You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 34.205.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 05:44, 30 September 2026.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Jon Kolbert‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected .
- Start of block: 05:38, 21 February 2024
- Expiry of block: 05:38, 21 February 2029
Your current IP address is 34.205.141.108. The blocked range is 34.205.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Short description|none)) <!-- This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" - please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it! -->
((More citations needed|date=January 2023))
((Use mdy dates|date=February 2024))
((Use American English|date=February 2024))

[[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saints]] and [[Mormons]] have been portrayed in popular media many times. These portrayals often emphasize controversial subjects from the history and beliefs of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) and [[List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement|other branches of the Latter Day Saint movement]].((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023))

== Overview ==
[[Image:ArthurConanDoyle AStudyInScarlet annual.jpg|thumb|right|The second half of the story, ''The Country of the Saints'', is set in the [[United States]] and includes an appearance by [[Brigham Young]].]]

===Controversial, negative portrayals===
Portrayals of Mormons and of [[Mormonism]] in both literature and movies have drawn criticism, with critics such as d'Arc describing the bulk of what the world heard of Mormons in the 19th and early-20th century, via the literature of the day, as "polygamy, mystic revelations to modern prophets, golden bibles, and scheming missionaries adding continually to their harem of wives", and stating that this portrayal found its way into movies.((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023))

====In 19th-century literature====
Two examples of 19th century books that incorporate the images d'Arc complained about are:

[[Jules Verne]]'s classic novel ''[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]'' (1873) references a "Mormon Elder" who launches into a diatribe about his religion in a rail car where passenger Passepartout becomes a captive audience. Verne follows the 19th-century propensity to view polygamy as central to Mormonism, going so far as to call it, "the sole basis of the religion."((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023))

[[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s detective novel ''[[A Study in Scarlet]]'' (1887) is another portrayal that caused controversy. Mormons viewed the portrayal of the [[Danites]] in the book as highly erroneous, being yet another instance of [[Anti-Mormonism|anti-Mormon antagonism]] in popular media.((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023)) Conan Doyle, according to his daughter, had relied upon what had been published about Mormons by former Mormons (historians believing these probably to be Fannie Stenhouse, [[William A. Hickman]], William Jarman, John Hyde, and [[Ann Eliza Young]]), believing those accounts to be factual.((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023)) Conan Doyle visited the United States in 1923, and one leg of his lecture tour took him to the [[University of Utah]], to lecture on spiritualism. During his stay he received a letter from a Dr. G. Hodgson Higgins, who had formed his impressions of Mormonism based upon the portrayal in ''A Study in Scarlet'', which "gave the impression that murder was a common practice among them", and who suggested that Conan Doyle "express his regret at having propagated falsehoods about the Mormon Church and people".((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023)) Conan Doyle refused to withdraw what he had written about the Danites and the murders, on the grounds that it was a matter of historical record, but stated that his treatment in the novel was more "lurid" than the treatment by a history textbook would have been, and promised that in the future his portrayals of the Latter-day Saints would be based upon his firsthand experience of them on his visit. Subsequent Mormon characters in Conan Doyle's work were indeed more sympathetic.<ref>((citation |first= Harold |last= Schindler |author-link= Harold Schindler |date= April 10, 1994 |title= The Case Of The Repentant Writer: Sherlock Homes' Creator Raises The Wrath Of Mormons |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |page= D1 |id= Archive Article ID: 101185DCD718AD35 ([[NewsBank]]))). [http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/041094.html Online reprint] ((webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923063139/http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/041094.html |date=2006-09-23 )), with permission, at HistoryToGo.utah.gov by the Utah Division of State History, Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, State of Utah.</ref>

====In 20th-century films====
D'Arc gives two examples of the films from 1905 to 1936 that incorporate the images he complained about: the Danish film ''[[A Victim of the Mormons]]'' (1911),<ref>((IMDb title|id=0361094|title=A Victim of the Mormons))</ref> wherein a young Mormon missionary in Copenhagen lures the fiancée of a close friend to elope with him to Utah, whereupon he locks her in his basement (a film whose showing Governor of Utah [[William Spry]] fought to prevent); and the film ''A Mormon Maid'' (1917),<ref>((IMDb title|id=0008319|title=A Mormon Maid))</ref> incorporating what d'Arc describes as "the innocent-daughter-catching-the-eye-of-powerful-Mormon-leader formula". D'Arc argues that the reason that such portrayals became sparse in the 1930s was the introduction of [[Production Code|the Hays and later Breen regulatory code]]s, which sharply curtailed the portrayal of polygamy in movies.<ref>((cite news|url=http://www.sunstoneonline.com/magazine/searchable/Issue4.asp#Page11|title=The Saints on Celluloid: The Making of the Movie "Brigham Young"|author=James V. d'Arc|publisher=Sunstone Magazine|issue=4|date=Fall 1976))</ref>

===Positive portrayals===
Portrayals of Mormon characters in popular writing have not been universally viewed as negative by Mormons. For example:

The portrayals of Mormons in the work of [[Orson Scott Card]], himself a Mormon, have been viewed as sympathetic of the Mormon world view that reach hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide, and thus that form a useful starting point for Mormons to explain Mormonism to non-Mormons. Similarly, the portrayals of Mormons and of Mormonism presented by [[Harold Bloom]] (extolling Mormonism as the quintessential American religion), [[Charles Dickens]] (describing the industrious, orderly nature of the Mormon emigrants he encountered on a ship leaving England), [[John Stuart Mill]] (using Mormon beliefs as test cases for his assertion that government should not interfere in the private lives of individuals), [[George Bernard Shaw]] (continuing Mill's argument describing [[Joseph Smith]] as "an authentic religious genius, unique in our national history"), and [[Wallace Stegner]] (in ''The Gathering of Zion'') are all seen as sympathetic to Mormons.<ref name=Austin>((cite conference|url=http://mldb.byu.edu/austin01.htm|title=The Function of Mormon Literary Criticism at the Present Time|author=Michael Austin|year=1994|conference=Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association Conference|book-title=Annual of the Association for Mormon Letters))</ref>

===Michael Austin's analysis of Mormon portrayals===
Mormon literary critics, such as Michael Austin, consider the portrayal of Mormons in popular writing to have completely changed over the course of the 20th century, with the portrayal of Mormonism in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century being that of "a harsh, theocratic, and conspiratorial frontier community" and "a sinister secret society bent on tracking down and destroying its enemies wherever in the world they tried to hide".((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023)) At the time, Austin states that Mormons were icons of lawlessness, chaos, and sexual promiscuity, conceptions of Mormons and Mormonism that he views to have been incorporated into the works of [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Zane Grey]], [[Jack London]], [[Robert Louis Stevenson]], [[Mark Twain]], and even the made-for-TV movie ''The Avenging Angel'' (1995).<ref>((IMDb title|id=0112423|title=The Avenging Angel))</ref> The portrayal at the end of the 20th century, in works by writers from [[Tom Clancy]] to [[Tony Kushner]], is described by Austin as being of people who are "hyperobedient, patriotic, conservative, and, in all probability, sexually repressed".((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023)) He argues that although the portrayal has changed, its relation to mainstream society has not. In both cases, the portrayal of Mormons and Mormonism is highly distinct from the mainstream, he argues, with the 19th century portrayal being in stark contrast to the Victorian values of the time, and the late-20th century portrayal being ironically that of a "Victorian misfit in a promiscuous society".((Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=January 2023)) He argues that the role of Mormons and Mormonism in popular writing is "to establish a foil for the [mainstream] values supported in the text".<ref name=Austin />

After a lengthy analysis of Mormon stereotypes in popular fiction, Austin draws the following conclusions:<ref>((cite journal|title=Mormon Stereotypes in Popular Fiction: 1979-1998|author=Michael Austin|journal=Mormonism in Popular Literature Bibliography|url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/austin_lds_poplit.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010124201800/http://www.adherents.com/lit/austin_lds_poplit.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 24, 2001))</ref>
* To the extent that popular literature is able to reflect popular sentiment, Mormons are not as well perceived in the larger American culture as most people would like to believe.
* Most of these negative images have been fixed since the 19th century.
* These stereotypes should not be confused with genuine political critique.
* By studying the way that Mormons are portrayed in popular genre fiction insight can be gained into the way that Mormonism functions as a category in American culture.

===LGBTQ Latter Day Saint people in media===
((see also|Homosexuality and the LDS Church|Gender minorities and the LDS Church))

[[LGBT Mormon people and organizations|LGBT Mormon]] characters and themes have been featured in many films, plays, and pieces of literature, with some examples listed below.

* '''Films''': ''[[Latter Days]]'', ''[[G.B.F. (film)|G.B.F.]]'',<ref>((cite news|last1=Levithan|first1=David|last2=Stein|first2=Darren|title=David Levithan and filmmaker Darren Stein in conversation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/may/16/david-levithan-darren-stein-ya-books-films-gay-characters|work=The Guardian|date=16 May 2014|quote=The film skewers the ridiculousness of teen girls wanting a GBF (Gay Best Friend) like an accessory or trend, but it also skewers ethnicity, religion, clique culture. I wanted the scenes where the closeted Mormon Topher seduces Tanner and Brent to be sexy and provocative; I've never thought it was fair that it's fine to have a romantic or sexual male-female kiss but when it comes to two boys kissing, it's so chaste and unsexual.))</ref> and ''The Falls'' trilogy<ref>((cite news|last1=Lynn|first1=Logan|title=Testament of Love: An Interview With Filmmaker Jon Garcia|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/logan-lynn/testament-of-love-an-inte_b_4026402.html|work=The Huffington Post|date=4 October 2013|quote='The Falls' is the story of Chris Merrill and RJ Smith, two Mormon missionaries that fall in love on their mission.))</ref><ref>((cite news|last1=Campbell Ferguson|first1=Bennett|title=Jon Garcia's Trilogy About Gay Mormons in Portland is Complete|url=http://www.wweek.com/arts/movies/2017/01/10/jon-garcias-trilogy-about-gay-mormons-in-portland-is-complete/|work=Willamette Week|date=10 January 2017|quote='The Falls: Covenant of Grace' wraps up the Portland-filmed trilogy about two young Mormon men in love.))</ref>
* '''Documentaries''': ''[[Believer (2018 American film)|Believer]]'', ''[[Mormon No More]]'', ''[[8: The Mormon Proposition]]'', ''Same-Sex Attracted'',<ref>((cite news |last1=Sanders |first1=Connor |title='Same-Sex Attracted,' a documentary about LGBTQ students at BYU, is screening online in Utah film festival |url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2020/07/14/same-sex-attracted/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=16 Jul 2020))</ref><ref>((cite web |title='Same-sex attracted' film |url=https://universe.byu.edu/2021/02/23/same-sex-attracted-film/ |website=BYU.edu |date=24 February 2021 |publisher=BYU))</ref> ''My Husband's Not Gay'',<ref>((cite news | first=Neil | last=Genzlinger | title=Where Being in Denial Is Right at Home | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=January 7, 2015 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/arts/my-husbands-not-gay-a-special-set-in-mormon-utah-on-tlc.html | access-date=May 18, 2015))</ref> ''Transmormon'',<ref name=Mediated/>((rp|249)) and ''Church and State''<ref>((cite news |last1=Means |first1=Sean P. |title='Church & State' documentary tries to sort truth from myth in the story of how same-sex marriage became legal in Utah |url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/movies/2018/07/06/church-amp-state/ |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=8 Jul 2018))</ref>
* '''TV series''': ''[[Room 104]]'',<ref>((cite news |last1=Haley |first1=Brendan |title=Tonight's Room 104 Takes on Mormon Missionaries and Sexual Repression |url=https://www.advocate.com/television/2017/9/08/tonights-room-104-takes-mormon-missionaries-and-sexual-repression |work=Advocate |date=8 September 2017))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Dry |first1=Jude |title='Room 104': Straight Guy Mark Duplass Wrote The Year's Sweetest Gay Love Story |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/09/mark-duplass-room-104-lgbt-best-gay-1201876596/ |work=IndieWire |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC))</ref> and ''[[The Catch (TV series)|The Catch]]''<ref name=Mediated>((cite book |last1=Weber |first1=Brenda R. |title=Latter-Day Screens : Gender, Sexuality, and Mediated Mormonism |date=2019 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham, NC |isbn=9781478004264 |url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/22287/9781478090229_OA.pdf |id=((ProQuest|2285128481))))</ref>((rp|277–279))
* '''Stage productions''': ''[[The Book of Mormon (musical)|Book of Mormon musical]]'',<ref>((cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Troy|title=Welcome to the Gayborhood|url=http://slmag.com/blog/welcome-to-the-gayborhood/|work=Salt Lake Magazine|date=19 April 2012|quote=The destinies of Mormons and gays were becoming intertwined in the national discourse, providing creative fodder for theatrical productions including the 2011 Tony Award winner 'The Book of Mormon' in which Elder McKinnley, echoing the teachings of Boyd K. Packer, would encourage other gay Mormons to 'Turn it off' like a light switch.))</ref> ''[[Angels in America]]'', ''[[8 (play)|8]]'', ''14'',<ref name=Nationally/><ref>((cite web|title=Archive of "14"|url=https://theatre.uiowa.edu/production/past-shows/archive-14|website=theatre.uiowa.edu|publisher=University of Iowa))</ref> ''Facing East'',<ref name=Nationally/><ref>((cite news|last1=Clements|first1=Derrick|title='Facing East' explores rift in LGBT, LDS community|url=http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/theater/facing-east-explores-rift-in-lgbt-lds-community/article_1abe9526-cc2a-55ab-ad4a-b9493e29343f.html|work=The Daily Herald|date=3 November 2016|access-date=16 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107073916/http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/theater/facing-east-explores-rift-in-lgbt-lds-community/article_1abe9526-cc2a-55ab-ad4a-b9493e29343f.html|url-status=dead))</ref> ''Confessions of a Mormon Boy'',<ref name=Nationally/> [[Bash: Latter-Day Plays]],<ref>((cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Dinitia|title='A Filmmaker's Faith in God, if Not in Men|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/23/theater/a-filmmaker-s-faith-in-god-if-not-in-men.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 June 1999))</ref> and ''Missa Solemnis or The Play About Henry''<ref name=Nationally>((cite news|last1=Fagg|first1=Ellen|title=Plays about gay Mormons attracting audiences nationally|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=8574767&itype=NGPSID|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=15 March 2008))</ref><ref>((cite news|title=New Play Focuses on Gay Mormon Suicide|url=https://qsaltlake.com/news/2008/02/05/new-play-focuses-on-gay-mormon-suicide/|work=QSaltLake|date=5 February 2008))</ref>
* '''Books''': ''[[Advise and Consent]]''<ref>((cite book|last1=Anderson|first1=J. Seth|title=LGBT Salt Lake: Images of Modern America|date=29 May 2017|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9781467125857|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlC1DgAAQBAJ&pg=PT34|page=20))</ref><ref>((cite news|last1=Kotraba|first1=Kellie|title=Gay Mormon characters step out of the shadows|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/gay-mormon-characters-step-out-of-the-shadows/2013/05/22/a04903e2-c310-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=22 May 2013))</ref>

== In the 19th and 20th centuries ==
In addition to the works listed in the [[#Overview|Overview]], 19th and 20th-century literary and film portrayals of Mormons include:

===Films===

===''Paint Your Wagon''===
*[[Paint Your Wagon (musical)|''Paint Your Wagon'' (musical)]] (1951-1952) and its film adaptation [[Paint Your Wagon (film)|''Paint Your Wagon'' (film)]] (1969) include depictions of a Mormon elder auctioning off a polygamist wife.

===''Orgazmo''===
''[[Orgazmo]]'' (1997) is an American satirical sex comedy film about a young Mormon who gets roped into making a pornographic movie while on a [[missionary (LDS Church)|church mission]] in Los Angeles.

== In the 21st century ==
In the 21st century, positive portrayals of Mormons in popular media are still perceived by Mormons as rare; most portrayals are viewed as "usually just polygamy jokes for a cheap laugh, or the 'hip' thing nowadays&mdash;gay Mormon missionaries."<ref>((cite web|url=http://baronofdeseret.typepad.com/baronblog/2004/04/conference_repo.html|title=Notes From April 2006 General Conference &mdash; Saturday|date=April 4, 2006|work=The Baron of Deseret|access-date=August 8, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618190704/http://baronofdeseret.typepad.com/baronblog/2004/04/conference_repo.html|archive-date=June 18, 2006|url-status=dead))</ref> Some examples of portrayals of LDS Church members in popular media are listed below.

===Films===

===="New York Doll"====
[[New York Doll]] an (2005) American documentary, details the history of both the New York Dolls and one of its members, Arthur "Killer" Kane. The film narrates the history of the band from its formation in 1972, through its drug problems and the deaths of several of its members. The central focus of the film, however, is Arthur's life after conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after struggles with alcoholism, drug abuse, an attempt at suicide, and a beating with a baseball bat.

====''Believer''====
[[Believer (2018 American film)|Believer]] is an American documentary that examines the intersection between LGBT people and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through the eyes of Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons.

===Music===

===On Broadway===

==== ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' ====
In May 1991, [[Tony Kushner]]'s complex, often metaphorical, and at times symbolic examination of AIDS and homosexuality in America in the 1980s, opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] entitled ''[[Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes]]''. The play has several storylines, some of which occasionally intersect. One of the featured storylines is that of, "Joe, a young Mormon lawyer, who has taken on the right-wing potentate and monster Roy Cohn as a mentor. Two gay men, neither willing to admit it (though Cohn has started to die of AIDS-related causes). Joe strikes up a friendship with gay Louis, and soon they are lovers; but though opposites may attract, they're still opposites. Says Louis: 'I can't believe I spent three weeks in bed with a Mormon.' After a drunken Joe calls his mother Hannah to say he's gay, she sells her Salt Lake City home and heads east to save him, while working as a volunteer in the Mormon Visitors' Center. Joe finally ends his affair by punching Louis during a fight."<ref>((Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2067277_2067280_2067302,00.html|title=10 Memorable Depictions of Mormons in Pop Culture|last=Corliss|first=Richard|date=2011-04-25|magazine=Time|access-date=2017-06-08|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X))</ref> The work won numerous awards, including the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]], the [[Tony Award|Tony Award for Best Play]], and the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play]]. The play was later created as a 2003 American [[Angels in America (miniseries)|HBO miniseries]], by the same name. The miniseries starred actors, [[Al Pacino]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Patrick Wilson (American actor)|Patrick Wilson]], [[Mary-Louise Parker]], and [[Emma Thompson]].<ref>((cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/just_park_it_here_zfM27J1BeGqKGiPoJyHU7I|title=Just 'Park' it here: Cartoon duo write Mormon musical|date=April 14, 2010|author=Riedel, Michael|newspaper=[[New York Post]]))</ref><ref>((Citation|title=Angels in America (TV Mini-Series 2003– )|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318997/|access-date=2017-06-08))</ref>

==== ''The Book of Mormon'' musical ====
In March 2011, a [[religious satire]] [[musical theatre|musical]] opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] entitled ''[[The Book of Mormon (musical)|The Book of Mormon]]''. Conceived by [[Trey Parker]], [[Matt Stone]], and [[Robert Lopez]], the play tells the story of two young [[Missionary (LDS Church)|Mormon missionaries]] sent to a remote village in northern [[Uganda]], where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share their scriptures—which only one of them knows very well—but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are worried about [[famine]], [[poverty]], and [[AIDS]]. ''The Guardian'' reported the play was "not a problem" for the LDS Church because they were, "made of sterner stuff".<ref>Walker, Peter. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/07/book-mormon-musical-south-park "Book of Mormon not a problem for the Latter-Day Saints"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 1 April 2020. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.</ref>

===Television===
====''Big Love''====

The [[HBO]] show ''[[Big Love]]'' stars [[Bill Paxton]] as [[Bill Henrickson]], a modern-day polygamist who lives in suburban Salt Lake City with his three wives and seven children. Reviewer Maureen Ryan notes that the show makes it clear the Henricksons are "no longer active members of the Mormon Church,"<ref>((cite news|publisher=The Chicago Tribune|title=HBO’s `Big Love’ multiplies family, problems by 3 with polygamy story|date=2006-03-10|author=Maureen Ryan|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/03/10/hbos-big-love-multiplies-family-problems-by-3-with-polygamy-story/))</ref> although other commentators have simply described the Henricksons as a "Mormon family" and left it to others to draw the distinction.<ref>((cite web|url=http://chutry.wordherders.net/archives/005504.html|title=TV Reads|author=Chuck Tryon|date=2006-02-24|work=the chutry experiment))</ref> The show has caused controversy, with Mormons and LDS Church leaders reacting to what they perceive as being a veiled stereotype. The LDS Church released an official statement saying:<ref>((cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4788982.stm|title=Polygamy drama debuts on US TV|author=Peter Bowes|location=Los Angeles|publisher=BBC News|date=2006-03-10))</ref>
:The Church has long been concerned about the continued illegal practice of polygamy, and, in particular, about reports of child and wife abuse emanating from polygamous communities today. It will be regrettable if this program, by making polygamy the subject of entertainment, minimizes the seriousness of the problem. Placing the series in Salt Lake City, the international headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is enough to blur the line between the modern Church and the program's subject matter, and to reinforce old and long-outdated stereotypes. ''Big Love'', like so much other television programming, is essentially lazy and indulgent entertainment that does nothing for our society and will never nourish great minds.
HBO defended its show, asserting that its portrayal of the characters as outside of the LDS Church and continually having to hide their status from other people actually helps to educate non-Mormons about Mormonism, with Carolyn Strauss, president of HBO Entertainment, saying:
:It is interesting how many people are ignorant about the Mormon church and think that the Mormon church actually does condone polygamy. So in an odd way, the show is sort of beneficial in drawing that distinction.
The show again hit a sensitive spot when, in 2009, it recreated a [[temple (LDS Church)|temple]] ceremony that members of the church consider to be sacred. The creators deemed it "a very important part of the story" and made it clear that they were going to air the episode as planned after apologizing for offending anyone.
The church's response to the news about the ceremony stated that as an institution, they would not call for a boycott. Also, it stated that despite assurances three years ago from HBO and the creators of ''Big Love'' that the show was not about Mormons, Mormon themes and increasingly unsympathetic characters were being woven into the show.

====''The Catch''====
In a brief scene in the 2017 show ''[[The Catch (TV series)|The Catch]]'' a pair of male missionaries exit a bedroom getting dressed and kiss a man and a woman, and the man thanks them for giving him a copy of ''The Book of Mormon''.<ref>((cite book |last1=Weber |first1=Brenda R. |title=Latter-Day Screens : Gender, Sexuality, and Mediated Mormonism |date=2019 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham, NC |isbn=9781478004264 |pages=277–279 |url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/22287/9781478090229_OA.pdf |id=((ProQuest|2285128481))))</ref>

====''Cold Case''====
The portrayal of Mormons in ''[[Cold Case (TV series)|Cold Case]]'' has also drawn criticism from Chris Hicks for being disrespectful. He has stated that the program is an example of the unequal treatment of Mormons, stating that where insane people of other religions are portrayed in television drama, pains are taken to point out as part of the plot that they are "non-practicing", yet no such pains are taken when it comes to Mormons. As a result, the faith is seen as directly related to the insanity of one character with the implication being that all Mormons are strange people. He also expressed concerns that the [[temple garment]]s of Mormons did not receive the same sympathetic dramatic treatment or respect as do the sacred symbols of other religions.<ref>((cite news|title=TV portrayal of Mormons mean, callous|author=Chris Hicks|publisher=Deseret Morning News|date=2005-06-05|url=http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600131613,00.html))</ref>

====''Dexter''====
In season 6, episode 10 of the popular series ''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'', there is a reference to Mormonism connecting it to a radicalized end of days killer. The entire season focuses on religious symbols. In this episode, [[Angel Batista]] notices a bookcase full of fictional covers of the suspect Dr. Gellar's books dealing with the end of days. Among them is the third volume of the early Mormon historical fiction series ''[[The Work and the Glory]]'', subtitled "Truth Will Prevail".

====''Mrs Brown's Boys''====
Irish hit series, ''[[Mrs. Brown's Boys]]'' features an episode about religion in which the Mormon missionaries turn up at her house and discuss religion. She mistakes them for undertakers, and holds them "hostage" for a couple of hours.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ftkst "Mrs. Brown & the Mormons"], ''[[BBC]]'', 22 March 2011. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.</ref>

====''Psych''====
In Season 6, Episode 9 of ''[[Psych]]'', girls sporting [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU) shirts are seen entering a bar. This caused controversy because students at BYU, owned by the LDS Church, do not drink alcohol.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=1011&sid=18526229|title = BYU students' scene on Psych, misrepresented?))</ref>

====''South Park''====
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:All About Mormons scene.jpg|thumb|The Mormon family from the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[All About Mormons]]"]] -->

Commentators have been surprised by the comparatively positive portrayal of Latter-day Saints in ''[[South Park]]''. Mormon commentators have described it as "unexpectedly, our best treatment".((citation needed|date=January 2015)) In ''South Park'', despite the fact that Mormon characters are "generally pollyannas with bike helmets and missionary tags", and an entire episode, "[[All About Mormons]]", is devoted to lampooning [[Joseph Smith]] and the founding of the religion, the portrayal is considered to be generally positive. In the episode "[[Super Best Friends]]", Smith is portrayed positively, appearing in a [[Super Friends]] parody involving other religious figures who are allied in the fight against [[David Blaine]]. In the episode "[[Probably (South Park)|Probably]]", it is only the Mormons who "got it right" and who go to heaven after death and all adherents of other religions go to hell, though this "reversal of fortune" is likely just a literary device for giving debates of religious [[salvation]] a humorously [[irony|ironic]] twist, rather than a meaningful endorsement of Mormonism. Mormon characters in the series are the only ones who commentators view to be "consistently compassionate, or even courteous".<ref>((cite web|title=Trapped By the Mormons|author=Serenity Valley|date=2006-05-29|url=http://ldsliberationfront.net/?p=168|access-date=2006-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119120139/http://ldsliberationfront.net/?p=168|archive-date=2006-11-19|url-status=dead))</ref><ref>((cite web|title=South Park Mormonism|author=Steve Evans|date=2006-06-03|url=http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/06/south-park-mormonism/))</ref>

==== ''Hell on Wheels'' ====
[[Hell on Wheels (TV series)|Hell on Wheels]] seasons 3 and 4 prominently feature Mormons as both antagonists and secondary characters. Hell on Wheels follows the building of the [[Transcontinental railroad]], much of which was built through [[State of Deseret|Mormon territory]]. [[Brigham Young]] (portrayed by [[Gregg Henry]]) also appears in multiple episodes throughout the third, fourth, and fifth seasons.

===Videogames===

====''Fallout''====
In ''[[Fallout (series)|Fallout]]'', a video game series set in post-nuclear war America, Mormons are portrayed as one of the last surviving religions. One of the biggest and most powerful Mormon controlled towns is New Canaan, built on the ruins of [[Ogden, Utah]]. Mormons are featured heavily in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' expansion "Honest Hearts", wherein their missionaries are spreading the religion to tribals in [[Zion National Park]] and teaching them to defend themselves against neighboring tribes and Caesars Legion, a totalitarian slaver society co-founded by Joshua Graham, one of the Mormon missionaries now turned against Caesar.

==See also==
((Portal|LDS Church))
*[[LDS cinema]]
*[[Media bias]]
*[[Mormonism and Nicene Christianity]]
*[[Mountain Meadows massacre and the media]]
*[[Public relations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
*[[Portrayal of Mormons in comics]]

== References ==
((reflist|2))

==Further reading==
* ((citation |url= http://jaredfarmer.net/e-books |title= Mormons in the Media, 1830–2012 |author= Jared Farmer ))
* ((citation |url= http://ldsfaq.byu.edu/emmain.asp?number=132 |title= Mormons, Image of |publisher= [[Brigham Young University]] |work= Frequently Asked Questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080309234930/http://ldsfaq.byu.edu/emmain.asp?number=132 |archive-date= 2008-03-09 )) — Day, d'Arc, and Lambert analyse the portrayals of Mormons in the visual arts, film, and fiction, respectively.
* ((citation |title= Filmmaker seeks to shed light on Mormonism. Aim is to aid Romney in a presidential bid. |author= Scott Helman and Michael Paulson |date= 2006-07-20 |url= http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/20/filmmaker_seeks_to_shed_light_on_mormonism/ |newspaper= [[The Boston Globe]] |format= paywall )) — Helman and Paulson report on attempts using popular media to demystify Mormons and Mormonism to non-Mormons, aimed at countering "the nearly two centuries of prejudice against Mormonism" and at paving the way for [[Mitt Romney]] to run for United States President in 2008.
*((Citation |last= Hunter |first= J. Michael  |year= 2013 |title= Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon |place= Santa Barbara, California |publisher= [[Greenwood Publishing Group|Praeger]] |isbn= 9780313391675 |lccn= 2012033778 |oclc= 776495102 ))
*((Citation |last1=Decker|first1=Mark T.|last2=Austin|first2=Michael|title=Peculiar Portrayals: Mormons on the Page, Stage, and Screen|date=May 1, 2010|publisher=Utah State University Press|location=Salt Lake City|isbn=978-0874217735|pages=208|edition=1st))

==External links==
* [http://www.ldsfilm.com/lds_chars.html Latter-day Saint Characters in Media] at LDSFilm.com — listing of movies and television shows that have major characters that are Mormons

((-))
((Relphilpop))
((Latter-day Saints))

[[Category:Latter Day Saints in popular culture| ]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Latter Day Saints in popular culture (edit)
Template:- (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation needed (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite conference (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite journal (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite magazine (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite news (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Clear (view source) (protected)
Template:Colors (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:DMCA (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (articles) (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (protected)
Template:EditAtWikidata (view source) (protected)
Template:FULLROOTPAGENAME (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:First word (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (protected)
Template:Font color (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:IMDb title (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:If empty (view source) (protected)
Template:Latter-day Saints (edit)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Portal (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:ProQuest (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:R/superscript (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:R/where (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Religion and philosophy in popular culture (edit)
Template:Relphilpop (edit)
Template:Rp (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:See also (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Trim (view source) (protected)
Template:Use American English (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Use mdy dates (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Wikidata (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:WikidataCheck (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:DecodeEncode (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:EditAtWikidata (view source) (protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:GetParameters (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If empty (view source) (protected)
Module:Labelled list hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:Plain text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal/images/aliases (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal/images/l (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Portal/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:String2 (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Ustring (view source) (protected)
Module:Wd (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Wd/i18n (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Webarchive/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataCheck (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Latter Day Saints in popular culture.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints_in_popular_culture"