Should the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints be to blame for Utah's High Suicide Rate?
Has Faith Failed The Youth?
Does the Mormon belief system have anything to do with the rise in suicides concentrated in Utah?
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I will be investigating the issue that surrounds a common question that I hear here, are the high suicide rates in Utah related to the dominating religion in the state? This investigation will not be a straight line, for there are many playing factors that affect the variables in order to reach the hypothesis. My hopes are to either clear the stigma that surrounds the Mormon religion or shed some light on this epidemic.
I came to associate with this issue through my personal experiences dealing with particular students that were deep in a depression, while managing to be completely perfect at school and their extracurricular activities. This seems like a stretch for me to come to a simple conclusion in the past by connecting their beliefs with their mental disorders, but I have found that I am not alone with this mindset. Since we are high up in the charts for leading suicide rates, it is easy for those who live here, and are not associated with the religion, to point fingers at Mormon Church. Is it the pressure from prominent and “perfect” families on their children? Is it suppressed desires from these young adults that were at a constant conflict with their belief? Or was it simply the big spaghetti bowl that we live in? These are the dependent variables in my local issue. I also have to consider separating Mormonism from any other religion that could be applied to this scenario. What makes the Mormon religion different from the others? Ridiculous rules like females only allowed one piercing per ear and men are not allowed to have body art are small examples of the oppressing nature that some may view of it. A list of these rules that separate them from other religions can be found on a few of these links from insiders and outsiders.
The first link is from an ex-Mormon, who listed the rules in a blunt matter.
In contrast to the last link, a fellow follower of the religion typed out a small list of the less controversial rules.
While reading a few articles from Rational Faiths and Religion News Service, they toy around with the concept of the link between the faith and suicide rate in Utah is rising due to the recent LDS Church policy that forbids the baptism of homosexuals and their children. This itself is not unique, because in every religion this problem occurs, therefore this variable will have to not be included in the final project. I figure that my sources will have to come from non biased or religious affiliates due to the constant clash of their versions of evidence.
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My Connection
I chose this issue in response to my past experiences dealing with young people a part of the church’s community going through the worst experiences. Growing up in West Valley and attending American Preparatory Academy, I had friends try to commit suicide or become rejected by their religious family members because of their sexual orientation or lack of abilities to succeed. This issue was not only circulating in my school, but the same issues were presented in other schools on the news being broadcasted to show the tragic end to students. After years of getting used to the trigger words and near death experiences coming from my friends, I began to get used to it. I was numb. I asked myself, “Why is it always the perfect LDS kids?” as a joke but after awhile, I really did wonder if that was a factor. The Herriman suicides really solidified the toxic Mormon culture in my eyes at the time and only make me more curious as to the reasons why so many take their lives in Utah.
I assumed for the longest time that the stresses of following the faith and its rules only pushed kids to the breaking point. Kids ask for acceptance in all forms, whether it be through an art form, sport, or just purely being themselves; when that acceptance is not granted to the child, it can cause some damaging effects in their relationships and self esteem. Young adults coming out to their parents is hard enough, but imagine the pressures of coming out in a culture where it says in their book that they will burn in hell? This scenario can be applied anywhere, but in Utah, where the dominating faith is LDS, this scenario is very alive. We make fun of the LDS men hiding their true sexuality by concealing it with a wife, but at night they end up in the gay bars, but that proves my point of how pressuring the LDS culture can be.
I plan on interviewing people in the faith and out, along with researching recent statistics on how Mormon culture affects the death toll in Utah to add credibility to my social issue.
I realize that I am starting off with a bias due to my past experiences, but I will try to remain as objective as possible in order to prove or debunk my theory. My research will have a mix of conflicting ideas and conclusions along with objective facts to even out the spectrum.
Interview
For my interview, I decided to choose a close friend of mine, John, that had been a devout Mormon for most of his life, but recently has decided to part ways with his faith. I thought it would be interesting to see a double standard and hear from his side his reasons for moving on. My question was real simple: Why did you decide to leave? I conducted my interview through text and a phone call so that he could type up the main reason and after we could just chat a bit more about it. John texted me the following answer:
“Like me not being the best person in the world the standards of the church are pretty hard for me. Because Like I was 16 when I started smoking and had my first beer at 14 so I've never been a good mormon. Its put a lot of pressure from family on me over the years and I just have a hard time talking to some family because I know that the fact I haven't been to church in a while is gonna come up. I feel pretty inadequate when it comes to friends I had in seminary knowing that they're actually pretty good about everything and are staying on the straight and narrow while I was just the screw up who avoids anything to do with the church because I'm ashamed of who I am and the choices I make.”
After he texted me that I followed up with a phone call where he told me his family’s back story and also more of his that I did not know. I first asked why he started drinking and smoking, to which he said that his family did not care what he did and relied on him to do more of the parenting work and physical labor around the house, since they lived in lower class. I already knew he had it worse than others and had to grow up faster than most, but it really put it into perspective how he was coping with his school failures and constant threats at home. He said he questioned his faith and how it never gave him anything or helped out when he needed it. He said he thought the breaking point was when he moved to Florida and discovered a whole different environment and culture of people. I understood why he abandoned the LDS faith, since it’s perfect outside and ruled never fit him in. I think if he felt more accepted by the Church and did not have to confine to its many rules that did not allow his behavior, then it may be a different story for him and his family. He had no help from anyone, so he decided to do it all on his own, even without God.
