it comes to the faith, we don't mind people asking questions or pointing out faults, but we really struggle when we think there is an attempt to detract or diminish. We want truth exposed, and the church as an imperfect vehicle with imperfect people is the best, even ordained, method to expose the truth. So when a detractor's words and actions go beyond "personal faith quest" into the realm of "personal vendetta against the church," I see it very logical for the faithful to think it would be better for the detractors to leave than to hurt the vehicle's performance in its mission.

When it comes to Utah, I think it is much less justified. But in a way, Utah, like the church, is also a vehicle, set up as a gathering point, or mission control, for the effort to expose truth. So there is this same protective pride regarding Utah like there is for the church.

And I dare say this even extends to BYU and BYU sports. Many fans see the football team as yet another vehicle to expose truth. So again, we're protective of the BYU brand, we are over-embarrassed by controversy and honor code violations and media disrespect, not just because we love our football, but because we want to protect the vehicle designed to expose truth.

So yeah, it could be that Utahns and Mormons are a bit more sensitive and protective when it comes to detraction.