One of the things that overshadows faith in God

I was in Utah for most of last week for training with NHance, the amazing wood renewal process. This is an invaluable resource for conveniently restoring and preserving wood floors and cabinets (http://www.nhance.com/). I had never been to Utan before. It's one of those overlooked nooks and crannies of the U.S. in my experience. And there were many assumptions that I had about Utah because of it's religious history with the LDS Church. As Kenny and I stepped off the plane in Salt Lake City I said, "Okay, I've seen enough of Utah. I'm ready to go home." On the back end of my trip, I confess that my expereince was different and more rewarding than I expected. I encountered some great people with a high value for family and community. It kind of reminded me of what I would imagine life and society to be like in America 100 years ago. The only difference would be that all of our modern technologies are in place. Words I'd use to describe it are "quaint", "reserved", "local", and "religious". The magistic environment of surrounding mountains was both imposing and beautiful. It's the soft orange of the sun rising over a valley filled with the bustle of a midsized town. And the silent sound of darkness permeating the streets as life settles down for the night. Life in Utah is certainly different than other states because of the pervasivenesss of the LDS Church. Evidence of the religion are all over any inkling of society. The state seems like an agressive environment for a Public Relations commercial of the church. Although, I found myself engaged in good conversation about life, family, and faith. I also walked away with an inspiration to live in the way of Jesus; to train my children to live in the world, but not of; to live in the humility of God-centered existence.

Religion often overshadows faith in God and demands loyalty to it's structures, values, and leaders. At that point religion has gone amuck. The purity of simple faith becomes lost. Isn't that the way of life on earth? We humans look for things to pursue, believe in, promote and those things can eventually overshadow the pursuit. All in all, my time in Utah spurred me on to consider what is good, right, and true. I was challenged to evaluate my thoughts of what role religion plays in the pursuit of God. It's important because it provides a society for people to identify with. It promotes important values and a framework of meaning. Yet, it seems like a test to remember that religion itself is not infallible.