it's less noticeable/distracting when people arrive late, imho.

[Blueskye2]

11 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

This one is more Utah-geography-specific, and not LDS-specific.  There is no letter "L" in the word "both".    

And there are two "r"s in the word library. (Not libary.)

[Blueskye2]

You're calling is you're calling and do not do anything that is someone else's calling. 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Blueskye2

[JohnsonJones]

There are actually a LOT of cultural tendencies that Mormons have, especially moreso in the Northern Arizona/Utah/Southern and Eastern Idaho areas than the rest of the LDS Church.

However, MANY OF these would not be seen as favorable by many Mormons, and I would probably have a ton of people reporting my posts as insulting Mormons. 

This is probably the most I'll say on the matter. 

The sad thing is, however, that many Mormons in these areas cannot discern the difference between cultural and doctrine.  What's worse, is that because of these tendencies, they normally cause many honest and believing saints to not be active simply because the culture of the LDS saints in these areas favor White Middle to Upper class households more so than those who are not part of that grouping.  In this, I am probably also part of the problem (as someone in my ward has pointed out to me previously when we went to visit them) rather than the solution.  I am just as much part of the Mormon cultural tendencies as anyone, and perhaps the things that I notice most may be because they are things I know I do or how I act that are not necessarily "doctrine" in the LDS church.

It goes far beyond this, but I think even the little I just said may offend some people.  If I went into length or detail, I think there would be many saints who would be offended, even if I expound that much of this is probably going into detail of my own hypocritical actions and cultural beliefs and thoughts.  So, despite the little I said, it's probably better if I stay quiet on this rather than expound on this in any great detail.

[Sunday21]

4 hours ago, Blueskye2 said:

You're calling is you're calling and do not do anything that is someone else's calling. 

Sorry do not understand!

[Sunday21]

@JohnsonJones. Yes some of the 'natural order' of things is...upper/upper middle class habits. So remember before the 3 hour block Meetings on many weeknights?  (Ok I don't rember but I have heard about it). How do you do that when both parents work? 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Sunday21

[Fether]

4 hours ago, JohnsonJones said:

There are actually a LOT of cultural tendencies that Mormons have, especially moreso in the Northern Arizona/Utah/Southern and Eastern Idaho areas than the rest of the LDS Church.

However, MANY OF these would not be seen as favorable by many Mormons, and I would probably have a ton of people reporting my posts as insulting Mormons. 

This is probably the most I'll say on the matter. 

The sad thing is, however, that many Mormons in these areas cannot discern the difference between cultural and doctrine.  What's worse, is that because of these tendencies, they normally cause many honest and believing saints to not be active simply because the culture of the LDS saints in these areas favor White Middle to Upper class households more so than those who are not part of that grouping.  In this, I am probably also part of the problem (as someone in my ward has pointed out to me previously when we went to visit them) rather than the solution.  I am just as much part of the Mormon cultural tendencies as anyone, and perhaps the things that I notice most may be because they are things I know I do or how I act that are not necessarily "doctrine" in the LDS church.

It goes far beyond this, but I think even the little I just said may offend some people.  If I went into length or detail, I think there would be many saints who would be offended, even if I expound that much of this is probably going into detail of my own hypocritical actions and cultural beliefs and thoughts.  So, despite the little I said, it's probably better if I stay quiet on this rather than expound on this in any great detail.

I actually want you to be specific. The purpose of my thread was to pinpoint them. I here people complaining about them often... but like you said... I can't figure out what they are cause I don't think I've ever seen any of them (except maybe the "assigned seating"... which I don't really think counts).

[NeuroTypical]

Members 1&2: ... *awkward silence followed by judgement*...
All the desirable widowers in my illicit Amish romances have [beards]

I'll be chuckling at this stuff all week. 

Another cultural tendency I discussed on Sunday with a brother - in some circles, Mormons seem to get duped into multilevel marketing schemes at embarrassingly high rates.