Not everyone is alike.

    I have been looking over the past few months and years to my life and I have noticed one thing that almost everyone seems to have in common. They think everyone should be like them. 

I will explain.

    I don't drink. I have sipped a few differen drinks out of curiosity and have decided that it is in no way for me. I hate the taste, I do not like the places you have to go to get the "Good Stuff" and I don't like the lifestyle. But I don't mind that someone else decides to drink, as long as they do it responsibly. But I have been told my many a drinker that I have just tried the "Wrong drink" and they always will recommend a different one. Which I will reply with "I am just not interested" But always they will just say I have tried the wrong drink, It was mixed wrong, you tried the wrong brand.  But in the end I know it's just, I do not like it. it is not for me. 

  

    But this is not just to the drinkers or "Worldly People". Religion does it also. one of those is that if you don't see something as a miracle. You see it as good people, Good luck, or anything else. Not that you deny there is a god. Just that you don't think he controls everyone like a puppet. We all struggle with prayer, to which someone always answers with something like "You don't pray right". I have been guilty of this myself being of the mind that most people are lazy and want things given to them. It is not right of me to say, but sadly I do. 

    

    Being LDS, I also hear allot about the temple. I do not hate the temple. I have liked to go. But there are some things that have made me UN-easy in the past. The typical response I have heard is. "You just have to go more often." Or "You did not go in with the right frame of mind." All these answers are the same answers a drinker will give me.  Just worded differently. If I do not like something. Is that not my choice anymore. If I feel out of place or have a distaste for something that is my choice. 

   Most people accept that I do not like tomatoes. Why can't they accept that I don't like some temple ordnance. Or that I just do not like to drink alcohol. Why can't the atheist accept that I believe in god. why cant democrats accept that I think government should have a much smaller roll. Why cant the rich and the poor accept that the other is not a snob or lazy trash.  My thought is, They want you to be like them.  They want you to just accept and love everything they do. Being different to people is considered bad.

Oh how long has it been.

I have been asked alot recently how often I have been praying. By many diffrent people, not just one or two. I do not remember the last time that I got down on my kneese and prayed. I have never been one to say prayers in the first place. I do not like to ask for help. Maybe I am to stubborn, or maybe I am just too scared. Prayer just mean to me that I am going to be asking for help. Help for something that I should be able to do myself.

Irritations at Understanding

Ok I will admit I am not the most religious person out there but I still am religious and will defend my beliefs. But I have noticed some things more in the past week or two that have me at whits end. It is the innability of some religious people to understand why anyone would do something other than thier way.
First Off I am Morman. Although you will hear many arguments Saying LDS or other names depending on who you come across. I went on a morman Mission. Although I was 21 when I went not 19 like most. and I will tell you this much. Most 19 year olds out of utah are not ready. But back on track. Missions are something very pushed in the church. The 19 year old male is almost expected and in some familys threatened to go on a mission. Bribes are made, Guilt is given, arguments are had.
This brings me to one of my examples. I was reading in the Ensign the other day and came across an artical about two parents that had the "quote" problem child. Wrong friends, Bad grades, quit school. But These parents did not have a hope that thier son would one day changes his ways and come back to the church. It outright brock thier hearts that he did not prepare from birth to go on a mission. Thier entire goal in life was to have thier oldest son go on a mission. Oh how great was thier pain! How much greater was thier lack of understanding... It comes to mind where half the host of heaven has gone, So why should we expect any more.
Now I don't fault these parents for haveing hope for thier son. But I do wonder if thier prioraties are correct or more cultish. A Cult will tell you what you have to do in every single aspect of life. A church like the LDS church will give you guidelines. As Joseph Smith said and many great men have also. "Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves."
The LDS church remindes blind following members this all the time. Do not force a decision on anyone. Let them make thier own choises in life. Teach them how it should be and then let them decide if they will follow. You might have less converts, But the ones you get will be stronger in thier beliefs and better people for it.
Next is my roommate. He is a great friend and has been for years, Bit it is sometimes his lack of ability to understand simple things or bend his beliefs to a more proper understanding of life and how it really works. The other day he asked me if I had been going to church. That to me is an ok question. But when he said I shouldn't be missing out on my religiou learning. I refrained from pointing out that sometimes the teaching has many things to be desired. Many false truths or irrelevant answers are givin by members on a Weekly if not Daily basis. But ultimatly did he really think I was not getting a religious education because I missed church one or twice in the past two months that were not related to sickness? And in the end how much does it matter. We are here to get understanding. God understands that we all learn by diffrent methods. Not all of us can read a book and understand life. Most of us have to live it in a diffrent manner. Make mistakes and learn from what we have done.
So in conclusion. If you can't understand why someone would do something. Don't make a comment saying they are Stupid. Just say you don't understand. Leave it at that. You don't know thier mind. You don't know thier life. And you might never know why. You can say you wouldn't do it personally and walk away.