I'm a Mormon

On Monday, I went out to lunch with my kids and unfortunatly found myself sitting at a table next to a group of businessmen and two women, all looking to be in their early 30's. After settling down and getting my kids their food, I heard one of them say the word "Mormon" and my ears perked up. Then for the next 30 minutes, I had the misfortune of listening to them talk horribly about Mormons, give reasons as to why we are not Christians, laugh about how they bullied a Mormon guy that they knew, and call us idiots.

So I'm here to tell you why I'm a Mormon and help you get to know me.

One thing that stood out to me when these people were talking was when one of the guys said that we are snobs and freaks because we try to make ourselves different than the rest of the world. Well, let me explain to you why I try to be different.

This world is a scary place. Girl's clothing is getting skimpier. Divorce is at a seriously high rate. It is becoming normal to have sex and live with your boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance before marriage. Drugs and alcohol have become something that most people do or at least have tried. And Sunday has just become another day of the week.

So if not making the choices that I mentioned in the above paragraph make me a freak, then heck yes, I'm a freak! I will proudly be a freak if it means living my life to a higher standard than what is considered "normal".

But in all seriousness, I am not a freak. Just because I choose to not have sex before marriage and I choose to make sure my clothing covers my body, I am still a normal person. I still have feelings. I still laugh and joke and I still cry and hurt.

What makes me the most sad about the conversation I overheard was that these people were claiming to be Christians and were claiming that I am not a Christian. In my eyes, a Christian is a follower of Christ. It is someone who decides to do as Jesus would do and try to pattern their life after his. Since Jesus Christ was perfect, I can guarantee to you that he never bullied anyone. I can guarantee he didn't talk badly about others. So we, as Christians, should be trying our best to do the same.

I cannot think of a time in my life where I have called someone an idiot because of their religious preference. I cannot think of a time that I wasted an entire lunch hour talking horribly about someone else's religion. I also cannot think of a time that I thought bullying was funny.

So even though I am not a perfect person, I try to be a good Christian. I try to do as Christ would do and love everyone. I make mistakes every day but I pick myself back up and try again the next day.

If you want to know more about who I am as a Mormon, just ask. Don't assume. I am no freak. I am just a person who believes in my church and believes in the standards that I live.

And that's how Suze sees it.