On How the World Views Mormons:

The world has a morbid curiosity with Mormons.

The recent Newsweek cover article (Mormons Rock!) is only one example how intrigued the world is with Mormons.

Some people think we are this off-kilter cult with secret rituals and strange beliefs. I had friends in high school who thought I was only Mormon because I had been brainwashed by my parents and didn't know any better. Over the years, I have fielded numerous Mormon questions from friends, teachers, and strangers (especially airplane seat partners.) "Are you allowed to shower naked?" and "Is there a requirement of a certain number of children in order to get into heaven?" are a couple of my favorites. Everyone wants to know what we are really about, but no one wants to do their research. They would rather believe bizarre rumors than learn the truth. However, the fact that there are so rumors going around proves that the world is fascinated by Mormons and our apparent "weirdness."

Hot Mormon topics that have been in the news lately:

1) Jimmer Fredette: BYU basketball star, NCAA Player of the Year, "Best scorer in the country" according to President Obama, and all-round upstanding, good Mormon guy.
2) Brandon Davies: BYU basketball player kicked off the team after breaking BYU Honor Code by having sex with his girlfriend.
3) Mitt Romney: Candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
4) The Book of Mormon: A recent Broadway musical, written by the creators of South Park and has won 9 Tony Awards.

Screenshot from The Book of Mormon

The most fascinating phenomenon is this musical. The play is about two Mormon missionaries from insular Salt Lake City, Utah who travel to Uganda to preach the gospel. These two sheltered, naive missionaries are in for a shock when they are faced with the real world. A world full of poverty, abuse, AIDS, and famine. They feel unprepared to share their scriptures with people who have more immediate problems than worrying about finding the right religion. Not only does the play paint Mormons as ignorant fools who don't have a clue of hardship, tragedy, crime, and poverty, but this play is also the most profane play in Broadway history. (See New York Post article: 'The Book of Mormon' is the most profane musical -- NYPost.com) It's not the profanity that gets to me as much as that the profanity is being used to blaspheme a faith.

The musical has been a runaway hit. Critics have compared it to classics such as The South Pacific and The Sound of Music. To me, these are some hasty comparisons, but I haven't seen the show. However, I think The Book of Mormon has been such a hit because everyone is so curious about Mormons. The Broadway musical satisfies a bit of the curiosity.

I am surprised that there hasn't been more of an outcry against a show that so harshly puts down a faith. In all I've seen, most people defend the musical's mockery of the Mormon religion because it ends optimistically. The play concludes with the idea that life is a lightning storm of chaos, pain, and sorrow mixed with love, joy, and fulfillment. Sometimes in order to tame the the torrential rain we need religion. Even though we all know it is a bit ridiculous, religion makes sense out of the storm. It is through, not despite, the absurdity of religious ritual and the affirmation of mythology that we gain strength to keep going. (For more, read the New York Times review: Missionary Men With Confidence in Sunshine) Oh how nice. They think all Mormons choose to believe in a "ridiculous" religion only because it makes us feel good. We know it is all a sham, but we choose ignorance over truth because it gives us warm fuzzies inside.

Okay, stop. Being Mormon is tough, there are a lot of rules to uphold. Let's start at the no sex before marriage and go from there. And Mormons truly practice what they preach. It is not a pick and choose faith, every faithful Mormon tries to meet all the same standards. We work hard to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a daily, hourly, minutely act to be Mormon.Why would so many people be active in a church so strict if it was all for nice feelings of peace and security? Alright, fine. There are lots of people who do some difficult, weird things in the pursuit of happiness. Maybe that isn't a solid argument. However, to say that we don't truly believe? That we all pretend? That is the biggest insult to our intelligence.

The Church hasn't said much about the musical. I kind of wish they would stand up for themselves a little more, but I also think it is okay that they haven't. Let Broadway do what they will. Whatever happens on Broadway, or HBO for that matter, will not affect our personal faith or damage our testimony. No one cannot touch that. Other people have spoken out against the show, denouncing its blasphemous nature. A Jewish man wrote into the New York Times as a rebuttal to a praising review of the Book of Mormon, “As someone of Jewish faith,” he began, “I take personal offense at this show….I cannot believe that New York, MY New York, where I was born and raised, would ever do such a thing. Shame on you, New York Times, shame on Broadway, and shame on all of us who stand idly by and do nothing while the faith of others is mocked. Religious and cultural Jews need not support such bigotry.”

A really good article about the show was written by the Church's Head of Public Affairs, Michael Otterson, and published in the Washington Post. He explains how it is backwards to portray the Church as ignorant to problems in the world, especially the problems in Africa, when we comprehend all the humanitarian aid the Church has provided to these places. He explains the Mormon view of the play much better than I can. (A Latter day Saint View of The Book of Mormon)

But hey, if the show persuades people to read The Book of Mormon, the real Book of Mormon, that's a plus, right?