I was out and about around my town yesterday, here in a suburb of Birmingham, AL. I’m a silent observer type by nature.

At the library, I saw 4 missionaries roaming around. I so occasionally see a group of two walking or peddling around my area of town often enough so they seem well established here.

Then I went to a botanical park where I like to take walks. At a picnic table, there were 7 more sitting at the table talking. It was funny because the 4 males were sitting side by side (too close to each other) on one side of the table and the 3 female missionaries were sitting on the other side of the table. Heaven forbid they sit next to a girl.

I was struck by how they all stuck out like a sore thumb- like they are a throwback from the 1950s in mannerisms and dress.

Recently, in the same park, I saw a pair of white sister missionaries circling in on a lone black woman who was standing alone on a bridge. She looked vulnerable. I passed them talking to her multiple times as I went around a small loop on my walk. I was able to observe their sales tactics as they lured her in. They were friendly to the woman and started off with small talk. The conversation slowly got to religion and the woman was asking questions about the BoM. By the time I left, I saw them all getting in the woman’s car.

I considered interrupting them and giving the woman a warning. However she looked like a seasoned Jesus Bible thumper. I’m pretty sure the missionaries were getting more than they bargained for too. Mormons are way too bland for the very social and emotional worshipping I’ve observed among the black Baptists groups here.

Also today, I saw the usual assortment of bumper stickers driving around that make me remain very quiet about my state of being one of the pitied “unchurched” here in the Bible Belt.

Of course there are lots of “Don’t tread on me” and guns and Jesus bumper stickers. The one that had me rolling my eyes was:
“In event of a nuclear war, the ban on prayer will be temporarily lifted.”

The dumb a$$es of course don’t get that the god they want to pray to would be the one that allows nuclear war in the first place. For some reason there is the prevalent belief that atheists will want to pray in a crisis (the no atheists in foxholes mentality). Why waste time groveling and praying to a god that didn’t prevent the crisis when every second counts?

I see a pattern of people thanking God for helping them out of a situation (illness, tornado, etc.) that apparently the God had no problem letting happen in the first place. I think it makes them feel special if god kills their neighbor and spares them or something. Maybe they react that way because they fear God and want to stay on his good side.

Through my errands yesterday, I had two people wish me a “blessed day.” The Easter signs are starting to show up on businesses: “He is risen.” Well, where is he? They might as well be saying the Kenny from South Park has risen. It’s sobering to realize how seriously people take the Jesus resurrection around here.

Anyway, I thought it was odd to see 11 LDS missionaries in one day here in Birmingham. I can’t imagine they have a lot to do here in the Bible Belt where religion is slick and thick.

I still say that Mormons are amateurs compared to the other religions. Looking around my corner of the world, they are an insignificant quaint oddity. The Bible thumpers are more invasive than Mormons. At least Mormons realize they are viewed as weirdoes. The Christians here just assume everyone should agree with their views which they have no problem pushing in schools and politics (but no way would they allow any other religion to do the same). It all comes with the territory of living here.

Now that I am not a believer, I wonder what it would be like to live in an area that is not so overtly religious. I probably would not think about religion at all. I’d probably observe other oddities in the local culture instead. As I get older, I’m finding myself to prefer being as much of a loner as I can. I am an observer and reader. It’s nice to just be me. Life is good.

What bugs you most about the community where you live? It probably isn't about religion at all?

I'm glad I live in Kentucky instead! I expected it to be bible-thumper area, but it turns out it's not at all like Alabama.. No discernable Mormon missionary presence, either. 47% of Kentuckians do not go to any church. There are many, many different denominations, but apparently this leads to less proselyting. I haven't been bothered at all by evangelists or Mormons or even Jehovah's Witnesses.

I think you picked a nice place to live. It sounds very nice.

Of course there is a lot of diversity here in BHM. I think it is just the vocal minority that make it uncomfortable. There are small back woods preacher types. There are mega church types here. Lots of "Praise Jesus" types.

But again I have met fellow atheists here where I work. In a city this big there is diversity. You just have to notice it.

It is pretty here. This time of year is beautiful. KY is probably just as beautiful if not more so and not as bible thumpy like you said. Sounds like you made a good move.

I wonder if that goes back to Kentucky being a frontier area at one time. My father's family is from rural Maine, and although they were nominally religious I never got the feeling that they were fanatic about it. All of my great-grandmother's children were dunked at the same time when the circuit preacher came around.

That there is some seriously in-your-face Bible thumpin. It's not nearly so obnoxious here in N. Idaho, thank dogs. I see more finger-shaking holier-than-thou stickers of the Catholic variety more often up here in CdA, but about as bad as it gets is the "Got Jesus?" and fish emblems along with the stick families. My husband wants to get one of the stickers that shows a T-Rex eating a stick family.

Mostly I run into people who seem to assume that everyone is Christian and talk like it. "Oh, you've been so blessed..." Barf! What the hell does that mean anyway? That their god likes me better than other people? WTF?

I've been pushed enough by a few Christians that I got irritated enough to say that actually, I'm a non-believer. It didn't go over at all well, shunning in all cases. I don't pretend, but I have to walk a fine line.

We've always wanted to retire in Cd'A. I figured it is conservative and religious and all, but not as bad as SE Idaho were I lived before I came to Alabama.


I like N. Idaho a lot. What would it be like to live in a little town like Wallace or Kellogg? I don't imagine it would be very diverse. At least Cd'A seems progressive.

Its very white here, except for some Latinos. Its a relief to go back east and see real diversity, but I still like the more relaxed, outdoorsy pace here. It's why we live here, the four distinct seasons, so much to do outside, and few mosquitoes and little humidity! I love the weather. The Mormons here arent as irritating as the Kalispell ones, not sure why. Boating, skiing, hockey, fishing, canoing, swimming, lots of bike paths, not nearly the large number of scarily obese people I see elsewhere. Thats got to say something. Its a nice lifestyle! I do miss the arts influence of back east though. Spokane music scene is a very closed, conservative scene... oh well. I haven't met even one Jewish person, or even seen a synagogue. Its weird, coming from hCleveland, NYC and Mpls. areas.

Wallace and Kellogg are tiny and of course skiing is minutes away, but I cant imagine living there! I need more stimulation than whats available there. My husband made noises about living in Rathdrum or Athol when we first moved here, and I said no way. But I do love it here.

Wed talked of retiring in skiing country someday until we asked why wait? Lets go now! So we did. I dont regret it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2014 03:49PM by serena.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Hubby has run the Cd'A marathon many times. He likes it there. I agree there doesn't seem to be much diversity. At least here in BHM I see faces of many colors and have come to appreciate the variety of views and friendships that brings.

Do you have any opinion about Post Falls or Priest Lake? Or any of the communities further north like Sandpoint? My kids went to school in Moscow so I am familiar with the area. Maybe I belong in Oregon or Washington. I don't know that I can unload my houses in Idaho Falls or Birmingham any time soon but I still keep hoping to move to Cd'A some day. Who knows.

Lots of churches but people keep it to themselves. Great outdoor areas to go walking, many gardens, mountains, beach, dessert out to the East if you like that, casinos (not my personal thing) decent restaurants, museums and local produce/meat/dairy to DIE for. People are very nice if a bit chatty :) Very polite and kind and protective of Seniors. Add in to that "The Heart of the Wine Country" and what more could you want!

Sigh. I'm so jealous. Maybe some day I can move to that area.

They got into the woman's car!?! Dumb, all three of them. Naïve to trust complete strangers like that. Wow.

TG

Yeah. I thought the same thing.
Then they wonder why we don't feel missionaries are being kept safe or using good judgement. They were headed for a very bad part of town.

I'm thinking a serial killer could do worse than dressing as a missionary to get people to trust him.

(Yeah, I can be a very negative thinking sort)

Hmm. I looked at the nuclear attack / praying bumper sticker as sarcasm. As in, ha-ha, prayers won't save you, they didn't save you from getting to this point, but go ahead if it floats your boat.

But having spent quite a bit of time in the southeast for work, and after further review, I can also see that they might actually think there's a God who would intervene at the last minute. You know, like the ubiquitous saving secret weapon.

Who knows what they mean by it. I do think they believe in a god who is pi$$ed if you don't pray to it all the time. They have to make such a show of it.

I think they believe in a god who holds a grudge (which the OT god obviously does) and picks favorites who are extra special believers.

Sigh. Silly-ness all.

You folks have a mission home in Birmingham, right?


Eleven missionaries might be alot for a regular southern city, but I wouldn't think it would be so many for one that housed a mission home.


You probaby had APs in that group, plus a few other missionaries assigned to the mission home, and maybe a few newbies who just flew in from the MTC...

Maybe we do have a mission home here. I had not thought of that. That would explain the cluster sightings.

11 in one day? Yikes. That is really a lot for the south. I've seen two sets of missionaries in the last five years here in Tampa, and both times I drove past them in my car. But then, there aren't enough Mormons to go around. There are about the same number of people in the Tampa Bay metro area as in the entire state of Utah, and this isn't even the biggest city in the state.