Religious Beliefs

On Tuesday of this week I had an interesting conversation with two guys on the street while I was waiting for the bus. To set this up it was -20C with the wind blowing down the canyons of downtown so it felt even colder. Normally I would have the iPod on but it was too cold for the headphone cord so the iPod stayed in my pocket. Any how, these two guys approached me and I knew exactly what they were looking for before they opened their mouths. They were Mormons on their mission for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Now, there was a time that I would have blown them off in some way. Maybe it would have been disrespectful, maybe not. However, as some of you know, one of my dearest friends is the Stormin' Mormon. We worked (maybe this is a bit of a stretch since very little work ever was completed) together for about 1.5 years. During this time he told about his faith and I told him of my lack of faith. The discussions we had certainly removed the misconceptions I had about the Mormons.

With this understanding I allowed the two missionaries tell me a little of their pitch and when they asked me if I wanted further info, I politely declined. They wished me well and went on their way. I must say I respect what they are doing even though I don't believe in any of it. One of them was from Seattle and the other was from San Francisco. I can only imagine what they thought of the cold. I thought back to my conversations with the Stormin' Mormon and he had done his mission in Atlanta. I guess he got the better deal. For these two guys to be out in the freezing cold looking to spread their gospel to others deserves at least a little respect.

So the next time a Mormon comes to your door, or stops you in the street, give them a moment of your time and just be polite if you decide to decline to hear about their faith.