'Chance & Story Essay\r'

'In third arcdegree through vith, I had a accomplice named break. We were best friends and often spent consider equal days and nights over at apiece other’s house. Whenever I stayed at Chance’s, the house was filled with hindrance from the two of us and his six brothers and sisters. Chance’s family was Mormon, a religion that my family knew nada much or less except the name. He at formerly explained why his family was so large, but it make little sense to me at that time. During the spend between sixth and seventh cast Chance’s family go away to Utah.\r\nI’ve learned a arcminute more(prenominal) nearly Mormons since but this appellation offered me an opportunity to learn more or so the religion of my friend and how Mormons feel about how they atomic number 18 perceived in the unify States, especi all toldy concerning the law and unlikeness. Chance’s family was only one of m whatsoever Mormons in my town and surrounding sphere of influences. Patty is a good friend of mine who dishs the Mormon church building service building in town since she was a baby, so through her I was able to find deuce-ace great deal to inter enamor.\r\nHer p arnts were non available, but she introduced me to a Mormon missional Brian, a neighbor Barbara, and Chris, her mother’s home- de circumstanceineer. Brian is twenty years old and is primitively from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is currently nearing the end of his Mormon mission, which is a semi-required two year contribute for Mormon young men to an region chosen by the head church in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had however graduated high school when he began the training for the mission.\r\nHis mission is to go ingress to door in the neighborhoods to sh ar his beliefs and teach anyone raise about the basics of the church. Barbara is in addition non originally from this argona. She was born and embossed in Provo, Utah, which is where the Mormon univers ity Brigham Young is located. She moved here ten years past when her husband’s job transferred. She is 43 years old, has five children between six and fifteen, has a college degree from BYU in market but doesn’t currently build outside her home, and has been married for twenty-three years.\r\nChris is from this area and has lived here all of his fifty-six years. He is an elder at the church, has four children and cardinal grandchildren so far, works as a machine repairer, and volunteers for the church as a home-teacher in which he regularly visits church members for further teaching about the church. Having much(prenominal) different subjects to inter tantrum proved precise(prenominal) interesting. Each shared that they shake up dealt with round sort of discrimination in their lifetimes as Mormons. They all indicated that the problems are rarely very serious and never violent, but are more subtle.\r\nBarbara notices the ostracize attitude towards Mormons mo st(prenominal) of the three because she lived for so massive in Utah, which is heavily populated with Mormons, especially where she lived in Provo. She show that when the family moved, she was surprised to find that at that place are good deal who still imagine Mormons are the many-wives religion. One woman at her children’s school even asked once if Barbara was one of several wives of her husband. Neither Brian nor Chris tell that they deal had this problem. Brian said his problem is more centered on his mission work. He has often heard people say ‘there go the two-by-twos.\r\n’ The missionaries work in pairs, so he said the term stuck. For the most part, he says people are friendly towards him and often comment that Mormons are the nicest people they know, but very some choose to actually discuss the church’s teachings. Instead Brian and Chris both said that most people are interested in if Mormons are a furore that traps unsuspecting victims. B arbara also said this is something people have asked in round-about ways much(prenominal) as through her kids. All three said that it is often frustrating the brusk view that they feel the majority of Americans have toward the Mormon Church.\r\nBarbara and Chris’s children mostly have other Mormon friends, and those that are not Mormon are seldom allowed to attend activities organized for the Mormon youth such as dances, outings, or sport activities if they are to be held at the church. They say that no one has said directly why the kids can’t attend, but all three believe that it is related to the negative view of the church. They all also indicated that any issues that arise are always accessible in nature, that they have never had a problem with employers or the law regarding discrimination.\r\nInterestingly, as I interviewed each person, I effectuate myself also curious about the ‘oddities’ of the Mormon church. When Barbara mentioned the many-wiv es idea, I wanted to know more about it. So I was doing scarcely what the three had said most people do: expressing curiosity about the curiousness instead of the good qualities of the church or its teachings. However, I did learn quite a bit about the basic organize of the church, why it is based in Utah, and how Mormons view the world and the after-life.\r\nSince the problems that Mormons experience are close always social, it is a issue of belatedly changing the public’s view of the church. Chris believes that the commercials the church has put on goggle box have gone a long way in changing perceptions about the church. Brian said that attitudes are better in Canada towards the church most likely because it started in the USA, where it experienced a lot of discrimination in its beginnings. So it is a matter of time and continued sharing for the Mormon Church to be recognized as a legitimate religion and not as a cult.\r\n'