Why the message behind ‘The Book of Mormon’ musical is so troubling

Dallyn Vail Bayles

Dallyn Vail Bayles wrote this assessment of The Book of Mormon musical for the Deseret News. The offensive and vulgar Broadway hit that skewers Mormons opened July 27 in Salt Lake City for a two-week run. Some highlights from his article which can be read in full here:

Where the writers Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez crossed the line was not in their treatment of us as a people, or even in the way they presented our history or doctrines (they do slightly skew our teachings and beliefs about faith, obedience, prayer, self-control, salvation and the afterlife — but we’ll leave that for another time). No, where the writers went too far was in their blatant blasphemy and desecration of things that I hold sacred.

How could I laugh at a song that turns the action of the holy ordinance of baptism into a double entendre sexual encounter? How could I laugh at the crude portrayal of Jesus, or at a song that curses God in an exceptionally vulgar way?

But perhaps what I found most concerning was the musical’s core message and what it seemed to imply about religion in general.

This concern was shared by David Brooks, who wrote the New York Times op-ed piece titled “Creed or Chaos,” in which he describes the musical’s main message this way:

“The central theme of ‘The Book of Mormon’ is that many religious stories are silly — the idea that God would plant golden plates in upstate New York. Many religious doctrines are rigid and out of touch.”

Robert Lopez, in an interview with NY News, said, “There’s something supremely, ridiculously fake about (religion), but it helps people live their lives better, and there is something emotionally true about it. … But you don’t necessarily think that God talked to this guy and had him bury some plates in the ground … like, that’s ridiculous. But if believing in a goofy story helps a bunch of people live lives in a meaningful way, then it is true. That’s where we started from.”

It is a sad commentary on our world that so many have praised this musical which desecrates what Latter-day Saints hold as sacred.

Forbes: Have Mormons Become America’s Best Advocates For Freedom Of Speech?

A worldwide debate has emerged over religion and freedom of speech. And who, by example, has become America’s best advocate for free speech? The surprising answer may be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Over the years and around the globe, cartoons of the prophet Muhammad have sparked protests among Muslims who believe such depictions insult their religious beliefs. The most extreme reaction came with the massacre of cartoonists at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, an attack that killed 12 people. More recently, in Garland, Texas, two men were shot and killed before they could attack an event featuring drawings of Muhammad.

In the United States, the most notable example of a work of free expression poking fun at another religion is the successful Broadway play The Book of Mormon, created by South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

The play features two fictional Mormon missionaries who go to Uganda and boisterously sing, “God loves Mormons and he wants some more!” While learning a new religion is far from the minds of people in a village combatting AIDS, poverty and a local warlord, they listen to stories, distorted by a loopy young missionary, about Brigham Young, Joseph Smith and the founding of the Mormon Church.

And what was the reaction of the hierarchy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to mining their religion for laughs? Did they condemn the play? Did they seek to pressure venues or cities not to allow it to be performed? Did Mormons threaten violence against anyone? No, Mormons did not do any of those things.

To see the full article on Forbes, click here. 

When the Broadway Musical Book of Mormon comes to town‏

Dear President Albright,

The Broadway Musical, “The Book of Mormon” has been in Milwaukee this week. The touring production of “Book of Mormon,” created by the folks who brought us “South Park” and “Avenue Q,” winds up a two-week engagement at the Marcus Center this weekend.  Recently, our mission president assigned several companionships, including my companion and me, to go visit people waiting in line for the show each afternoon and distribute copies of the real Book of Mormon. Our group of missionaries have distributed so many books — 1,300 in the first week alone, — that we were offering people mostly app cards by Wednesday so attendees could just download the book onto their electronic devices.

There were SOOO many people standing in line to chat with.  My companion, Elder Eyring, and I were asked to stand right outside the front doors of the theater while other missionaries were scattered up and down the streets. Every night for the past week we arrived at the Marcus Theater downtown an hour and a half before the play started to speak to as many people as possible.  We received so many questions, posed for so many pictures, and distributed so many copies of the Book of Mormon!  It has been both thrilling and exhausting. This was way more productive than knocking on doors! We typically explain to patrons that if you’re going to see the musical, you should also read the book!

The most common question we were asked was whether we were a part of the popular Broadway show.  Were we actual cast members?  Once they knew we were not actors, but real missionaries from the Church, it opened up a whole world of opinions and questions. Then we could start to teach some gospel truths and answer gospel questions.  Many of the patrons were actually offended by the levels of obscenity, blasphemy and outrageousness in the show.  However, we as missionaries just focused on our message.  We couldn’t be offended by the lyrics or jokes since none of us had seen the musical. One of the missionaries, Elder Zac Hadlock of New Mexico, explained to a local reporter that, “whether the play is accurate or inaccurate, people have questions. And this is a great chance for us to tell them about the church and about us.”

For the most part there was a very positive reaction to us missionaries working the line. The local newspaper even interviewed a few of us and published a nice article about our working outside the theatre. One of the best parts of this unique assignment has been getting to know the cast members and other workers traveling with this popular Broadway production. We meet with most of the cast several times each day running back and forth to nearby restaurants.  It has been fun to get to know most of the cast personally.

I’ve even met both the main missionaries who star in the play, including the young man who plays Joseph Smith, among many others. They are actually all very nice to us. They are just actors doing their jobs but they really do respect our church.   A couple of the cast members have already been converted to the Church since the play began touring. One young man I’ve grown particularly close to is a violin player in the orchestra. We speak about the gospel nearly every day. He has been keeping a copy of the real Book of Mormon on his music stand and reading it during every intermission. He often comes outside and asks me gospel questions on the sidewalk.

There is much good coming from this play that some consider disrespectful and irreverent. By the end of the first week, our companionship handed out just over 450 copies of the Book of Mormon.  What a wonderful experience to have just before finishing up my last few days in the mission field!

Elder Forrest Allen

Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission

New 60 Second Animated Videos Explain Basic Mormon Beliefs

According to Lds.net: 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently released a new animated video series explaining its basic beliefs. Yesterday, mormon.org posted to their official Facebook page one of these videos, explaining Latter-day Saints’ belief in the Book of Mormon.

The series goes through the different “beliefs” they explain on mormon.org. Currently, six different videos are published, taking viewers through the following basic beliefs of the Mormon faith: