{ losing my religion...and other random thoughts }

not much to report today.  i finally had a shift at work and it sure does make me feel better about my day when i'm working.  something i didn't expect to learn about myself, but makes me realize more and more that i must put more into my non-working days so that they feel as satisfying.

: :

on our drive home this evening i caught the second half of terri gross' program on npr.  it was all about mitt romney and his career/religion/campaign.  i am not a mitt romney supporter, but i don't outright hate the guy...yet.  i may by the time november comes around, but that'll most likely be the case for anyone left in the running.  and if it's gingrich or santorum i don't know what i'll do. 

here's what got to me, though.  and i think it surprised me.  they told a story about a woman in romney's ward when we was bishop in summerville.  she was divorced, had a child from her marriage and was pregnant again, i think by the ex-husband, but it wasn't entirely clear.  she recounted a visit she had with him where she went in seeking council regarding her situation.  she was about to have a second child and was now a single mother and was worried and unsure about what to do.  

she said that romney had encouraged her to give up her unborn child for adoption claiming that her child should be given the opportunity to be raised by both a mother and a father.  and that's what would be best for her child.  this alone upset me immensely , but she went on to say that he threatened her with excommunication if she did not heed his advice.  

this upset me even more!  i started yelling at the radio. "oh, come on!  there's no way a bishop threatened excommunication to a single mother if she didn't put her baby up for adoption.  there's no way!" the narrator then stated that romney did deny the threats of excommunication, but not that he strongly encouraged her to seek adoption.

it was one of those times when you're listening to something and you know it's getting misinterpreted and there's nothing you can do about it.  like your journal is being read over the loud speaker at school and you can't explain all the weird and personal stuff you wrote about.   i was a bit surprised to find myself reacting so strongly.  i certainly have my issues with the mormon culture and what it's become,  but i felt personally attached in a way i haven't in a long time.  it reminded me of how often i make snap judgments about things and people and situations because of what i hear and instantly trust.  most of what i hear on npr falls in that category!  

i consider myself a very open and tolerant person, but that's only after i instantly judge something.  it's true, i do it all the time.  my mind judges and then i usually say "eh, i'm sure they have their reasons, or they're crazy, but whatever."  if they're not hurting anyone, let'em be crazy!  who am i to decide what crazy looks like?  

i'm lauren, i'm a mormon and it doesn't get much crazier than that.