debor067

If you run into any rank and file Mormons tonight, hold back on the tricks and give them extra treats. They've had a very scary month. First there was the weeklong requisite "I'm a Mormon! " on their social media profiles. After that, the mind-numbing semi-annual General Conference. Next came a mandatory ticket purchase for the feature length infomercial, Meet the Mormons . Then last week: the double whammy. A flimsy defense of Joseph Smith's relations with 14-year-olds and married women. AND … get this, Gentle Readers ... a commercial about their underwear. I'm not kidding. Their underwear. If you don't believe me, check it out here . Please tell me this isn't going to lead to another mass profile picture switch. I admit, this latest string of events has been a gift for bloggers like me. For several weeks now, Mormon Inc. has written the satire for me, and for that I thank them. But, really, how much humiliation can the poor faithful endure? The new...

Dang! I missed my chance.  Meet the Mormons  is no longer playing in a theater near me. I suspect the same may be true in many other less Mormon-populated locales. But for those of you who live outside the Brigham Belt, or who simply don't want to pony up the price of admission (tickets to my local Cinemark range from $7.50 to $9.00 a pop), I have an alternative suggestion. After watching the trailer and skimming the  Meet the Mormons official  website , I've learned that what the  Salt Lake Tribune  calls a "sales pitch" focuses on the lives of "six ordinary individuals." Namely, the famous WWII candy bomber (whose story the church has trotted out on countless previous occasions), a Nepalese humanitarian, a Costa Rican female kick-boxing champ, an African-American football coach, a single mom, and an African-American Mormon bishop. At first glance, they don't seem very typically Mormon to me. Want to meet the real Mormons? (Or the ones who call the sh...

So I was in Salt Lake City last weekend, my visit timed with the premiere of the documentary,  Meet the Mormons.    I declined the invitation. As I said, we've already met. Instead I hung with the mere earthlings at the ExMormon Foundation Conference where I had the amazing privilege to introduce the after-dinner speaker, Dana Dahl . She wowed us all, earning a well-deserved standing ovation for her "self-defecating humor." I'm reasonably certain I wouldn't have learned anything new about the Mormons from watching their documentary. For that matter, I don't think anyone else would have learned anything new about the Mormons from watching their documentary. That being said, because I haven't seen the picture, and because I don't want to align myself with the critics who reviewed The Book of Mormon  without actually seeing the musical, I will refrain from commenting further on the content of  Meet the Mormons . What I will do is ask: Where are the Breth...

I'm on location this week, on my very own one-woman road trip! It started with a dash through drought stricken, blazing hot Central California, continued across the peaceful and vast Mojave and then on to Las Vegas. Because I respect its reputation, I will leave my activities behind in the famous City of Sin. But suffice to say that whatever happened there happened pretty fast, as I was in and out of the entire area inside of thirty minutes. Likewise the fast growing border town of Mesquite. Because, Gentle Readers, I was on a mission . . . to Utah!  Okay, before you accuse me of losing my mind, hear me out. I know about the many free-spirited attractions of Vegas. And I know about the uptight rules in Utah, the crazy liquor laws, the right-wing politics, and, of course, the Mormons. But here's the thing.  It's so f**king beautiful! No way could they fake this on the Las Vegas Strip! And you know what else can happen here and not in Vegas? As of a few days ago, A GAY MARRIA...

Years ago the most annoying guy in our ward used to stand at the pulpit during Testimony Meeting and advise us on how we could better spread the Gospel. Some of his suggestions: "I dropped by the bishop's workplace this week and saw that he kept a couple of Books of Mormon on his office shelf." (Bishop's face beams.) "I thought to myself, what are those books doing on his shelf? He should have passed them out by now." (Bishop's face falls.) "The other day I was standing in a crowded elevator at work when a colleague looked my way and exclaimed, 'Gee Clem, you sure look happy today' - to which I responded - 'I'm always happy, my friend, because I'm a Mormon." I could go on, but you get it. This fellow evidently believed that, regardless of our personal opinions, we should be bouncy and enthusiastic Mormon sales reps every waking moment, in every possible setting, without regard for professionalism, appropriateness, or sinceri...