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I have issues with a certain religion. When I was 13 my family moved from Suburban California to rural Idaho, and I was placed into the junior high there. About 80% of the population of the area all belongs to a particular religion. Because of this, the religion had permeated nearly every aspect of life.
The schools were regularly used as forums for this religion---the local chapters would pass out flyers to the students regarding church summer camp, sports leagues between the wards, etc. Religious notices were often posted up in the hallways.
The junior high/high school offered seminary, which was basically a class where they learned all about their religion. To get around the church state separation, seminary classes were held in a building between the two schools (they were caddy-corner to one another). The building was not owned by either school, but by a private third party who allowed it to be used for that purpose. The most galling thing about seminary was that you could not get school credits for it---and people who did not take seminary took other classes which did give you credits, so those of us who didn't take it were required to have more credits in order to graduate then those who did.
The preference for the religion was everywhere. My parents wanted me to get an after school job, and for a long time I could not find one. In interviews I was always asked which ward I belonged to, and when I said I did not belong to a ward, I could practically see their eyes glaze over. When my Mother went looking for an office job she was usually asked, indirectly, if she drank coffee, because the followers of this religion avoid it. She had trouble finding a job as well.
I had two specific teachers who disliked me intensely, and from their comments to me I deduced it was because I was not a member of the religion. The family who lived next door to us was openly contemptuous of me and my sister, and I remember the younger boys telling us that their Mother told them they weren't allowed to talk to us because we would 'draw them away from God and into sin'.
I saw it exaggerated in the social life of the students too. I did not go to any of the high school dances, nor did I ever go on a date while living there. Those kids were not allowed to date anyone who did not belong to the religion, and most of the others were Hispanic Catholics, so they kept to themselves as well. Kids in school would talk to me, but I was never, ever invited to do anything outside of school. I remember vividly the first year of school there. A group of girls I had made friends with asked me one morning which ward I belonged to. Not knowing what a ward was, I asked what they meant. They asked it again. I asked what a ward was, and they gave me a long measuring look and asked me if I was a member of their religion. I said no. It spread really quickly, and I was always treated less respectfully after that.
I saw a lot of things happen to people while I was there, that were unfair and sometimes downright cruel, all in the name of this religion, and I developed an aversion to it. I live far away now, but I still have trouble dealing with people who belong to it. My first instinct is to distrust and avoid them. Since then, I have encountered other people of this particular religion, and of course my dealings with them have always been fairly normal and civil, and they are obviously decent people, but the distrust is still in the back of my mind, and I cannot let go of it. my experiences left a bad taste in my mouth.
I wonder if anyone else has had this kind of experience, and how you deal with it.
The schools were regularly used as forums for this religion---the local chapters would pass out flyers to the students regarding church summer camp, sports leagues between the wards, etc. Religious notices were often posted up in the hallways.
The junior high/high school offered seminary, which was basically a class where they learned all about their religion. To get around the church state separation, seminary classes were held in a building between the two schools (they were caddy-corner to one another). The building was not owned by either school, but by a private third party who allowed it to be used for that purpose. The most galling thing about seminary was that you could not get school credits for it---and people who did not take seminary took other classes which did give you credits, so those of us who didn't take it were required to have more credits in order to graduate then those who did.
The preference for the religion was everywhere. My parents wanted me to get an after school job, and for a long time I could not find one. In interviews I was always asked which ward I belonged to, and when I said I did not belong to a ward, I could practically see their eyes glaze over. When my Mother went looking for an office job she was usually asked, indirectly, if she drank coffee, because the followers of this religion avoid it. She had trouble finding a job as well.
I had two specific teachers who disliked me intensely, and from their comments to me I deduced it was because I was not a member of the religion. The family who lived next door to us was openly contemptuous of me and my sister, and I remember the younger boys telling us that their Mother told them they weren't allowed to talk to us because we would 'draw them away from God and into sin'.
I saw it exaggerated in the social life of the students too. I did not go to any of the high school dances, nor did I ever go on a date while living there. Those kids were not allowed to date anyone who did not belong to the religion, and most of the others were Hispanic Catholics, so they kept to themselves as well. Kids in school would talk to me, but I was never, ever invited to do anything outside of school. I remember vividly the first year of school there. A group of girls I had made friends with asked me one morning which ward I belonged to. Not knowing what a ward was, I asked what they meant. They asked it again. I asked what a ward was, and they gave me a long measuring look and asked me if I was a member of their religion. I said no. It spread really quickly, and I was always treated less respectfully after that.
I saw a lot of things happen to people while I was there, that were unfair and sometimes downright cruel, all in the name of this religion, and I developed an aversion to it. I live far away now, but I still have trouble dealing with people who belong to it. My first instinct is to distrust and avoid them. Since then, I have encountered other people of this particular religion, and of course my dealings with them have always been fairly normal and civil, and they are obviously decent people, but the distrust is still in the back of my mind, and I cannot let go of it. my experiences left a bad taste in my mouth.
I wonder if anyone else has had this kind of experience, and how you deal with it.
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