Utahns open up on 'divide'

A standing-room only crowd gathered at the Salt Lake City Library auditorium Wednesday night to talk about what many referred to as Utah's own "elephant in the room" — the state's ongoing religious divide.

During the 90-minute open community forum, some speakers said the divide stems from religion, others from the local power structure at virtually every level of government. But most agreed it centered on the fact that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dominate not only the state's population totals but its power base as well.

Dubbed "Bridging the Religious Divide," the forum was hosted by Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, who has been working for months with a committee comprised of residents of all faiths and those who espouse no faith. Anderson opened the forum by citing research he said has been replicated in some 20 different studies that show where people of no particular affinity to each other are split in two groups, over time members will always exhibit a bias for members of their group as opposed to the "other."

"We must all refrain from seeing others as 'them,' " he said. "It takes courage to step out of our comfort zones and to be honest with each other and ourselves."

Library director Nancy Tessman moderated the discussion, noting she had both Mormon pioneer ancestors and Park City mining ancestors who operated the town's first bar. Like many who expressed similar divided loyalties, "I have a pretty good handle on the religious divide," she said.

Some said if Utahns simply lived the principles of their various faiths or value systems, the divide would disappear. Others pointed out the lifestyle differences that come with the religious divide, including watered- down beer and stringent liquor laws, religious prejudice taught to young children at home and a sense of powerlessness at the polls.

A few speakers had suggestions for unique ways Utahns can help bridge the gap.

Resident Jay Larsen suggested that Utah students have an experimental "alternative seminary" program that could be implemented at one local high school, where various faith leaders would be asked to help write the curriculum as a non-LDS alternative to the release time program in which a majority of LDS students in many high schools participate.

Christine Balderas is a Latter-day Saints whose neighborhood had managed to bridge the religious divide by holding community events and engaging neighbors in each others' worship services. "We take care of each other. Our children play together . . . Our whole street went one day to a communion service at the expense of" an LDS sacrament meeting, "including the bishop and the stake president," she said.