vegorpedersen.com

Once upon a time, wave after wave of aliens crossed into a foreign country seeking opportunity and asylum. Most of these people left their families and loved ones. Some fled wars, gangs of violent men and corrupt government officials. Others were just looking for jobs and the freedom to do as they please. They longed for a day when their descendants would know a world less harsh.

Some of these immigrants had documents, most did not. Some even came against their will. They entered this "new" land completely ignorant of the official language. They refused to assimilate into the local culture, even years after their entry they stubbornly spoke their native tongues.

They displaced the current inhabitants, they gobbled up resources, they multiplied at an incredible rate. They faced racism and bigotry. They took the jobs no else would do, and they worked in the the worst conditions imaginable. They fought for human rights, voting rights, and representation. They voted for people that would represent their needs.

Does any of this sound familiar? Unless you are a full-blooded Native American it should. It is the story of us all.

It is quite apropos that the recent focus on immigration issues in the state of Utah is happening on the same week that we celebrate the arrival of the first Mormon Pioneers into the Great Basin some 160+ years ago. It is the story of a ragtag group of undocumented aliens crossing into a foreign country (Mexico) uninvited. And again...it is the story of us all.

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Our_Long_History_as_Undocument.zip (6.57 MB)

It was June 30th, 1993...17 years ago today that I entered the Missionary Training Center of the LDS church in Provo, UT.

Most people who know me today might be surprised that I was, at one point, Mormon, let alone a missionary. It seems crazy to me too. But I swear it made sense at the time. People often talk about feeling pressure to go on a mission, but for me it was more like an absence of other choices...there was nothing else on the horizon at the age of 19. It wasn't even a decision...it just sort of happened.

Of course the rigor of the MTC brought my circumstances in stark relief. Suddenly 2 years (the time a male missionary is expected to serve) felt like a really long time.

I was in for maybe 24 hours (which honestly felt like 2 weeks) when I crafted my own hackey sack with a sock filled with popcorn kernels. One day in and I had already come to the realization that I was going to need a hobby if I was going to make it. Going home wasn't an option...I would just have to make the best of it.

After 48 hours I started constructing elaborate count down calendars. 24 boxes to represent the months, 104 boxes for the weeks, 730 boxes for the days. After a week I had pages and pages of grids representing hours. A sane person would have just thrown in the towel.

The weird thing was I didn't miss home at all. In fact I was actually having a pretty good time. I can't explain it. Nothing seemed real, least of all time.

A lot of people have asked me now that I no longer consider myself Mormon (and I haven't for about six years now) if I regretted my 2 years of hard time or if I resented the cultural upbringing that caused me to go in the first place. The short answer is no. I made the decision, I did my time, I actually had some amazing experiences, and I met a few folks that I will have a connection with for the rest of my life. I wish I would have served in another area perhaps (the entire state of Minnesota can eat a bag of dicks in my opinion).

I think more young people should get a chance to live a selfless life for a while, have some structure, and perhaps do some good. Does it need to have the whole god thing in order to be effective? Hell no. But I think I am a better person for going. So no regrets.

But man...I still hate me some Minnesota.

A Facebook conversation between myself and my friend Chad Clark concerning comments made by a Mormon Apostle comparing the treatment the LDS Church has faced following their involvement in the Prop 8 debate last year and the way blacks in the south were treated during the civil rights movement.

Apostle says religious freedom is being threatened

VEGOR: I like how he compared the backlash over the Mormon involvement in Prop 8 to what blacks in the south faced during the civil rights era. Totally the same thing. Of course one group faced lynch mobs and fire hoses...the other had people talk bad about them on the internet.

CHAD: He compared intimidation tactics, and he clearly stated it was not as serious as what happened in the south. The tactics used were more than "bad talk on the internet."

VEGOR: I find it interesting that he conflates the two. Particularly given the church's own antiquated views on modern civil rights. There is way more in common between the ongoing LGBT struggle for human rights and the days of Jim Crow. Has the LDS Church been denied any rights? No. But African Americans have been denied equal treatment in the past (both by the government and by the LDS Church) and the gay community faces much the same struggle today. To say that the LDS Church in this analogy is akin to the black people of the civil rights era is laughable at best.

It is particularly fascinating that he uses The Bible to make his claim that traditional marriage is between a man and a woman only. The same book was used by preachers and politicians for centuries to justify the practice of slavery.

While the Church has faced more than just "bad talk on the internet" the few episodes of physical intimidation have been more along the lines of petty vandalism perpetrated by radicals who do not speak on behalf the LGBT community or its supporters. The real "intimidation" has come from like-minded groups realizing that the Church can be pressured with bad press and economics, and this can be done simply by using free speech and the power of the marketplace.

This is a far cry from those of the civil rights era facing state-sponsored abuse. For 100 years after the Civil War black people in this country were beaten, raped, and killed. Little girls were blown up in churches and leaders were assassinated. People were denied jobs, seats at lunch counters and buses, and full voting rights. Many of these acts were done by the government or went unpunished by the law.

If the Mormon church wants to be involved in politics like this (and it has every right to be) than it must be willing to face the backlash. But harsh criticism and Jim Crow are not the same thing...not even close. And to say they are is offensive to a lot of people.

Chad, I have known three different LDS couples, all married in the temple, who have walked away from their covenants in the past year because of the church's involvement in this Prop 8 business. I have had gay Mormon friends (including a former mission companion) who have killed themselves because they realized that their faith and their sexuality would always be at odds. The church says it has the doctrinal feet to stand on in this issue, and that is fine. But the Mormon church of my youth was less concerned with winning political battles and more worried about its flock. As long as the church chooses to be so visible on this issue it will always be the easiest target for those who think otherwise.