Friendly Mormons

[Anonymous]

All of the Mormons I've ever met have always been super nice and this article - shared by many of my Wisconsin friends (I was not at the game) - jives with my own personal experience. It's really interesting. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865688965/Wisconsin-fans-stunned-by-their-treatment-at-BYU-game.html

[Anonymous]

They're friendly because they want to covert you to their religion.

As for being friendly to another team's fans, that's how it should be IMO. Nobody should be threatening anyone, nobody should worry about their car or body being attacked for which team they like (hell, for any reason).

[Anonymous]

The Mormons I know are just really nice people. It's not all about conversion, and they know they aren't going to convert me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Mormons I know are just really nice people. It's not all about conversion, and they know they aren't going to convert me.

+1

One of my best friends in high school was Mormon; I'm Jewish. After one awkward conversation in ninth grade, he knew he wasn't going to convert me, and it never affected our friendship.

[Anonymous]

They are friendly and helpful because these are attributes their culture values. Makes them lovely neighbors.

Of course they want all of us to be mormons, but in my experience, they aren't very aggressive about it, so I don't care.

[Anonymous]

It's cultural. Mormons tend to be very friendly, but they can also be passive aggressive if they want to be. You will be shunned and ignored while they smile away. It can be incredibly frustrating because you look like the crazy one if you confront them about their passive aggressive behavior. No religion has the market on nice. That's a person-by-person attribute.

[Anonymous]

When my elderly mom fell in her icy driveway trying to bring in the garbage can, and waved at every passing car for 10 minutes, the only car that stopped (passed her, but realized she needed help and turned around) were 4 female Mormons out to visit the neighborhood. They picked her up, bracing her against their feet, then once she was safe and sound, drove away before anyone could even thank them. I have no idea of their names/ particular church, and no way to thank them. They did not try to convert her, just helped and left. I wish I had known who they were.

[Anonymous]

I've always noticed this too. Every single Mormon I've ever met has been not just friendly but incredibly charming, warm, bright, and with a delightful pleasant sense of humor. Just lovely people who are easy to talk to. Shame about the corrupt and evil organization that is the LDS cult. I find it very hard to reconcile the two realities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my elderly mom fell in her icy driveway trying to bring in the garbage can, and waved at every passing car for 10 minutes, the only car that stopped (passed her, but realized she needed help and turned around) were 4 female Mormons out to visit the neighborhood. They picked her up, bracing her against their feet, then once she was safe and sound, drove away before anyone could even thank them. I have no idea of their names/ particular church, and no way to thank them. They did not try to convert her, just helped and left. I wish I had known who they were.

How odd that they told her their religion and not their names.

Thank goodness they were there to help, though.

[Anonymous]

Nice people. As with many religions though, when they are positive that you will not convert, they let the friendship drop.

[Anonymous]

I have worked with 80% Mormons for the last decade. They are, generally, a friendly people. Lots of causes - strong network of socialization with people not necessarily of their choosing from an early age, some scriptural beliefs, extreme culture of consensus and not publicly rocking the boat.

It is a friendliness that is hard to go deeper with though. It's not that their friendliness is fake or about converting you - that's not it. It's real, they are caring people who are truly kind, regardless of what they can get from you. But, if you live in an LDS dominated area and aren't, you aren't going to get any real deep friendships with most Mormons. It's not that they actively exclude you (usually), it's just that their lives are so full of church community there's no room for those that don't participate. Also, because of the culture of not airing grievances publicly and being super positive, it can be hard to get "real" with people and have them open up about their lives beyond only the good outer things they want you to see. I find it difficult to form deep friendships if there isn't sharing of deeper conversations.

It is a very unique culture, and there is definitely a different between UT/ID/AZ Mormons and those who grew up in a different area.

Also, check their teeth out. Perfect, unbelievably white teeth on a majority of them. It's a Thing. I don't just mean "decent, must have had braces", I mean "Are those veneers?" Level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my elderly mom fell in her icy driveway trying to bring in the garbage can, and waved at every passing car for 10 minutes, the only car that stopped (passed her, but realized she needed help and turned around) were 4 female Mormons out to visit the neighborhood. They picked her up, bracing her against their feet, then once she was safe and sound, drove away before anyone could even thank them. I have no idea of their names/ particular church, and no way to thank them. They did not try to convert her, just helped and left. I wish I had known who they were.

How odd that they told her their religion and not their names.

Thank goodness they were there to help, though.

They wear name badges showing the Church name (nd their own name, either "Sister Smith" or "Elder Smith". No first names. Recognaizable from a distance with their black rectangular name badges, and often style of dress, although there was a big revamping of the dress code for missionaries in the last couple of years and it's a little less uniform now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with 80% Mormons for the last decade. They are, generally, a friendly people. Lots of causes - strong network of socialization with people not necessarily of their choosing from an early age, some scriptural beliefs, extreme culture of consensus and not publicly rocking the boat.

It is a friendliness that is hard to go deeper with though. It's not that their friendliness is fake or about converting you - that's not it. It's real, they are caring people who are truly kind, regardless of what they can get from you. But, if you live in an LDS dominated area and aren't, you aren't going to get any real deep friendships with most Mormons. It's not that they actively exclude you (usually), it's just that their lives are so full of church community there's no room for those that don't participate. Also, because of the culture of not airing grievances publicly and being super positive, it can be hard to get "real" with people and have them open up about their lives beyond only the good outer things they want you to see. I find it difficult to form deep friendships if there isn't sharing of deeper conversations.

It is a very unique culture, and there is definitely a different between UT/ID/AZ Mormons and those who grew up in a different area.

Also, check their teeth out. Perfect, unbelievably white teeth on a majority of them. It's a Thing. I don't just mean "decent, must have had braces", I mean "Are those veneers?" Level.

I agree with all of this but especially Re: your last point. Yes! Also, the vast majority of Mormons I know have perfect skin, are skinny, and just overall attractive people. Why is this?

[Anonymous]

Mormons are very much about projecting an image. It is a hard life for them. My neighbor had far more children then she wanted because it was expected of her. Her mother told her she had raised her children and would not help with grandchildren because the church would assign her helpers when necessary. My neighbor was assigned friends by the church. There was no option of friending outsiders because they would not been assigned to that role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with 80% Mormons for the last decade. They are, generally, a friendly people. Lots of causes - strong network of socialization with people not necessarily of their choosing from an early age, some scriptural beliefs, extreme culture of consensus and not publicly rocking the boat.

It is a friendliness that is hard to go deeper with though. It's not that their friendliness is fake or about converting you - that's not it. It's real, they are caring people who are truly kind, regardless of what they can get from you. But, if you live in an LDS dominated area and aren't, you aren't going to get any real deep friendships with most Mormons. It's not that they actively exclude you (usually), it's just that their lives are so full of church community there's no room for those that don't participate. Also, because of the culture of not airing grievances publicly and being super positive, it can be hard to get "real" with people and have them open up about their lives beyond only the good outer things they want you to see. I find it difficult to form deep friendships if there isn't sharing of deeper conversations.

It is a very unique culture, and there is definitely a different between UT/ID/AZ Mormons and those who grew up in a different area.

Also, check their teeth out. Perfect, unbelievably white teeth on a majority of them. It's a Thing. I don't just mean "decent, must have had braces", I mean "Are those veneers?" Level.

I agree with all of this but especially Re: your last point. Yes! Also, the vast majority of Mormons I know have perfect skin, are skinny, and just overall attractive people. Why is this?

There are A LOT of LDS dentists. Dentistry is a very popular field for male Mormons to pursue, especially orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. Why? Two reasons: 1. Dental school is less expensive and time-consuming than medical school and 2. Someone else nailed it re: the emphasis on looking good in the LDS culture. Utah has the highest rate of plastic surgery in the United States (they also have the highest # of paid porn subscribers and the highest rate of antidepressant usage). There is a lot of pressure to maintain appearances, especially for women.