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The endlessly cheerful, excruciatingly nice, all-American image of Mormons in pop culture is not necessarily good news for a church that was once known for its radical nature. In fact, it may indicate that anti-Mormonism has won.
That is what Dennis Potter, professor of religious studies at Utah Valley State College, argued in his presentation, "The Americanization of Mormonism Reflected in Pop Culture," on Thursday at the Annual Sunstone Symposium.
Potter built his thesis on three points: early Mormonism was radically opposed to all 19th century power structures; contemporary Mormonism has been so assimilated into American culture as to be often held up as the prototype for good citizens, and its radical theology (such as communitarian economics, importance of Mother in Heaven and the idea of becoming gods) is slowly eroding away.
Potter uses an episode of the irreverent animated series, "South Park" called "All About the Mormons" as Exhibit A.
The 22-minute script tells the story of Gary and his Mormon family who arrive in South Park. Gary is introduced to his classmates as "state champion in wrestling and tennis," with a 4.0 grade point, and featured on two national commercials for toothpaste. He's blond, of course.
Gary soon invites one of the South Park regulars, Stan, over for dinner. It happens to be Family Home Evening so they play games, sing and munch on chocolate-covered rice crispy treats. When Stan asks about their faith, the show uses flashbacks to describe Mormon origins. Stan is enthralled by the tale of gold plates and angels and visions and wants to convert.
As more details emerge, Stan denounces Mormonism for its lack of evidence and logic. But Gary is unflappably kind and tolerant.
"Look, maybe us Mormons do believe in crazy stories that make absolutely no sense, and maybe Joseph Smith did make it all up, but I have a great life and a great family, and I have the Book of Mormon to thank for that," Gary says. "The truth is, I don't care if Joseph Smith made it all up, because what the church teaches now is loving your family, being nice and helping people. . ."
To Potter, though, that misses the point: the power of Mormonism is its theology. If the LDS Church abandons its most unconventional notions and moves into the American and Christian mainstream, he said, the critics will have won.
For better or worse, the South Park characters do reflect how most Americans seen Mormons, said Mark Pinsky, religion writer at The Orlando Sentinel who commented on Potter's paper.
Mormons are seen as a "model religious minority," said Pinsky, author of The Gospel According to the Simpsons, admired for their family values and even their missionary evangelism. In places other than Utah, Mormons are largely tolerant of others and don't push their religion on their neighbors.
LDS leaders were not dragged to the mainstream, Pinsky said, "they were willing participants, anxious to shed their exotic history and theology."