"Can't Keep a Good morMan Down"

People say that Mormon's are crazy and stalkerish in a way but I grew up with a great set of friends who were L.D.S. (Latter-Day Saints) I mean, they are my "brothers" (not that kind of brotha) and a second family to me.

Now that I've left the town of Kalamazoo I can't help but wonder if I was somewhat protected by them. You know the sense of a mob family protecting the ones close to them. When I was at L.D.S. events, no one ever approached me about religion. In fact, it was rarely brought up around me. Or maybe that's just a conspiracy theory. Maybe I didn't pay that much attention to their religion and now that I've stepped outside of the circle, I'm noticing things that I never knew before.

As I have ventured out west, I have been living with one of my older brother's and his girlfriend. She was raised L.D.S. and during her youth decided that this was not the path for her. This religion was not one that suited her lifestlye. She later converted to Catholicism and has enjoyed this religion ever since. The one thing I'm learning though is that Mormon's do not like loosing one of their own to the "dark side," a.k.a. other religions. And even though she has told them that she no longer wants to be a part of their community, they still send postcards, flyers and this letter.

Now, I'm not sure if this is morally right or not, but fuck it. I'm going to post the letter and let you decide for yourself. I am going to be a little biased here because in a way this letter somewhat creeps me out. It seems to me that this is a letter that a guy would write his ex-girlfriend. "I'm still gonna win you back. Just you see," even though she's over him and moved on.

Dear Sister Cotton,

As of the month of January I have been asked to be a home teacher to you for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would like to know how best to reach you. I have only an address for you and would like to stop by to visit. If you prefer another method of communication like email or phone I would be happy to keep in touch with you that way too--whatever works best for you or your preference.

Please let me know how you would prefer I get in touch with you. My information is below.I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime I will try to stop by to meet you in person. If we miss one another I will try back periodically. Until we can catch each other I will continue to write.

Thanks,

Rod S.

P.S. Because Bishop Wallace has asked me to put together a ward photo directory for him, I am looking to be able to take a quick photo of you to add in our booklet.

I could be totatlly wrong here. This could be something that I don't understand because I'm not a member and I'm on the outisde looking in. This letter could be someone who cares about you in the long run. That may think that you are lost and you need help to guide you back. Just wants the best for you and in your times of need, you may not necessairly know what's best for you. Giving you a shoulder to rest your head.

All I know is that this letter found itself in front of me and I thought I should share it with the world to discuss. I'm not judging the L.D.S. or any other religions for that matter. What do I know? I'm just a dumb, Catholic Mick who will probably be spending his after life in a very warm climate if you know what I mean.

Crazy or not, this is how their religion works. I know the L.D.S. means well but it's not my cup of tea and that's ok. The world keeps revolving, people keep breathing and the sun still shines. In the meantime though...please return to sender.