Jehovah's Witnesses Make Me a Better Mormon

Today we were having a lazy Saturday. You know the type. David is still in his pajamas at noon. I have on no makeup. The baby's hair is literally sticking straight up. The house has messes everywhere. There is no place to sit down because every seat is covered in papers, electronics, Christmas gifts and David's leftover breadstick from lunch…yesterday.

Of course someone rings our doorbell right after I spread my cloth diaper stash all over the living room floor in order to take pictures for KSL.  Nothing says classy and put together like thread bear diapers.  I opened the door to two women and a 3 year old little boy. They announced they were Jehovah's Witnesses with a message about mental health. I was intrigued (and cold with the door wide open) so I invited them in. We chatted about religion as she shared her message. She was unsure about our beliefs and timidly asked if we were LDS and if we read the Bible. I wondered what on earth she meant when she said she wanted to stay here on earth to be with her family forever (my Mormon mind is thinking "Why would you want to stay here? Families can be together forever! Like after we die. No need to drag on mortality.). I unthinkingly wished them a merry Christmas as they left.

But in the end it was a very uplifting visit and I realized that I like meeting with people from other religions. Being around other religions makes me examine my own. It makes me think about it from an outside perspective and want to learn it better and live it better. Sure we have our differences. The Baptists clapped at the Thanksgiving sing-in after the LDS bishop announced we would not be clapping, as is the Mormon tradition. Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas. Latter-day saints don't drink coffee. But we all read the same book, we all believe in Jesus Christ, we all are doing the best we can to follow what he taught.