Millennial Mormons: Where Myth and Reality Meet

A note from the editor: A couple of weeks ago I read a play called The Christians by Lucas Hnath. It’s about a pastor who, in accordance with his own changing beliefs, one day preaches to his congregation that there is no Hell, which ends up causing a big schism in his congregation as people try to grapple with what the universe would look like without the idea of Hell. He begins this initial sermon with his desire to talk with God, “I have a powerful urge to communicate with you, but I find the distance between us insurmountable.” He then later remarks, “We put the distance there. When we shun our neighbors, when we judge our friends, when we look down at people from other places and other religions, we create an insurmountable distance where there is no distance at all.” I liked this play for many reasons. It felt complicated and sticky, not unlike my own self, and there was no clear resolution in the end. There was only distance. Distance that could continue to g

If you want to really understand someone, you have to "walk a mile in their shoes."  This blog has hopefully let you take one step in someone else's shoes. It's a good start, but walking a mile in someone's shoes comes through hours of open conversation, of introspection, of unfeigned compassion, of withholding judgment. Basically it comes down to the words of Cinderella's wise mother: have courage and be kind. I hope that we can all find people to tell our stories to and that we are becoming the kind of people with whom others want to share their stories. I'm not sure how many more stories I will get. I'll post them if they come. But know that there are more.  Told or untold. I thought I would take this Sunday to highlight some of the struggles and triumphs I've heard from my peers during this season of life. Because struggles are more manageable when shared, and joys more sweet.  Our strugglers differ. Feeling lonely. Feelin

My grandma is not a millennial. She was born on Christmas Eve of 1929. But I want to highlight her story here as well because she has been so instrumental in shaping my adulthood. She's always created safe and brave spaces for those around her and been willing to listen and ask questions as well as share opinions. So pardon me for breaking my own rules. I have been missing her a lot, especially in the past couple of weeks as I have felt weighted regarding women's value in society and the church and my own complexities as a human. She passed away in November 2016, almost two years ago, but moving to Indiana, her dear home of fifty years, has helped me feel close to her spirit. Even though she is no longer here, m y relationship with her is not over, it has simply changed. My grandma is a champion of love, of intellectual queries, and of spiritual growth. My grandma read thousands of books over her 86 years of life, taught early morning seminary for decades and Gospel Doctrin

A note from the editor: This story pairs well with story 9, “Joy in the Journey.” Many of us long for certainty in our futures. We desire to know the details of coming years regarding our physical locations, careers, finances, marriages, and children, whether illness will touch us or someone we love, how government policies will change, and ultimately, the kinds of losses and joys we will experience. We want to be ready for whatever life offers us, but we want to know the what, when, why, how in advance. However, as Anne Lamott observed, “The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.” Part of the beauty of life is the unexpected. Part of the challenge of life is an incomplete picture. Story 11 of this project? Just learning to embrace life in all its ambiguities. story 11 of many. If you had asked me five years ago as I was graduating from high school where I would be in 2018, I would have been wrong. Looking back on these years, the path that I have taken has

A note from the editor: Every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer individual needs to know that you are valuable. That God loves you. All of you. I believe that God created us differently so that we could help others understand what it is like to be us. So that we could learn how to invite others to "come in" to "come out" with our personal experiences and perspectives. Understanding and loving and supporting LGBTQ people in the LDS church is VITAL to being disciples of Christ. As Dieter Uchtdorf has often invited us, "Come and add your talents, gifts, and energies to ours. We will all become better as a result." We can each do better at appreciating the wide range of gifts God has given us and those around us. While the church officially may not yet have the most helpful of resources for how to bring two seemingly different core identities together, let us each individually sit down with our brothers and sisters, help them carry their st