Why I don't want to stay in Utah

This is a question that many people have asked me over the last few months. We almost took a job in California, and when we decided to stay here, "here" was my biggest complaint. "What's wrong with living in Utah?" was the question I heard most. So, I thought I'd tell you why. But first, a little background...

Orson Scott Card is hands-down my favorite author. I'm so glad my dad is a fan (he's even been to numerous book signings) and introduced me to this great legend when I was young. I think I read my first OSC in like 6th grade. It was great. A couple of weeks ago, his new collection of short stories called "Keeper of Dreams" was on the library's new fiction stand. Sweet. I totally needed something to read and I hadn't ever ventured into his short story collection.

One of the last sections of the book is called "Mormon Stories" and he prefaces them with the fact that they are not really religious, or spiritually uplifting but that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormons) have a particular culture, and that's what he wrote about. Because of the Church's organization, every member lives in a community (or ward) where we all serve each other in callings, "we become familiar with every face; we know which children belong to which parents; many of us know every single person's name." He goes on to say that "for most of us--for those of us who are actively engaged in the life of the ward--we live in Mormonism and only visit American culture."

Okay, now to the whole point of this long post... The states of Utah, Eastern Idaho, and parts of Arizona are considered, by some, to be the "Mormon Corridor". Many towns are at least half Mormon, compared to the East or South where Mormons are relatively rare and are "awash in a sea of Baptists or Methodists or Presbyterian Catholics".

In those more sparse areas, "teenagers need each other in order to help sustain each others' identity as Latter-Day Saints; adults depend on each other and are tolerant of variations. If you show up and do your calling, then we don't care what political party you belong to, you're one of us. Also, wards are spread out over large stretches of cities and country-side so that people of every walk of life and every income level gather together to worship."

"In the Mormon Corridor, by contrast, members are expendable--there are so many Mormons you can afford to ostracize those who don't believe exactly the way you do. And wards are so bunched together that zoning laws shape the church to a dysfunctional degree--everybody in the ward makes the same amount of money, lives in the same-size house, and never has to deal with anyone markedly poorer or different from themselves. When wards are smaller than Zip Codes, it's easy to forget that it's faith and obedience that bind us together, no the superficial similarities of income and career."

"In 'Zion', Mormons are far more likely to get confused about where worldly values leave off and religious values begin. Whereas in places where Mormons are a small minority, the lines are clear and everyone can see them."

Before you flag me (or OSC) as blaspemous, let me point out that we both know there are good and bad Mormons everywhere. Doesn't matter if you live in SLC or Timbuktu, there are going to be some bad eggs. But, his insight into Mormon culture is very astute.

I have loved living here. I grew up here. I love the friends I have made, and the experiences I have had. It's just time for something new. Something to push myself and our family a little more in our beliefs. It's too easy for me to relax, be lazy, and get myself mixed up as to what is really important. Sure, living in the Corridor is great for some people. Most have probably never thought twice about it. It's just not for us. And I know life elswhere won't be a walk in the park. Having differences in income level, house size, political affiliation, etc. all in the same ward creates it's own set of problems. But, at least it'll be different.

So, there you have it. As Sam always says in answer to "the" question, "There's too many Mormons".

Congratulations for having read my whole post. I'd love to hear what you think, so leave a comment or two.