Utahns of all religious persuasions are becoming more tolerant of those who don't share their beliefs.
And that's good news, said two non-LDS ministers and a Jewish rabbi, who participated in a panel discussion Wednesday on the issue. Discrimination against non-LDS Utahns has been a historic problem, they said.At the same time, an LDS official said, being "always the biggest kid on the block" has its problems as well. As the dominant religious group, "Mormons" also may be put into difficult situations at times.
The panel participants were Rabbi Fred Wenger of Salt Lake's Congregation Kol Ami; the Rev. Robert Bussen, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Utah; the Rev. Donald Baird, senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church; and Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The discussion was part of a workshop for teachers, sponsored by the State Office of Education. The four-day workshop has focused on how children can be taught the important role religions play in history without being taught specific doctrines.
"The religious dimension of human nature should not be ignored," said Bussen. "It is important to teach about religions in school. The key is that (the teaching) be all-embracing." He recalled his own difficulties when he attended Utah schools as a Catholic among predominantly LDS groups. "I remember the isolation, embarrassment and ridicule. We were taught Mormon religion," he said.
Baird, whose family history in Utah spans four generations, paid tribute to "the new sensitivities" that make it less uncomfortable for his children than it was for him, his father and grandfather to be among a religious minority.