Moroni 2:2

St. George is a beautiful town filled with endless resources, especially in the way of statements by St. George residents fueling my fire. Today's fuel is sponsored by a co-worker/part owner of the company I work for; we'll call him "Gary". We were touring homes for sale as a group of a few agents of the office. At our second stop, in a senior community, a couple took the time to have a conversation with the group I was riding with. When asked if they enjoyed living here in town, the lady mentioned that their community is strongly political and full of gossip and that she, for the most part, does not enjoy living in St. George.

When we returned to the vehicle, Gary asked us why we thought she didn't enjoy living here. I mentioned that it might be because they weren't "members". His reply to that was, "Only a non-member would say that!" What I should have said is, "Exactly," but instead, I proceeded to defend my statement by mentioning that some neighbors of mine, LDS church members, were all too happy to invite my children to their church functions where they are taught "Mormon Ideals." I went on to say, "In a gesture of reciprocation, I invited them to send their children to my house for two hours of atheist study as well. Let's just say not only was that an end all to conversation with the neighbors, but their kids no longer play with my kids."

With that, Gary said, "Well, if you don't like it here, move." Now I wonder why the couple from New England feels they're not exactly welcome here with their "outside views" and all. As I tried to reconcile this, I realized there must be some kind of religious precedence for this kind of thought and through many hours of research, I found what I think may be driving this sentiment in the Book of Mormon. Jesus clearly states in the book of Moroni 2:2 (I know these are Jesus' words because they're in red) "And it came to pass that Nephites, now the minority in the once great city of Zerahemala, rose up in opposition to Corahor, and demanded that their voices be heard. Jesus," ('cause if you read the Book of Mormon you would know that Jesus came over here too), "standing next to Corahor said, 'If you don't like it here, then leave.'"

As Glenn Beck says on his television show when feeding misinformation to the public, I don't know for sure if Jesus said this or if it even says this in the Book of Mormon, but I'm just saying that, based on this sentiment, it sounds like Jesus must have said this.

(Look for an upcoming post that will reveal the "Republican Jesus" and how many scriptures in the New Testament would need to be re-written if Jesus were in fact a Republican.)

This type of closed mindedness is exactly why I don't belong to any religious or atheist groups. It's too easy to convince yourself of your profound wisdom when there aren't any naysayers in your circle. I encourage outside thought and civil debate of all subjects, and want to remind anyone reading this that my views are based on the environmental situation at the moment. Twenty years ago, I voted for the first George Bush, so based on that vote, I may be stark raving mad!

Now, do I think that Gary is in any way really this arrogant? No; in fact, I'm sure he's somewhat embarrassed at his statement. Nonetheless, I do find it rather hypocritical of him, considering Mormons send out thousands of missionaries every month, (he "served" a Mormon mission) with the expectation that the world is going to open their doors to their message, when, in their very own back yards, they are more than happy to say, "If you don't like it, move!"