The “H’ in Hulu might stand for hit job, noting the numbers of times the company has offered productions about Latter-day Saints that are both grievous misrepresentations of the faith and disdainful stereotypes of our people.

If they had set out purposely to exploit us and our faith, they could not have been more egregious, but their latest offering “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is particularly cringeworthy.

Tad Walch of the Deseret News noted, “In the past 21 months, Hulu has released three other series purportedly about ‘Mormons.’ Two were about murderers — one show released in early January includes an episode titled ‘the Mormon Manson.’ The third was about a mother who apparently left the church to marry another mother.”

Hannah Seariac also spelled it out: “The new series takes its place in a genre that includes portrayals of Latter-day Saints as sinister malefactors (“Murder Among the Mormons” and “Under the Banner of Heaven”), victims of crimes (“Tabloid” and “A Friend of the Family”) and religiously hypocritical (“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”).” Hulu is not responsible for all of these, but the pattern is clear. Distorted shows about “Mormons” sell.

The “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” refers to a group of bloggers, some of whom have millions of followers, who appear to have an identity as married Latter-day Saints, but engage in swinging liaisons on the side, including swapping husbands.

The “documentaries” are offensive on multiple levels. The photo for the trailer begins with the women standing in front of the temple, exploiting the sacred. They use “Mormon” in the title, assuming a tie to the Church, as if in their adultery, they are representative. They give the sense that behind a Latter-day Saint’s wholesome exterior is a sizzling drive, that is oppressed by strict rules. They imply that the Church has a bunch of arbitrary and oppressive rules that men use to subjugate women.

You could just roll your eyes and say this is more of the same, yet it is a dangerous trend. In a secular world, many people don’t comprehend the life or outlook of the devoutly religious. Certainly, few producers or journalists understand. They can use that tremendous educational power that they have to fire up disdain or animosity toward a group—and do. Faithful members pay for that. Missionaries are slowed by that. It is hard to get beyond the word or image that can mischaracterize a people.

In 2007 when Helen Whitney did her documentary called “The Mormons” for PBS, she came to our house because she was interested in a book we had written about early missionary work in England, and particularly about the abuse suffered by the Saints. Yet, she made a statement in passing that completely surprised me and told me how little she understood the history she had just read. She said, “Religion is violent. Violence is always at the foundation.” Yet the book she had just read was about how the Latter-day Saints had endured persecution, not the reverse.

That a sophisticated journalist had such a fixed idea about how religion was violent, and was unmoved by any other evidence bewildered me.

So, you can’t dismiss too blithely the effect of media’s depiction of the Church and its members, and what is particularly sad here, is that these “Mormon Wives” with the “Secret Lives” determined for pay and by choice to be a part of this latest blow.

When they have “depicted lifestyles and practices blatantly inconsistent with the teachings of the Church”, they damage us all. As Church members, we won’t recognize ourselves or fellow ward members in their show, but others outside of the faith will think they now know something more about Latter-day Saints. What a pity.