You Don't Really Know Them

   A few weeks ago I put a quote on my Facebook page. "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow what a ride!'" I posted it because I like the quote. I was a bit surprised at the person who said it. The quote is from Marjorie Pay Hinckley. You probably don't know her, but you might know her husband. He was Gordon B. Hinckley, who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008.
  What do you think of when you hear the words Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Probably nothing. What about the word Mormon?  Do you think of 15 dour looking elderly men in dark suits and white shirts with ties? Do you think of young men out on bicycles handing out Books or Mormon? Do you think of  silent women with long hair and dresses that act a little like the Duggar family on 19 Kids and Counting? Maybe you think of the Book of Mormon musical. You could think of Mitt Romney, Steve Young or Jimmer Fredette.
  If you think that the LDS church is a church of old men, timid women and large families, you'd be right. There are some of each of those groups. There are also small families, young people, single people and every race you can think of.
  Sometimes a group of people turns out to be unlike what you would expect. I would have expected the wife of the president of the church to be a more quiet, conservative person. I wouldn't expect her to say something like, "How did a nice girl like me get into a mess like this?"  I wouldn't expect a church leader to wiggle his ears during a talk or to talk about a time when he used matches when he wasn't allowed to and started a large, dangerous, grass fire. I once spoke to a church member who told me that his two favourite music groups were Def Leppard and Neil Diamond. (You know who you are, if I've misquoted you, let me know.) Let me introduce you to some people I didn't expect to find in the LDS church.
   One of them is Gladys Knight. Yes, Gladys Knight. She joined the LDS church in 1997. I have read that she once remarked to President Hinckley that  more "pep" was needed in their church music. She formed and directed a choir called Saints Unified Voices. This multicultural all volunteer choir performs throughout the United States.
  I found a pair of African American women who call themselves Sistas in Zion. According to their website they started a blog to keep in touch when they did not live in the same state. Their intent was to write on matters of faith and create a space where their friends and family of all faiths could share. They also write about the humorous side of LDS culture. I have read some of what they have written and I get a huge kick out of it. Just reading some of the titles is enough to make you smile. One of them is, "What not to say to General Authorities" Sista Beehive and Sista Laurel are two very funny ladies.
  Two treasurers of the United States are members of the LDS Church. One of them was Ivy Baker Priest, who served under President Eisenhower for two terms. The other was Angela Buchanan who served under President Reagan. This may come as a surprise to those who don't know the church well. Women have always been encouraged to learn and study and to use what they know to benefit their families and communities.
  I'll leave you with one more person you might be surprised to know was LDS, Rose Marie Reid. Her name wouldn't sound familiar to you, unless you are into swimsuits. She designed swimsuits and was one of the most popular designers in the 1940s and 50s. Her creations graced many a pinup photo. Her suits were ladylike and modest. She stopped designing in the 1960s because she refused to design a bikini. She had her standards in modesty and kept to them.
  The moral of the story is that you can't judge a group by what you hear about them. There are all kinds of people in every group be it a faith, a political party or a profession. If you stick to the label that you first give a group, you may find that you don't really know them.


Information from this column taken from Wikipedia and individual group websites.