Radio

Last night I called into a talk radio show to make a comment. Maddie and I were on our way home from violin lessons and I just couldn't help myself.

An atheist woman, the show host, wanted to know if Mitt Romney being a Mormon was an issue with voters because she happened to think it was no big deal. Callers were informing her that this really is a "big deal" and that Mormons are strange, with crazy beliefs, etc. Some callers were spouting off what they thought were strange Mormon beliefs and 90% of what they said was dead wrong. The last straw for me was when one caller said Mormons believed the stars are their dead ancestors. I knew I had to call in and set the record straight. So I did, telling the radio host that was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. Nicholas (my walking encyclopedia) said that belief is a common one among Native Americans like the Mayans. Mayans, Mormons...sounds the same, right?

I think people are fearful of electing a Mormon president because they are scared of the unknown. More and more I realize how little people know about Mormons, how misinformed they are about our beliefs and way of life. Americans don't realize that there are more Mormons in this country than Jews. People don't know there are Mormons all around them; we're just not wearing signs around our necks advertising our religion. There is a lot of misconception out there about our beliefs. I told the radio show host that if people want a clear picture of Mormons they should go to the reputable source Mormon.org

The Pew Research Center just published research data on this very topic: Mormons in America.