Happiness, Holiness, and LDS Women

[ParkerD]

Well that’s a rather calumnious paragraph.

A person can blame it on the women themselves, on their culture, on the fact that they tend to have a wider circle of friends and thus share information about themselves or say who their doctor is and their friends try the same doctor, but to find the source of prescription medications one would be more logical to go to the sources of the prescriptions and the sources of the medications, and find the real source.

 

[the_phoenix]

As far as trying to befriend people, I’ve tried. More than attending extracurricular things in the Parish and being sociable I’ve even gone so far as join the home school moms group for the region (which is very small) despite only having an infant in hopes of meeting people who share and encourage the Faith.

I believe you and can relate. I took all the advice to “reach out, join groups, be active in working for the parish” … I even hosted a parish women’s group in my apartment for a Christmas party and have tried the Donut Sunday thing more than once.

Since they say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results, I did something different. When the Mass was ended, I went in peace … alone … out into nature with my camera, and have somehow ended up as an artist who has had work exhibited at various art galleries.

Now that I’m a fine art photographer, it seems people are more likely to accept me … In the art world at any rate.

Am active in my parish, have been for years, as a scheduled adorer at my parish’s Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel … that’s where I’ve been called rather than to a more social role.

I would simply say from my own experience as a single in the Church that when it comes to friendship, I look to Jesus first. If He provides me with other friends beyond Mary, the saints, and my guardian angel, that’s a blessing. If not, I will still remain Catholic and follow Him. I certainly would not find better friends by leaving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the LDS.

Hope your situation improves and the Lord leads you to some friendly people,

 

[zaffiroborant]

A person can blame it on the women themselves, on their culture, on the fact that they tend to have a wider circle of friends and thus share information about themselves or say who their doctor is and their friends try the same doctor, but to find the source of prescription medications one would be more logical to go to the sources of the prescriptions and the sources of the medications, and find the real source.

Justify your words as you like but these statements are nothing more than a smearing of doctors in Utah.

*Medical doctors in Utah over-prescribe medications that are anti-depressants

hormone imbalances and body cycles that doctors are quick to call “depression” and readily prescribe an anti-depressant.

but the doctors have an agenda *

 

[RebeccaJ]

ParkerD has a chronically ill daughter, so his interaction with the medical community in Utah is part of his life. I think it healthy to be skeptical of the advice given by Drs. *Some *have a very business mind…dollars and number of treatments, not healing.

The irony though, of ParkerD’s defense…most doctors in Utah are Mormon. He’s also giving a prime example of how Mormons think. These women aren’t really depressed, they need get something sorted out. Go to the right doctor or stop trying to be like everyone else.

It is also unhealthy to write people’s mental illness off as he has done. I know for a fact that when my Mormon relatives do go off their medications, they have very serious issues that manifest themselves in very serious ways. They are in need of mental health treatments. It isn’t just something they are doing because all of their Mormon friends are.

Utah also has one of the highest uses of illegal drugs and things that are associated to it. Meth labs and high overdose rate from painkillers.

But there is a low rate of teen pregnancy.

 

[lax16]

ParkerD has a chronically ill daughter, so his interaction with the medical community in Utah is part of his life. I think it healthy to be skeptical of the advice given by Drs. Some have a very business mind…dollars and number of treatments, not healing.

The irony though, of ParkerD’s defense…most doctors in Utah are Mormon. He’s also giving a prime example of how Mormons think. These women aren’t really depressed, they need get something sorted out. Go to the right doctor or stop trying to be like everyone else.

It is also unhealthy to write people’s mental illness off as he has done. I know for a fact that when my Mormon relatives do go off their medications, they have very serious issues that manifest themselves in very serious ways. They are in need of mental health treatments. It isn’t just something they are doing because all of their Mormon friends are.

Utah also has one of the highest uses of illegal drugs and things that are associated to it. Meth labs and high overdose rate from painkillers.

But there is a low rate of teen pregnancy.

And a high suicide rate - according to someone I know - she said that there have many suicides at the high school her kids go to. I was shocked - she was matter of fact about it.

Also, once a person is on anti-depressants they can’t just go off - it is a very involved process. So for doctors to do this as a quick fix or without great thought is very poor medicine.

Is there a low rate of teen pregnancy? A couple of years ago I was at the doctors office for one of my kids. The nurse and I got to talking and she said all of her friends in high school got married right out of school due to pregnancies. She said she was determined not to be like them. She told me it was a common thing where she grew up (Salt Lake County).

 

[RebeccaJ]

And a high suicide rate - according to someone I know - she said that there have many suicides at the high school her kids go to. I was shocked - she was matter of fact about it.

Also, once a person is on anti-depressants they can’t just go off - it is a very involved process. So for doctors to do this as a quick fix or without great thought is very poor medicine.

Is there a low rate of teen pregnancy? A couple of years ago I was at the doctors office for one of my kids. The nurse and I got to talking and she said all of her friends in high school got married right out of school due to pregnancies. She said she was determined not to be like them. She told me it was a common thing where she grew up (Salt Lake County).

The statistics for teen pregnancy are low in Utah. Some people speculate that abortions are done secretly, because of the type of thing this nurse told you. I know when I was a teenage Mormon, ALL of my Mormon friends were sexually active. None of them became pregnant.

Unfortunately, I have experience with the suicide rate. Friends, family, and those affected by it. My brother in law killed himself shortly after returning from his Mormon mission. It was devastating. A friend who is a psychiatrist calls depression a plague, there are so many who suffer from it, not just in Utah.

 

[Annie_B]

Oh my heck - this is why my friends have been told to “be quiet” when cheering at sporting events??!! (They live in Utah now but come from out of state)

The one thing that strikes me the most living here in Utah…the perfectly coiffed women in fancy SUVS vs the barely-got-it-together women in dented minivans. It is so obvious…

Recently I was pulling into the parking lot at Mancuso’s (Catholic store) and a very dented, barely operating, car pulled up. The people inside were very humble and did not have the figures or clothing to make them “attractive”… I turned to my son and said "The Catholic Church really is for everyone isn’t it - especially those who are poor and humble.
We are the Church for all - and sometimes it isn’t so perfect… "

Jesus was right. Our Church is for everyone. All shapes and sizes. Weeds in the yard and dust on the coffee table…we are all part of God’s family.

Please do not assume all mormons are the same shape, size, temperment and degree of perfection. They are most certainly not. In my community we have all shapes and sizes, weeds in the yard and dust on the coffee table. The catholic church does not have a monopoly on poor and humble. But you are right about one thing; we are all a part of God’s family
Annie

 

[Annie_B]

The statistics for teen pregnancy are low in Utah. Some people speculate that abortions are done secretly, because of the type of thing this nurse told you. I know when I was a teenage Mormon, ALL of my Mormon friends were sexually active. None of them became pregnant.

Unfortunately, I have experience with the suicide rate. Friends, family, and those affected by it. My brother in law killed himself shortly after returning from his Mormon mission. It was devastating. A friend who is a psychiatrist calls depression a plague, there are so many who suffer from it, not just in Utah.

I am so sorry for the loss of your brother in law. I too have experience with suicide; my first husband killed himself when our daughter was three. People from all walks of life commit suicide for a variey of reasons. Sometimes religious pressure does have something to do with it, but I am going to step out on a limb here and say that is the case in a relatively small amount of cases. Mental illness is the underlying cause - not religion itself. Whatever the cause though, it is a real tragedy for those who are left behind.
Annie

 

[tundramom]

Oh my heck -

I seriously laughed out loud at this… This is SO part of the Utah vocabulary!

Steph

 

[RebeccaJ]

I am so sorry for the loss of your brother in law. I too have experience with suicide; my first husband killed himself when our daughter was three. People from all walks of life commit suicide for a variey of reasons. Sometimes religious pressure does have something to do with it, but I am going to step out on a limb here and say that is the case in a relatively small amount of cases. Mental illness is the underlying cause - not religion itself. Whatever the cause though, it is a real tragedy for those who are left behind.
Annie

I am also sorry for your loss. It just goes on from there. Once you know a suicide, everyone around you tells you of their suicides. It is really very rampant.

Yes, I understand, but it seems that the Mormon religion brings it out in some people. Otherwise, why the high statistics of anti-depressants prescribed in Utah compared to the rest of the country? What other factor exists in Utah that is nowhere else?

ParkerD seems to think the doctors in Utah are quicker to subscribe than anywhere else. I’d like to see that backed up with something concrete, because if it were true, then that is something that could be addressed.

For my brother in law, it was the opposite. He was prescribed anti-depressants while on his mission, outside of Utah. When he returned home, he went off of them and didn’t tell anyone he was ever prescribed them or that he had stopped taking them. He was gone before a year was out. Someone from his mission supplied this information after he was dead.

At any rate, it is much more difficult to address the idea that if you are unhappy, this means God has abandoned you. God does not abandon us in our suffering. Mormons do not understand the Cross, otherwise, there is no way they could believe what they believe.

 

[lax16]

I seriously laughed out loud at this… This is SO part of the Utah vocabulary!

Steph

Yes - I am truly becoming a Utahn!!

 

[lax16]

The statistics for teen pregnancy are low in Utah. Some people speculate that abortions are done secretly, because of the type of thing this nurse told you. I know when I was a teenage Mormon, ALL of my Mormon friends were sexually active. None of them became pregnant.

Unfortunately, I have experience with the suicide rate. Friends, family, and those affected by it. My brother in law killed himself shortly after returning from his Mormon mission. It was devastating. A friend who is a psychiatrist calls depression a plague, there are so many who suffer from it, not just in Utah.

I have never checked the statistics and* assumed *the pregnancy rate late was low in Utah. Thanks for the info. Funny though, I wonder if they report it if there is a quick wedding?

The guy who painted our house also shared stories about growing up here and the stuff that went on with the so-called religious girls.

I am sure the nurse thought I was weird asking her so many questions because I was so shocked by her comment. She also said all of her friends were sexually active in h.s. (which also shocked me!) and that they all assumed they would be getting married right out of h.s. so why not do it? Then pregnancies resulted…and they married right out of h.s.

I am so saddened by these stories of suicide.

When this mom told the situtation at their local high school I was so shocked and upset. She shrugged her shoulders and said “yeah some kids have problems” and said that there had been many.

So sorry to hear of your loss…it breaks the hearts of everyone who knew them and even those who didn’t…

 

[lax16]

Please do not assume all mormons are the same shape, size, temperment and degree of perfection. They are most certainly not. In my community we have all shapes and sizes, weeds in the yard and dust on the coffee table. The catholic church does not have a monopoly on poor and humble. But you are right about one thing; we are all a part of God’s family
Annie

Yes I am sure you are right. There are parts of Utah that are very stepford though…

We were at a get-together last night with all LDS and they were all shapes and sizes - and very nice!

 

[lax16]

I am so sorry for the loss of your brother in law. I too have experience with suicide; my first husband killed himself when our daughter was three. People from all walks of life commit suicide for a variey of reasons. Sometimes religious pressure does have something to do with it, but I am going to step out on a limb here and say that is the case in a relatively small amount of cases. Mental illness is the underlying cause - not religion itself. Whatever the cause though, it is a real tragedy for those who are left behind.
Annie

Annie - I am soooo sorry for your loss.:console:

 

[Annie_B]

Annie - I am soooo sorry for your loss.:console:

THank you for your kind words. It was 19 years ago and I have remarried (very happily) but it still haunts me in my dreams. But my life now is good; I am happily married and have a beautiful 6 month old granddaughter who lives close to me so life is good
Annie

 

[Mark_David]

I was once married to a Mormon. She suffers/suffered depression. Mormonism is a very esoteric religion; there are many far-out teachings that they reserve only for the initiated (though most have been exposed on the internet). I often heard the term “Milk before meat”, but they mean this to a degree that many wouldn’t believe or comprehend. The religion’s history is very questionable as well.

Sure, Mormons can be some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet (I lived in Utah for a while), but using that as a reason to elevate Mormonism itself is plain wrong and makes no sense. I even hesitate to call Mormonism a “Christian” religion at all; it’s closer to Scientology than Christ. That’s just my two cents.

 

[JillNicole]

I have a friend that is going to be married in the LDS Church this Friday. I’m going to wait outside the temple so that she knows I’ll always be there for her…especially if things don’t end up being quite what she hoped for.

 

[stormy99]

ALL religions make extraordinary claims. Imagine that you had just arrived here from Mars, had never heard of Catholicism, and someone outlined for you the beliefs and teachings of the Church. I bet it would leave you scratching your head in wonder.

Who says she is “without Christ in her life?” Many non-Catholics, including Mormons, profess a belief in Christ.

You know…they believe they ARE the one true church - just like you believe YOUR church is. Personally, I’m not betting on either one of you.

I recently had an opportunity to spend a few hours with a couple of LDS missionaries. Even as a nonbeliever, I had to admire their zeal and their commitment to their beliefs. And yes, they seemed to be very content with their lives. I got the impression that the Mormons have a very strong sense of community, and they go out of their way to help a fellow church member who is in need. At the parish were I attend mass with my wife, although the folks there are very nice, decent people, the feeling of community is nothing like I sensed with these Mormons. Nobody goes out of their way for anyone else. They attend mass every week, but they’re out the door and on their way before the last verse of the closing hymn fades away. (Except for a small, dedicated group of donut eaters who race to the parish hall as the last notes of the closing hymn fade away.) With very few exceptions, nobody sees anyone else until the next Sunday. Honestly, I can see why many people find the Mormon church appealing. Heck…I was tempted to join up.

**They basically don’t help their members, first you must ask your extended family for help…and then any other organization and after that they help you or not. Most Christian charities help everyone…Catholics do. Food Pantry is not just for Catholics but for all those in need…just try and go to a Moremon Storehouse and get food…good luck. Also the Bishop has to know your entire history to help and if you didn’t pay your tithing too bad no help for you.

My ex husband was Mormon…he is now Catholic and I hear all the stories of how the perfect people of the LDS church operate. It’s rather scary.

stormy**

 

[TheExorcist]

**They basically don’t help their members, first you must ask your extended family for help…and then any other organization and after that they help you or not. Most Christian charities help everyone…Catholics do. Food Pantry is not just for Catholics but for all those in need…just try and go to a Moremon Storehouse and get food…good luck. Also the Bishop has to know your entire history to help and if you didn’t pay your tithing too bad no help for you.

My ex husband was Mormon…he is now Catholic and I hear all the stories of how the perfect people of the LDS church operate. It’s rather scary.

stormy**

Yes and if its a choice between buying food or paying tithing the Church says pay your tithing and you can always get a food order from the storehouse…

 

[Annie_B]

Yes and if its a choice between buying food or paying tithing the Church says pay your tithing and you can always get a food order from the storehouse…

And the problem with this is what? They are not asking you to let your family starve. If you are needing money that badly and you still tithe, it is highly likely that you are getting more value (dollar amount) in food from the storehouse than you are paying in tithing.
Annie