April 09, 2002 // 3:25 p.m. // More issues? God, Jason

Note: To better understand this entry, you may want to read this on the side. Peruse at your leisure.

I'm riding on the bus yesterday, and as my A Camp CD ends, I overhear two women sitting next to me (Girl A) and in front of me, (Girl B) and an older gentlemen sitting next to her discussing the LDS religion.

"I usually have a second date."

"Oh, but I never get past a first date." the other says.

They began to discuss going on their missions, as well as how they've been pressured by their parents to not only be married, but to have a family. They went on about how all of the good Mormon boys their age were on their mission, leaving no one for them to date.

They discussed divorce. How Girl B's parents were both LDS and were sealed in the Temple, but were later divorced when her dad had a wandering eye and an affair. She later remarried, and she and her new spouse had their marriage sealed in the church.

Girl B said something in response to knowing when you're in love that made perfect sense, but that I can't recall. She then, in the next line said that her parents weren't in love when they married, but "grew in love." When asked why, Girl B said that her mom needed a provider, and thus they married.

Ummm...You'd think you might be able to blame the divorce on the fact that they weren't in love? Not truly in love? Maybe he went elsewhere because there wasn't as much love in the house.

Oh one more thing: And I swear these were her exact words. She said that "any two LDS people can grow to love each other." It didn't work for your parents, did it? I believed when she said that there are (at least) two people out there for each of us, but the rest? Come on.

And here's the real reason I wanted to compose this entry, and explains some of my issues with the church. The older gentleman explained how his son was 40, divorced, and just couldn't get over his marriage, especially since she called it off.

He then said this: "Lately, he's been dating some Armenian women. Two Armenian women. And he was also dating a Mexican lady." As a direct response to the previous, Girl B painfully responded back to him with, "maybe he's lost his faith."

So, he's losing his faith because he dates someone outside of his race? Bullshit. I cannot believe someone would say that in this day and age. And there are so many other things that I encounter on a daily basis that most people don't give a second thought to because they don't live here. Here are examples:

Friends buying bottled water at McDonalds because they're religiously restricted from caffiene.

Not being able to attend an R rated movie because someone in the group (whether 17 or 27) is religiously restricted.) We even have people who edit out the �racy� scenes from PG-13 movies such as Jack drawing Rose in Titanic. Don�t even ask. They aren�t even allowed to watch Schindler�s List.

Waiting until someone was 16 to date them, only so they could get a boyfriend on their sixteenth birthday and be engaged on/by their 19th.

Not being invited to weddings, because non-LDS members cannot attend a Temple wedding. Not even if they're your parents or a best man, etc.

Lets just skip right along to dating, shall we? Many of the LDS faith meet their partners at church, through family or at stake dances. I'd explain what all of this means, but there really is no time.

The bottom line is I don't think I can meet anyone to date in the area. Once I break down the one million or so people in the valley by age, religion, factor out those who are married/engaged/dating and those that I don't get along with or don't share common interests with, I'm not left with many. It's that whole needle in a haystack thing. Someone out there just like me is waiting to be found.

Jason

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