luc wrote:Wow--I don't think you're giving living in Utah enough credit. Yes, there are many Mormons and ex-Mormons but there are also thriving congregations of many other faiths, even in the south end of Salt Lake Valley. I know because I've checked my fair share out. And please don't assume, lostindc, that we are a bunch of sheltered people who have never lived outside of Utah except to serve missions. That's not my case and not the case of many of my close friends. I think you're going to find what you're looking for. I've found a diverse set of friends and colleagues that don't give a rat's what religion I am or have been. I'm finding it's the same situation for my children. I'm sure there are a lot of judgemental, intolerant people here, but I don't really want to hang with them either so it all works out. Good luck with your decision.
Totally agree.
I agree, but I do think it is wise to consider your work colleagues.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
Kishkumen wrote:I agree, but I do think it is wise to consider your work colleagues.
That is the critical point. If you can, interview them before you take the position.
You have a ready-made support structure from your internet contacts. You know the origins of the problems, and the warning signs of potential problems, and what to do. I did not. My other personal characteristics made it worse. My reason is me, and PTSD.
Huckelberry said: I see the order and harmony to be the very image of God which smiles upon us each morning as we awake.
While the idea of having an endless supply of fresh testimonkey meat is quite enticing, I would grow tired of the ugly days of winter and the yellow haze that I see hanging over the Wasatch front.
Honestly, I would probably get fired for deprogramming fellow employees who are LDS.
I love killing testimonkies, I just can't help myself.
New name: Boaz The most viewed "ignored" poster in Shady Acres® !
For those who groove on looking up co-workers' ancestries, my mere existence is a testimony-killer. A second cousin and family somehow ended up in Utah, and they also had a very rough time.
Huckelberry said: I see the order and harmony to be the very image of God which smiles upon us each morning as we awake.
We are interviewing someone to lead a new department at my institute. He is non-LDS and has been working at the UofU/Huntsman Cancer Center for 15+ years. When I spoke to him about raising his family in Utah he seemed happy with it overall. His kids go to private school and his colleagues are all non-LDS. His biggest complaint is that Utah spends so little on education that it severely impacts hiring and retaining top people at his institute. He believes there is no way to remain competitive without political change and for this reason he is dead set on leaving Utah.
That's basically why I wouldn't move back to Utah either.
"And yet another little spot is smoothed out of the echo chamber wall..." Bond
The Dude wrote:We are interviewing someone to lead a new department at my institute. He is non-LDS and has been working at the UofU/Huntsman Cancer Center for 15+ years. When I spoke to him about raising his family in Utah he seemed happy with it overall. His kids go to private school and his colleagues are all non-LDS. His biggest complaint is that Utah spends so little on education that it severely impacts hiring and retaining top people at his institute. He believes there is no way to remain competitive without political change and for this reason he is dead set on leaving Utah.
That's basically why I wouldn't move back to Utah either.
Good point.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
Like others have said it's one thing to be non-mormon and quite another to be an ex-mormon in Utah. Maybe it's okay for a non-mormon. But if you work in a LDS dominated environment and you're an ex-mormon, it will likely be unpleasant. Can you keep being ex-mormon a secret? Then maybe you'd be okay. You might have to be willing to mislead people from time to time to keep it that way. Probably not a great choice either. Frankly I fantasize about moving to a place where I can put the LDS church more or less permanently behind me and not ever think about it again.
Stormy Waters wrote:Like others have said it's one thing to be non-mormon and quite another to be an ex-mormon in Utah. Maybe it's okay for a non-mormon. But if you work in a LDS dominated environment and you're an ex-mormon, it will likely be unpleasant. Can you keep being ex-mormon a secret? Then maybe you'd be okay. You might have to be willing to mislead people from time to time to keep it that way. Probably not a great choice either. Frankly I fantasize about moving to a place where I can put the LDS church more or less permanently behind me and not ever think about it again.
Amen to that last sentiment. Utah has so many wonderful aspects that make it a great place to live. However, as an ex-believer, I long for that opportunity to leave the Mormon mindset and culture in the rear view mirror forever. I wish there were no reminders of it anywhere in my life (the culture and group think, not Mormon people). Of course, I live in Orem, Utah, so I am in the very epicenter of that Mormon cultural blandness.
A new café opened up right up the street from me: Decadance. Awesome! They serve non-caffeinated coffee-like drinks. Please God help me leave this place!!
Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction -Pope Benedict XVI
