Five Things I Like About Mormons

Mormons get a bad rep from both liberals and conservatives.  This bothers me because we live in a country that was founded on religious freedom as one of its core principles.  What is also annoying is when an entire group of people receive negativity for what only a small handful of its members say or do.  These groups can be the Muslims, the Jews, the Amish, et cetera.  I'm not entirely sure why we often focus so much on the negative aspects of others.  Perhaps if we find something positive from people different from us, it would force us to rethink our values and realize that we're not perfect and other people might be better than us in other ways.

Anyways, this is a pretty random post but I thought it'd be somewhat amusing so here goes:

1. They have an incredible sense of family values.  Although I disagree with their views on gay marriage, I like the fact that they take their families very seriously.  The divorce rate among Latter-Day Saints is below 20% and well below the national average of 50%.  Given your knowledge of relationships, you decide for yourself whether you think that is overall a good thing or not.

2. Their abstaining from alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and all recreation drugs is something I appreciate.  This behavior requires a certain amount of willpower too many people lack in this world.  Most people would probably be healthier if they followed this too.

3. Their overall discipline is very noteworthy.  I am not opposed to premarital sex, but I admit that the restraint required to follow through with must be very substantial (at least for most people).  I do see the potential value in saving yourself for marriage, but I am most impressed by their devotion to delaying immediate gratification for something they believe to be greater later on.  That's something we can all learn from, whether it is being healthier or financing your retirement.

4. They are well-educated.  32% of Mormons have at least some college education compared to 23% of the general US population.  Call me biased but I have very high respect for people value their education and continue learning more about the world.  Better educated people are also more productive.

5. They're just really nice people.  I don't know what it is about being raised Mormon but the Mormons I've met were all very polite and kind.  The Book of Mormon musical caricatured this by making the protagonists nice in a pure, naive way.

You don't have to like every aspect of anything you encounter in life.  Be careful not to completely evacuate the mine because you didn't find any gold.  There might be diamonds!