Rantings of a Married LDS 21 year old. . .

This semester I am in a communications class that has really got me angry and made me think a lot about my religion and life. Now you're probably asking how in the world can a communications class do this for you? Well his name is Mark Merekly and he is my pot stirrer. Basically there has been a couple classes where he complains about mormons and our religion and says how we are closed minded and have everything wrong, how our girls get married so young, don't get an educaiton, then get a divorce. One class it got so bad I finally got up and left. I called Tom and just went off on how mad I was and I couldn't believe the things he was saying. All Tom said " why didn't you say anything back?" Simple, yet brilliant. So next class I walked in there ready to defend my beliefs, and I had a perfect chance. We did this exercise where we closed our eyes and were suppose to vote on which answer best described what we would do. The question was, if your superior asked you to express your opinion about something you felt strongly about how would you do it? Our choices were A. Be the first one to say something. B. Wait for the right moment then say something. C. Wait to be called upon. D. Wait until everyone is finished then say something. I said C. (it's just how I am!) He then had us sit in a circle by the people we answered like. Only me and two other people said C. Four boys said A. One boy said D. and Everyone else said B. He then asked us to discuss why? So the class went on arguing why which answer was better, how you should speak your opinion, but should you do it in a polite manner, or if you wait will you sometimes miss your oppurtunity. Then something happened. . . Mark Merkley, the man I do not like asked me for my opinion. It was like all that I had bottled up inside over the past 5 weeks became unleashed. I told him how he had made me angry almost every class, how he stood up there every class and said everything I believe in is wrong, that my marriage will fail, and I am closed minded. I told him there was no sense in arguing or expressing my opinion with people like him because they are to closed minded themselves to listen. He then asked if I was just scared to share my opinion because I lacked confidence! This made me even more mad. Umm pretty sure I have never lacked confidence, I told him. I have always been proud of who I am and my decisions. Believed in myself and known that I am living in a good way so for you to say I lack confidence because I don't argue with you everyday is wrong. He simply shrugged his shoulders and moved on. I wish I could say the story ended here because this post is becoming to long, but it didn't. After class he pulled me aside and apologized for making me angry every class. He said that he just doesn't want me to settle, that if I wanted to be a relief society president then that was great, but if I wanted to be something else I should, that if I wanted to be a powerful woman who wanted to change the world then I should. I just said what if I don't want that? What if I want kids and to raise them and just to be a powerful mom? And he said then that is good to if that is what you really want? Anyway. . moral of the story, my teacher has good intentions even if he goes about it in a wrong way. He has gotten me to think and to try to become open minded but he has also strengthened my testimony. He has made me realize how much I do love this gospel and how I want to defend it with everything that I have. Even if he thinks my marriage will fail, I know my marriage isn't of this world and has an eternal plan. So thank you Mark Merekly for making me angry and strengthening my testimony.