Religion

So, yesterday we got to make dinner for the missionaries in our area. One of the elders is from Sweden, so it is always interesting to hear his take on things.

One part of the conversation, he wondered if we were taught religion at school. When I told him that we weren't, because of civil rights reasons (not my original phrasing), he was somewhat shocked.

He made the comment that he thought that the United States, being based on religious freedom would have students (elementary, middle, and high school age) taught about all religions at school.

So, it was kind of eye-opening to me, to hear a viewpoint from someone who is from a different country, and how people think and view of our country.

He also wondered if we learned about any other country's history, and again was surprised that we didn't learn in depth about the economy/structure/history of other countries. (I mean, sure, we learn a little when you take geography, but nothing compared to what you learn in geography in college).

We asked him what school was like in Sweden, and he said that it wasn't like school here. They had classes/lectures every other day, and the days that they didn't have lectures they had a free hour (I guess kind of like study hall) where they were expected to "think outside the box" and figure things out for themselves in regards to their classwork.

He told us that one time he even brought the missionaries to one of his classes and had them teach the first lesson. He asked us if we had ever done that, and I smiled and told him that if we ever tried that in Utah, well...who knows what would happen.