I have read, with great interest, the Tribune series on the religious divide in Utah. I too have my perspective about this issue.
Roughly 45 years ago, I was an exuberant LDS convert, returned missionary, elders quorum president, and then counselor in a bishopric in Van Nuys, California. My wife, one of 10 children in a devout LDS family, was also a returned missionary, and we had married in the temple. I vividly recall, during a casual conversation with my mother-in-law, telling her that I could not imagine having a relationship with a non-Mormon, because “we would have nothing in common.” I think I was a little surprised at myself for uttering those words, which even shocked me at the time. Nevertheless, it was true that I had no significant relationships with anyone who was not LDS. I was just too busy with work, school, family and my LDS community.
In 1990, my family moved to Utah; in 2001, I resigned my LDS Church membership. Three LDS friends in California continued their relationships with me; not a single Utah Mormon did. In the 34 years I’ve lived in Utah, I’ve managed to develop friendships with three individuals who identify as LDS. To be fair, they’re all a bit unorthodox.
If one were to ask me how much I have in common with the devout Utah LDS folks I’ve met — and I’ve met hundreds over the years — I would answer, “Not much.” Perhaps they would say the same about me.
Ken Roach, Millcreek