Pew Research Study

There has been a lot of press lately because the Pew Research Study on Mormons in America. One of the most interesting parts for me has been to compare how I would have answered the same questions. What do I feel like is the most important part of being a Mormon? Do I feel accepted by mainstream society? Do I feel discriminated against? How do I feel about parenthood and marriage? How would I classify my political views?

I think that this study has some very interesting findings as a whole. One interesting fact is that this is the first time that a survey like this was done by a group outside of the Church. The commentary I found most interesting was in one article where the author of the study discussed the parallels between Mormons and Muslims. He said that both groups shared the feeling that they are misunderstood by mainstream American society but both also felt that mainstream America was beginning to understand them. The author noted that this was an interesting dichotomy to feel misunderstood and at the same time feel a great hope in that changing. He said that it gave a glimpse into what it means to be a minority in America.

Overall, I felt like it was a fair assessment. I felt like the study represented what I have observed generally. As I mentioned before, the best part for me was the opportunity to self-evaluate and think about the questions the survey posed.**

**I suppose I could share some of those thoughts here but I haven't really come up with conclusions on all of them yet.