via The Oregonian; by Allen Alley—

— Allen Alley of Lake Oswego is former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party and a former candidate for governor of Oregon.

I had the opportunity to attend the musical, “The Book of Mormon” in Portland. On the surface, it was one of the most dynamic, entertaining, hilarious, magnificently well-performed productions I have ever seen. Watching the show, I joined the rest of a packed house and laughed, cheered, applauded and even choked back a tear at times.

As the show progressed, and the cheers and applause grew louder with every scene, I began to reflect more on what I was experiencing. I’m not Mormon, but my family tree has extremely diverse ethnic and religious roots spanning just about every major religion from Catholic and Protestant to Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Bahai. This diversity in my close family has made me inherently curious about, and generally accepting of, people who don’t share my ideas and philosophy.

I have known and worked with many Mormons. They are some of the most kind, caring, honest and community-minded people I have known…

Read the rest of this article at The Oregonian