I grew up in a religion where to be persecuted was second nature. I can't deny it was hard, and times it almost broke me, but at some point I asked myself Is it worth it? My answer was a resounding YES.
We live in a world full of strife. People cry out prejudice for someone looking sideways at them wrong, for turning down service for things they don't agree with, for holding a sign up in protest. Let me tell you how I learned about hate.
When I was in high school, things were pretty good for me for a while, until suddenly, I found my faith in my religion. It meant a few changes, and yes, I got pretty excited about the things I was learning and told my friends about it. They did not like that. Admittedly, the whole thing was handled poorly, but I ended up isolated and estranged. Soon, people started telling me what I apparently believed, and no matter how much I tried to say they were off or just blatantly wrong, they still kept at it and told me I was brainwashed.
Frustration set in, and I withdrew more. This only made things worse, and something happened that almost crushed me completely.
Over the last two years of school, I kept my head down and my mouth shut. But even then people tried to taunt things out of me, especially when I started to prepare to go to the U.S. as an exchange student. Apparently this was so I could become some old man's third wife. There was no point trying to explain how that was wrong because again, I was brainwashed.
As an exchange student, I learned what it feels like to be loved again, and I grew a backbone.
In my years since, I've seen far more brutal persecution of my faith. It's not directed right at me anymore, but I still taste it's bitterness. I remember two Sundays running showing up to church and our building had been viciously vandalized outside and in. The first time, my dad, who was bishop at the time, received a call at 2 or 3 in the morning telling him to get a team down to the building so it would be safe enough for our meetings. The second time, someone chased them away before they could get inside, so by the third Sunday, a paid security service was patrolling to avoid it happening again.
We didn't know who they were. We didn't go out protesting, or marching as a church group. In fact, we did community service on a regular basis. We believe the best way to share our message is through service and positive relations in the community.
Our church also holds semi-annual worldwide conferences. People flock in the thousands to our headquarters to listen to our church leaders. And once they get there, they have to make their way through protesters lining the entrances. Every. Six. Months. Without fail we are taunted and scorned for our religion. Families with children who are simply going to a church meeting are met with hate. I don't think there's ever been a physical altercation. I believe church members have been hit, and our leaders have to travel underground for their safety, but in general, people pass by ignoring them or missionaries stand nearby singing hymns.
We don't teach hate, But we learn it because people throw it at us. But it's okay because we are Christians. We are the dreaded Mormons.
I wonder why it's okay to treat us like that, but other groups can get people arrested for doing things just like it. Is it because it's ingrained into our history? I mean, Missouri barely lifted it's shoot Mormon's on sight law about twenty years ago. People were slaughtered and run out of their homes to the point where they were forced to exodus across a continent. Even then the military dropped by.
Now, people still tell me what I believe and who I supposedly hate. I just don't get it. I think I'm pretty nice to everyone, but I guess not.
Now, I'm seeing this spread to Christians in general. Yes, there are extremist Christians who do hate (Trust me, those groups that protest at our events are mostly Christian groups) but there are extremist everythings. Those few don't speak for the majority. Every other sub-community and minority gets that benefit of the doubt, so why can't we?
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