An Ethnic Mormon

I saw the Dahli Llama speak at the University of Utah once. One of the things he said  in his remarks  is that he didn’t believe you should change religions and the crowd cheered, probably because they felt it was a jab at Mormon missionary efforts. I think they missed his point.

You don’t have to have a testimony to be a Mormon.

This idea began to grow in my head when I attended college out of state and dated “A Jew.” This man did not attend synagogue, keep kosher, or have any particular interest in religion, but he strongly identified as “A Jew.” The fact that I didn’t attend services or have a strong belief in the truthfulness of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not dissuade him or his family from referring to me as “The Mormon.” From their perspective, Mormons were my people. My beliefs about God were another matter.

This experience was the launching pad for a crazy idea: there is a thing that is being ethnically Mormon.

My ancestors crossed the plains with Brigham Young. They practiced polygamy. They paid tithing and settled Utah. Today, my extended family continues to practice their beliefs.

The context of my life is Mormon, even if I don’t share LDS beliefs.

No, I don’t believe Joseph Smith was led to golden plates by an angel and translated them using a Urim and Thumim.

I believe that polygamy was created by a visionary man trying to remake the world in a revolutionary way. Another hint of this tendency: the law of consecration.

I believe that African Americans were denied the priesthood due to ignorance and tradition. I believe that this changed not due to Godly attention, but because of protest and pressure.

I believe a story similar to that of African Americans will continue to play out for gay and lesbian members.

I believe that accepting that the Book of Mormon was written by man doesn’t make parts of it any less remarkable then the Bible, which was also written by men.

None of these beliefs change who my ancestors are, where my home is, or the fact that many of my beliefs stem from Mormon experiences.

Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ are no more the foundation of my Mormonism than Abraham or Moses are the defining criteria for Hebrew people and the faith of my Jewish friend. Identity is much deeper and more complicated than the set of beliefs you hold about God,  I believe that’s why the Dahli Llama said that you shouldn’t change religions. Your faith  only part of your religion, as demonstrated by the myriad differing beliefs across Mormonism (e.g. feminists wearing pants to church, pro-choice Democrats, Socialists, creationists). Your religion is often also your family, home, culture, and more.

Faith and beliefs can change within a religion, but changing religions can create family breaks, spur wars, make people lose touch of your roots, and cause many other unintentional and unfortunate byproducts.

I grew up in an LDS world that experienced the sublime by taking self-centered young people to homeless shelters to feed the homeless. We were taught to love the poor and oppressed and to feed the sick and helpless.

Those experiences were powerful.

I’m not done being Mormon.  I think I’ll just call it being ethnically Mormon.

~Erica