Some form of religion or faith exists in nearly every community on Earth. It weaves tradition and belief into a nation’s culture itself. And I have had the privilege to experience many of them.
In Norway, I visited a church that housed the graves of two of my ancestors.
In Kaunas, Lithuania, I broke bread with pagans and learned about their heritage.
And it was in Rome, where I traversed one of the epicenters of Christianity and met individuals from across the globe.
Even after all these eye-opening encounters, I found myself staying in Utah. The state’s shared religious heritage can knit the community together. Whether from 19th-century Mormon pioneers who traversed the Plains or modern pioneers who arrived from hundreds of places and adhere to a variety of faiths, I want to give voice to their stories.
There are many powerful interfaith relationships in Utah, too, and I want to bring those to light.
In addition, unsung heroes deserve to have their stories told. In 2023, 1.2 million Utahns volunteered with an organization while more than 1.7 million informally helped their neighbors.
Service is in the blood of Utahns, and these acts often go unnoticed. But as Report for America’s new Faith in Utah County reporter — joining The Salt Lake Tribune’s award-winning religion reporting team — I want to cover the intricacies of faith in our families, our neighborhoods, our cities and our state.
Utah is home to more than dozen faith traditions, with nearly two-thirds of its residents identifying with one of them. I want to take a deeper dive into not only the predominant religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but also these other richly diverse faith followings.
My interest also extends to the “nones,” the 34% of Utahns who, according to the Pew Research Center, identify as religiously unaffiliated.
I am here to report on the religious nuances that make up the Beehive State. I hope to bring awareness to religious and nonreligious communities in order to connect Utahns to their neighbors.
So don’t be a stranger.
As a reporter, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at deubank@sltrib.com, on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @eubankdyl or on Instagram at @dylanreporter. I would love to hear your questions, recommendations and story ideas.
Note to readers • Dylan Eubank is a Report for America corps member covering faith in Utah County for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.