Millennial Mormons: Where Myth and Reality Meet

A note from the editor:   Is there a typical? Maybe, maybe not. Is there a "too late" to do something? Sometimes, sometimes not. We all run across unexpected delays and obstacles in our life plans, but that doesn't have to ruin the greater whole. We are all on different timelines, fighting different spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical foes, but we can be united as we celebrate individual victories, which could span from changing a lightbulb to graduating college to learning how to love our whole selves.  In the words of Loretta Randall Sharp, the community of God [a.k.a. the human race] is not one of "clones": for "if we allow ourselves instruction from heavenly beings in different ways, and if we celebrate rather than fear differences in one another, we will do as our Heavenly Father commands: we will become one."  So sit with this friend for a few minutes and become one.  Story 2 of many. Typical [tip-i-k uh   l]: ad...

A note from the editor: I invite my friends, in the words of BYU professor Dr. Lori Wadsworth, to "move in to see those who struggle with doubts or grief and still want to fit in. Move in to see how amazing people are regardless of where they are on their faith journey." Move in to see some thoughts that Mormon millennials have written about their lives. I want to reiterate: no story looks the same. The goal of these stories is to give voice to men and women, those who are married and those who are single, those with kids and those without, those who are straight and those who are gay, the conservative and the liberal, the faithful and the doubtful--and all gray areas in between these categories. Every person faces different spiritual, physical, and emotional challenges and I hope each story helps us think more compassionately about our friends and family as we move in closer and sit with them for a few minutes.  Again from Lori Wadsworth: "What are we d...

John Steinbeck wrote, “We are lonesome animals. We spend all our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say —and to feel—'Yes, that’s the way it is, or at least that’s the way I feel it.  You’re not as alone as you thought. '” The Millennial Mormon Project aims to  promote understanding, community, and empathy.   It hopes to show that there are fewer Mormon norms than we like to imagine. It is not easy to feel that you are the only one living your individual life, but I believe there is great power in knowing someone else has gone through or is experiencing similar emotions, obstacles, and triumphs. Millennials (those born approximately between 1980 and 2000) have often intimately felt the impacts of recent social, technological, religious, and political change. The world has become both a more connected and more isolating place for many of us.  This project aspires to fight isolation and...