Not LDS, but here to learn

[pammy]

Hi everyone. I've moved to Utah recently and don't really know much about the LDS faith that I have been plopped down in the middle of. I'm here to learn and discuss, and hopefully get some understanding about mormonism. I'd only met a handful of LDS people in my entire life before moving here and now that I'm living somewhere where that is the majority religion, it is a rather bewildering experience to be the outsider. I hope I can get some insight here.

[Dr T]

Welcome Pammy. (I call Pam Pammy-you threw me for a loop with your name)

[Guest Malcolm]

Welcome Pam:

And yes, Utah might as well be another planet for you but you will find that people will love you to pieces if you let them. I went there for the first time about 8 years ago and it seemed like everybody wanted to hug me. Yes it does feel a bit off until you realize that they really mean it.

Look around, ask ALL the questions you want and don't feel silly, it is after all new to you.

Enjoy

[tree]

welcome pammy, for every question you need answered(and i promise they all will be answered) go to truthisrestored.com the questions with the answers are already set up for you,,just scroll down the list....if by chance you should have any other questions rusty curtis will be much obliged to assist you in your inquiries. TREE

p.s. when you go to the site tell him hello and i am doing fine for me if you get the chance o.k. , god bless!!!!

[WANDERER]

I'll second that...Rusty is great and I've found his blog helpful. I'm on a bit of a learning track too about Mormons. Welcome to the forums.

[pushka]

Hi Pammy, welcome to the site..I've just recently started attending the LDS church again after a 26 years break from it (I wasn't Baptised when I used to attend). I was Baptised on Saturday and am enjoying learning all about the religion again and meeting lots of new friends..the hugs and welcomes can be a little mind blowing to begin with, but lots of people agree that 'the Mormons' are really nice people! :)

[NeuroTypical]

I've moved to Utah recently and don't really know much about the LDS faith that I have been plopped down in the middle of.

Hi Pammy!

Welcome to Utah - the state I left almost ten years ago! Let me apologize in advance for any LDS jerks you may happen to meet. We do have them.

You'll know you're getting a hang of Utah culture when the following things make you laugh:

In celebration of Barbie's 40th birthday, Mattel has created a series of Mormon Barbies for those folks in Utah. The most popular, Celestial Barbie, comes with 8.4 children. She wears a mid-calf flower print Laura Ashley dress with conservative flats (no heels), a bow in her flowing, shoulder-length hair with puffy bangs. This model wears a permanent smile, can bake bread, store wheat, feed a family of 12 on $200 a week, make "funeral potatoes" and green Jell-O salads. She comes with a miniature Dodge/Ford/Nissan/whatever mini-van, otherwise known as a MAV (Mormon Assault Vehicle). When you pull the cord on her back, she becomes teary and says "You're so special."

The first Celestial Barbies said "Oh my heck!" These are rare, having been recalled by the manufacturer soon after they were released due to complaints that Celestial Barbie would never use such language.

You can buy a Celestial Ken to go with Celestial Barbie, but he's hard to find. Requests to the manufacturer receive a response like "There are never enough Celestial Kens to go around."

The other LDS Barbies are:

RM Barbie- comes with BYU or Ricks sweatshirt and laptop computer.

Homemaking Leader Barbie- comes with all necessary baking equipment.

Relief Society Barbie- knows almost everything that is going on with all the other Barbies in your collection. Looks older than other Barbies.

Primary President Barbie- not very popular, this one has no hair.

Nursery Leader Barbie- again, not very popular. On Sunday after church, all this one wants to do is sleep.

YW Leader Barbie- comes dressed for camp with all necessary equipment.

YW Skippers- Laurels, Mia Maids and Beehives, all cute as buttons, dressed in flannel nighties for the sleepover.

Organist Barbie- Has rimmed glasses and very long fingers.

Chorister Barbie- right arm permanently raised to a square.

Visiting Teaching Barbies- sold only in a set, but a true collector's item as each set has its own recorded message.

Stake Leader Barbie- comes with a miniature set of leadership manuals.

Salt Lake Leader Barbie- has white hair and a hurricane hairdo.

Notice that there's no Home Teacher Ken. At least not available around here.

you know you're from Utah when...

Green jell-o with carrots mixed in doesn't seem strange.

You can pronounce Tooele.

The U is not just a letter - Neither is the Y.

You have actually eaten funeral potatoes.

You've gotten both heat and frost burns off your car's door handle in the same month.

You are not surprised to hear words like "Darn, Fetch, Flip", "Oh, My Heck" and "Shoot".

Your tulips get snowed on three times after they come up and twice more after they bloom.

Hunting season is a school holiday.

The largest liquor store is the state government.

You can go skiing and play golf on the same day.

30% humidity is muggy and almost unbearable.

Somewhere in your family tree is a polygamist.

You know the difference between a 'Steak House' and a 'Stake House'.

The elevation exceeds the population

You've broken down on the highway and somebody stops to help you

You can see the stars at night

You have a bumper sticker that says "Families are Forever."

You were an aunt or uncle before you were three.

Your spouse's mother was pregnant at your wedding.

You have more children than you can find biblical names for.

Your family considers a trip to McDonald'd a night out.

Your first child was conceived on your honeymoon.

You feel guilty when you watch Monday Night Football.

Your kids believe the deer hunt is a national holiday.

You drink Coke from a brown paper bag.

You consider a temple recommend a credit reference.

At least two of your salad bowls are at the homes of neighbors.

You believe that you must be 18 or older to order coffee at a restaurant.

You wonder why fire truck drivers honk when you drive 35 mph in the left lane on the freeway.

There is a similarity between a ward basketball game and the L.A. riots.

You think Jack Daniels is a country western singer.

You negotiate prices at a garage sale.

You can make Jell-O salad without the recipe.

You've heard about BYU football in a spiritual talk at church.

You have two gallons of ice cream in your freezer at all times.

Your father-in-law thinks Ronald Reagan was a liberal.

A member of your family wrote in Lavell Edwards for president in the last election.

Cars in the slow lane are traveling the fastest; cars in the fast lane are traveling the slowest; cars in the middle lanes are always trying to exit.

Sandals are the best-selling shoes.

You have to ask for the uncensored version of "Titanic."

You buy your wardrobe at the local grocery superstore.

You learn about the Mormon Church by taking history in elementary school.

You live in a state where Democrats always come in third place, unless a zoo animal is running. Then they come in fourth.

You're on your own if you are turning left.

Schools stay open, even if two feet of snow falls overnight, but close for the opening of hunting season.

People wear shorts and T-shirts if the temperature rises above 32 degrees.

There is a church on every corner, but they all teach the same thing.

The most popular public transportation system is a ski lift.

People drive to Idaho (or Arizona) to pick up a gallon of milk so they can play the lottery.

In-state college football rivalries are bigger than the Super Bowl.

Beer drinkers don't shop on Sunday.

Every driveway has a minivan and a pickup truck.

When you buy a new vehicle, cigarette lighters are optional equipment but gun and ski racks are standard.

Every time a new family moves into your neighborhood, the local elementary school has to hire a new teacher.

Your paycheck has an additional 10 percent deduction.

"Temple recommends" is acceptable identification for cashing a check.

More movies are filmed in your town than in Hollywood.

You've never had a Mormon missionary knock on your door.

Your neighbors complain about where they live, yet refuse to return to the state they moved from.

You make a toast with red punch at your wedding reception.

You have more raw wheat in your basement than some Third World countries.

Your idea of a good time is playing Pictionary in the cultural hall.

Your idea of a wild party is a six pack of Pepsi and a PG-13 movie.

You and all your friends come to your mother for a haircut in her kitchen.

You measure Kool-Aid by parts per million.

You think "You're a 10 cow wife" is a compliment.

If you won't drink ice tea because the Word of Wisdom cousels avoiding hot beverages, you might be a Mormon.

If you think forty-five members is about right for a Quorum of Seventy, you might be a Mormon.

There's a Mormon, by Jeff Foxworthy:

This is to all of you that may be a Mormon, that may know a Mormon, that may live in Utah, that may have lived in Utah or have heard about Mormons.

If all your dishes have your name written on them with masking tape... You might be a Mormon.

If you postdate your checks while shopping on Sunday... You might be a Mormon.

If you believe Heck is the place for people who do not believe in gosh... You might be a Mormon.

If your Mom was pregnant at your sister's wedding reception.. You might be a Mormon.

If you pray that your food might "nourish and strengthen your body" before eating doughnuts... You might be a Mormon.

If you think Jell-O is one of the basic food groups... You might be a Mormon.

If at least one of your salad bowls is at a neighbor's house... You might be a Mormon.

If you've ever written a "Dear-John" to more than two missionaries on the same day.... You might be a Mormon.

If you were frustrated when your son "only" got accepted to Harvard... You might be a Mormon.

If you have one kid in diapers and one on a mission... You might be a Mormon.

If you have never arrived at a meeting on time... You might be a Mormon.

If you have more wheat stored in your basement than most third world countries... You might be a Mormon.

If you've already got your order in for volume 50 of "The Work and The Glory"...You might be a Mormon.

If you think it is all right to watch football on Sundays as long as a direct descendant of Brigham Young is playing... You might be a Mormon.

If you have to guess more than five times the name of the child you're disciplining... You might be Mormon.

If you automatically assume that BYOB means, Bring Your Own Burgers... You might be Mormon.

If you go to a party and someone spikes the punch with Pepsi.. You might be a Mormon.

If you arrive to an activity an hour late and are the first person there... You might be a Mormon.

Hope these help!

LM

[NateHowe]

A request, Pammy - Please do not judge the religion by the state of Utah. There are some excellent members of the Church there, and some not so excellent, but Utah is not the Church and the Church is not Utah.

[batjerk]

Wow, Utah sounds like a fun place...

Welcome, Pammy, and good luck with that.

[Maya]

and welcome!! I hope you find your answeres here. I heard that Utah is really an other world....

Anyway enjoy living there and I hope you meet the good LDS!

[Argentina84]

Welcome to the site, Pammy!

You'll know you're getting a hang of Utah culture when the following things make you laugh:LM

Great Loudsmouth Mormon! LOL